| Bubble and Scrape | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Sebadoh | ||||
| Released | April 26, 1993 | |||
| Genre | Indie | |||
| Length | 46:48 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Bob Weston; Brian Fellows; Paul McNamara | |||
| Sebadoh chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| The A.V. Club | (A-)[2] |
| Robert Christgau | (*)[3] |
| Drowned in Sound | (8/10)[4] |
| No Ripcord | (9/10)[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.2/10)[6] |
| Prefix | (8/10)[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
Bubble and Scrape is the fourth album by American indie rock band, Sebadoh. It was released by Sub Pop in April 1993.
Bubble and Scrape was the final Sebadoh album to feature songs composed by founding member Eric Gaffney.
Contents |
Like its predecessor, Sebadoh III, Bubble and Scrape features songwriting contributions from all three members: co-founders Gaffney and Lou Barlow, and Jason Loewenstein. Unlike the first three official Sebadoh albums, however, Barlow's contributions are mostly electric, with one exception being the acoustic duet, "Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)."
Bubble and Scrape was the first Sebadoh album to be recorded entirely in the studio,[9] marking a departure from the lo-fi sound of their previous albums. In addition to the greater use of electric guitars and the higher production value, the album features longer songs and more sophisticated song arrangements,[10] paving the way for their more polished future albums, starting with Bakesale in 1994.
Critics not only praised the strength of Barlow compositions like "Soul and Fire" and "Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)," but noted Loewenstein's emergence as a songwriter.[11]
It was ranked #9 in the NME's "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums" list in 2000.
The album was especially well-reviewed upon its reissue in 2008, with Matthew Fiander of Pop Matters writing, "It is an album that stands to benefit from a second life, and gives us as listeners the chance to hear a recording that we may remember but possibly overlooked the first time around." [12] Amy Granzin of Pitchfork Media wrote that it "may be the band's holistic best [album]," and that it "marked the point at which Sebadoh's aesthetic evolved from 'quick, where's the four-track?' to reasonably well-crafted indie rock." [10]
"Soul and Fire" was released as a single in 1993, on CD and 12" vinyl in the U.K. by Domino, and on 7" vinyl, featuring different track listing, in the U.S. by Sub Pop.[13]
Bubble and Scrape was reissued by Domino in May, 2008, featuring a bonus disc of extra material.
The album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series, at Koko in London, in May, 2008, and at the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in Chicago in July, 2008.
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