Bubble & Scrape

Untitled

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.

Music

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 , 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 , paving the way for their more polished future albums, starting with Bakesale in 1994.

Reception

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.

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." Amy Granzin of Pitchforkmedia 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."

Singles

"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.

Reissue

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.

Track listing

1. "Soul and Fire" (Barlow) - 3:46
2. "2 Years 2 Days" (Barlow) - 3:07
3. "Telecosmic Alchemy" (Gaffney) - 2:15
4. "Fantastic Disaster" (Gaffney) - 3:33
5. "Happily Divided" (Loewenstein) - 2:20
6. "Sister" (Loewenstein) - 2:43
7. "Cliché" (Barlow) - 2:27
8. "Sacred Attention" (Barlow) - 2:47
9. "Elixir Is Zog" (Gaffney) - 2:06
10. "Emma Get Wild" (Gaffney) - 1:21
11. "Sixteen" (Loewenstein) - 1:29
12. "Homemade" (Barlow) - 5:02
13. "Forced Love" (Barlow) - 3:19
14. "No Way Out" (Gaffney) - 2:15
15. "Bouquet for a Siren" (Gaffney) - 2:56
16. "Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)" (Barlow) - 3:12
17. "Flood" (Loewenstein) - 1:34

Extra disc (2008 reissue)

1. Reject
2. Sister
3. Bouquet for a Siren
4. Emma Get Wild
5. Flood / Ken
6. Messin' Around
7. Visibly Wasted II
8. You Are Going Down
9. Old Daze
10. Part 1 - Lou
11. Part 2 - Eric
12. Part 3 - Eric
13. Part 4 - Jason
14. Happily Divided
15. Soul and Fire [acoustic demo]

Personnel

• Lou Barlow – Guitar, Vocals
• Seana Carmody – Vocals
• Eric Gaffney – Bass, Guitar, Drums, Harp, Keyboards, Vocals
• Jason Loewenstein – Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocals
• Bob Weston – Engineer