Veruca Salt – American Thighs – Review

Veruca Salt

American Thighs (Geffen)
by Jim Dennis

Okay, so they’re trendy as hell, and you can’t turn on the radio without hearing “Seether,” but I’ve got to give credit where it’s due: This is a great record! Imagine combining Kim Deal’s sarcastic girl-sneer vocal, Lush’s rich female harmonies, Smashing Pumpkins’ slow, fuzzy, psychedelic groove, and a bunch of juicy, riffy pop tunes and you’re pretty close to the sound of Veruca Salt on their major label debut, American Thighs (DGC).

The album’s title comes from the infamous AC/DC lyric “knocking me out with those American thighs” and the CD reeks of just such ’70s mock-chic. “Seether” has to be one of the strongest singles of ’94, but Veruca Salt is no one-trick pony; this record is filled with hooks, although most of the remaining material is in the slower, trippier vein. From a small indie label in Chicago (Minty Fresh), Veruca Salt have risen to make one hell of an impact.