Bubble and Scrape

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 founding member Eric Gaffney.

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.

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.