The Amps

See also: Pixies, The Breeders

The Amps were a short-lived version of Kim Deal's Breeders that put out one great album and then fell apart, extending the Breeders' eventually 8-year hiatus. Formed by Deal and Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson, the group also featured Dayton, Ohio musicians Luis Lerma and Nate Farley. MacPherson and Farley would later end up in Guided By Voices, the latter becoming a mainstay of the rotating GBV lineup in the late '90s.

The Amps' one, self-titled album made its mark with a half-hour of blissfully fuzzed out indie pop. Deal and the group rock out on a dozen killer Deal tunes, one co-written by GBV mastermind Bob Pollard. The group toured once, but the next time Deal surfaced for shows it was under the Breeders moniker again -- farewell, Amps.

Yet, those in the know noticed their blip on the radar, and those who declared the Breeders "out of music" between the releases of Last Splash and Title TK clearly are missing out on this crucial link, which includes such stunners as "Bragging Party" and "Dedicated," arguably sunny Kim's finest moment on record.

Album reviews

Pacer (Recommended)
4AD (1995)
Pacer is one of the decade's most cruelly underappreciated pop albums.