‘Nobody Loves You More’ is a solo record 14 years in the making and one both gorgeously mellow and sonically adventurous.
Best known as the bassist for indie trailblazers Pixies and later frontwoman of cult outfit The Breeders, Kim Deal is regarded an alt-rock icon after nearly 40 years of musical productivity.
For this reason, it almost feels like a glitch in the matrix that the 63-year-old is only now releasing her debut solo album. Nobody Loves You More is well worth the wait: sonically adventurous and gorgeously mellow songs that reflect the natural maturing of an artist nearing retirement age.
The record’s creation was aided by a vast array of familiar characters over a 14-year period. Her late friend and legendary engineer Steve Albini steered the final recordings, with collaborators from members of Breeders, Savages’ Fay Milton and Ayse Hassan, and former RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
The opening run of tracks leave quite the impression too. To start, ‘Nobody Loves You More’ matches luscious - and at times rusty - orchestrations with Deal’s heartfelt yet chilling crooning. ‘Coast’ - written about “revelatory levels of low self-esteem” of a friend’s wedding band – then thrills through breezy guitars and a marching band.
‘Crystal Breath’ takes an ominous turn and provides a welcomed edge with driving beats and an industrial-punk vibe. She similarly ventures into experimental terrain on ‘Big Ben Beat’, using abrasive basslines and psychedelic guitars for a sonic assault.
Elsewhere, ‘Are you Mine’ was written when Deal cared for her Alzheimer-suffering mother and is gorgeous and country-twinged, while the joyful-melancholia of ‘Disobedience’ finds a more explosive rock sound of old. The final quarter may lack immediacy, but the pensive ‘A Good Time Pushed’ impressively closes proceedings through hazy guitars and a sense of yearning: “Part of me wants / To follow you off of this world” admits the singer.
Kim Deal’s debut LP is often intriguing and rarely banal. An elegant showcase proving why her venture into solo artistry was necessary.
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