POP MUSIC REVIEW : The Breeders’ Relaxed Jam

The critically acclaimed alternative-rock act the Breeders seemed so comfortable on stage at the Troubadour on Tuesday that you got the feeling you were sitting in on a no-pressure jam in one of their living rooms rather than a major-market showcase in support of their high-profile new album.

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?” singer-guitarist Kim Deal asked chatting audience members between songs. She and her twin sister, guitarist Kelley Deal, bantered back and forth in front of the receptive, often laughing audience, then nonchalantly launched into walls of fluid sound with a creepy, ‘50s sci-fi soundtrack edge.

The Breeders’ enticing, wobbly melodies escalated into full-blown rushes of warm, euphoric sound, and the charmingly lopsided surf feel was more three-dimensional live than on the flatly produced new “Last Splash” album, thanks to the powerful sound and the band’s sense of relaxed spontaneity.

The ecstatic crowd seemed to know every word of each song, and shouted them aloud like a big stadium crowd. The quartet soaked up the admiration and returned it with big smiles.

The very Breeders-compatible Yo La Tengo preceded the headliners with flails of ‘60s-style organ and shards of refined noise that set the tone for this night of finely crafted pop distortion.