Title TK

Nine years after *Last Splash* broke The Breeders wide open to the mainstream, selling more than a million copies, Kim and Kelley Deal returned with three new members and producer Steve Albini (who\'d produced *Pod*, the band\'s first album). As usual, Kim Deal did most of the writing, with the full band contributing to \"Little Fury\" and \"Sinister Foxx.\" Perhaps due to being recorded in a single studio (as opposed to *Splash*\'s multiple locations), *Title TK* has a consistent and intriguing sound. Kim Deal\'s organ work is heard in patches throughout the album, especially on the vaguely hip-hop \"The She.\" A few other errant noises make their way through the excellent \"Off You,\" the album\'s unlikely first single. Kim\'s unusual songwriting style gives the group an idiosyncratic appeal that\'s made even more compelling by the twin sisters\' harmonies. The staggering beats of \"Too Alive,\" the frenetic garage rock of \"Son of Three,\" and the naked background vocals of \"Huffer\" all benefit from Albini\'s austere, deliberately artless and natural production.

Excuses, excuses. Kim Deal's got a million of 'em. How else could she manage to put off releasing her ...

<p>Ronan Keating turns into Michael Bolton, Dot Allison sounds dazed in Madchester and the Breeders flex their punkish muscles. Plus the rest of this week's new pop.</p>