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We have some new Gigantic reviews for you!
Tipp City, OH's most famous resident is given the star treatment on this collection of covers by bands you've never heard of. My favorite covers happen to be my favorite songs (go figure), including "Tipp City" by French indie-popsters Tara King Theory, "Do You Love Me Know?" by Melissa Gibbs (which sounds like a b-side from Veruca Salt's American Things), and "Doe" by Rizzo, in which Amy Fry sounds more like Deal's former Breeders bandmate Tanya Donnelly than she does Deal. Deal's most popular songs are covered by male-fronted bands: The Wheelers turn "Cannonball" into a fuzzy, mid-'90s alt-rocker (gee, that's what it was originally!), and The Modifiers tackle "Divine Hammer" as if it was penned by The Replacements. I hope Deal (and her fans) like the final product as much as I do. - Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover)
This new compilation from American Laundromat gathers 13 different takes on Breeders songs by Kim Deal. Stylistically, the bands on display here stick closely to the dynamics of the original material. This is especially true of tracks like "Cannonball" by the Wheelers. Theirs is probably the least interesting update on the record, although the song itself ends up no worse for the wear. More stimulating is the fever pitch of "The She" by Witch Hats, a rendition that's striking for an unhinged vocal and its searing guitar stabs. Elsewhere, the Nuevos' "Invisible Man" stands out for its Guided By Voices-styled "band in a can" production values and tight minimalism. Other highlights include Descartes a Kant's romp through "I Just Wanna Get Along" and Francine's glassy-eyed version of "Off You". A welcome tribute to one of the true icons of American music. - Spencer Tricker (PopMatters)
Kim Deal's tribute album's name, Gigantic – a tribute to Kim Deal speaks for itself. The album is fantastic, especially because thirteen bands, including The Wheelers, Julie Peel, Melissa Gibbs, Witch Hats, and the Modifiers, recorded new cover versions of Kim Deal's previous tracks! Kim Deal is most famous for, "Cannonball," released in 1994, which got a lot play on the radio. These bands are from all over the world and for them to do this for love of Kim Deal and music is ecstatic. The album was released on American Laundromat Records.
The first track, "The She," uses some serious bass and electronics. The song makes it feel like something completely awkward just happened—like you just woke up from the weirdest dream! I enjoy the introduction of the song to how it all builds up into one big explosion of rhythm. This track can unleash an array of feelings from nostalgia to sadness. The third track, "Cannonball," should be one that fans are very familiar with, and The Wheelers do a great job of re-making this famous song as if they were born to play it. I love this track because you sense the badass and the oddness of the sounds that comes from the strings of the guitars.
"Invisible Man," starts off and sets the mood right. The vocals are synthesized and obviously echoed, but the environment that the song sets makes you actually feel sad and invisible. When a song can really change your mood, that's when you know it's a great song. The last track on the album, and one of my favorites, "Divine Candy," has a fantastic consistent energy that goes on throughout the song. This is a song that won't just move your foot up and down, but make your whole body jittery. The song is so fulfilling that I had to listen to it a few more times.
If I was Kim Deal and listened to all of the tracks on this tribute album, I would be crying tears of joy. It must be a great feeling having bands lovingly redo your songs! These bands knew the job they had taken in order to make a tribute to Kim Deal. Each track is different, unique, and most importantly, fun. My best advice is to skip through each track, listening to them for about 20 seconds each. This way, you can truly tell the diversity of each song on the album. After you'll make sure to listen to each and every track and if you don't, you will have to deal with Kim Deal. - Greg Spektor (DX Review)
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