Pacer

Q - 3 Stars - Good - "...raw, lo-fi fun...virtual slacker anthems...the sonic equivalent of a barroom brawl between Joan Jett and The Velvet Underground..." Spin - 7 - Flawed Yet Worthy - "...suffused with a strangely dislocated nostalgia, its melodies harking back...to some utterly classic yet indeterminate golden age of pop....the basic garageland sound is subtly inflected with sonic quirks, traces of almost dublike strangeness, and eerie vocal treatments..." Alternative Press - "...the twelve songs that comprise this album operate in an entirely different realm; a realm defined by quick-fix popcraft and lo-fi rock textures..." Melody Maker - Recommended - "...The sound of Having One's S**t Together....Smart, lean, matter-of-fact....Kim Deal, as always, wears the fur of her vulnerability turned to the inside....a healthy dose of chugging, distort-o-mirror rock'n'roll, all squeals and amused belligerence..." Rolling Stone - 3 Stars - Good - "...tough-minded, raw-edged power pop delivered with the best intentions....free, edgy, and completely without pretension..." NME - 7 (out of 10) - "...slowly...it takes an insidious grip. And lo! Out from beneath the fuzz come the songs!....though PACER may be initially mocked as lazy, it is in fact a deceptively inventive record..." Rolling Stone (12/14/95, p.82) - 3 Stars - Good - "...tough-minded, raw-edged power pop delivered with the best intentions....free, edgy, and completely without pretension..." Spin (12/95, pp.82-83) - 7 - Flawed Yet Worthy - "...suffused with a strangely dislocated nostalgia, its melodies harking back...to some utterly classic yet indeterminate golden age of pop....the basic garageland sound is subtly inflected with sonic quirks, traces of almost dublike strangeness, and eerie vocal treatments..." Q (12/95, p.131) - 3 Stars - Good - "...raw, lo-fi fun...virtual slacker anthems...the sonic equivalent of a barroom brawl between Joan Jett and The Velvet Underground..." Melody Maker (10/28/95, p.38) - Recommended - "...The sound of Having One's S**t Together....Smart, lean, matter-of-fact....Kim Deal, as always, wears the fur of her vulnerability turned to the inside....a healthy dose of chugging, distort-o-mirror rock'n'roll, all squeals and amused belligerence..." NME (10/28/95, p.53) - 7 (out of 10) - "...slowly...it takes an insidious grip. And lo Out from beneath the fuzz come the songs....though PACER may be initially mocked as lazy, it is in fact a deceptively inventive record..." Alternative Press (1/96, p.72) - "...the twelve songs that comprise this album operate in an entirely different realm; a realm defined by quick-fix popcraft and lo-fi rock textures..."

Regardless of whether The Amps are Kim Deal's next rock band or just a temporary reprieve from her old one (The Breeders), PACER, the group's debut, is a confident, forceful album, loaded with lo-fi nuggets and none of the sloppy baggage usually attributed to side projects. The cast is different--only Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson's Keith Moon-like explosions are familiar--but Deal's boisterous musical personality is present throughout.
The settings are, at once, diverse and one-dimensional--gruff, punky rip-roarers ("Tipp City"), intoxocatingly simple garage-pop ("Pacer"), anthemic power-chord rock ("Dedicated"). And while the reinterpretation of an old Breeders b-side ("Hoverin") may be as close as Deal's lyrics have ever hinted at morality--"don't do it", she warns, "if you wanna stick around"--far more typical is her drunken query on the blustery "Empty Glasses": "Where's the waitress? Where's my other shoe?" Simple admissions like these make PACER the realistic soundtrack of '90s alterna-style. Drink it in.|