THE BREEDERS

The side projects the four Breeders have played in since the band went on hiatus in 1995 have been as lightweight as most such endeavors -- somewhat surprising considering the group itself began as an offshoot of the Pixies. Kim Deal formed the Amps with Breeders drummer Jim Macpherson and a couple of friends from Dayton, Ohio, and released a lo-fi album of fairly slight pop songs; her twin sister Kelley, as well known for her drug problems as her (limited) guitar skills released an adequate indie-rock album with the Kelley Deal 6000; and bassist Josephine Wiggs played breezier music in the little-heard Josephine Wiggs Experience.

None of these side-groups featured the kind of songwriting that made the Breeders stand out from the alterna-rock pack, but the band is now back together -- sort of. For all intents and purposes, the group that played Irving Plaza was the Amps, with long-time Breeders collaborator Carrie Bradley pitching in on violin, guitar and vocals.

As if to suggest continuity between that group and this new Breeders lineup, the band opened with three Amps songs, including the subtly catchy "Pacer." A good third of the show also consisted of Amps material, which didn't do much to captivate a crowd there to hear the advertised act. The remainder of the set consisted of Breeders' songs from the band's two studio albums -- 1991's raw, quirky "Pod" and the more polished pop classic "Last Splash" -- as well as new material and its staple cover of Guided by Voice's "Shocker in Gloomtown."

It was evident early on that these Breeders aren't nearly so much fun as their earlier incarnation. Kim Deal is still a blast, though; she's an affable tomboy who hogs all the attention from the guys with her spirited between-song banter. When someone in the audience yelled out for Kelley, Kim chirpily informed the audience that her sister and Wiggs "don't wanna play with us no more." That's too bad, because without the other Deal, the new Breeders lack the energy and (literal) sense of family of their former lineup. At an Irving Plaza Breeders concert after the release of "Last Splash," Kelley messed up on guitar, then flashed the sign of the devil like a bad-boy heavy metal star. This edition lacks much of that easygoing humor.

The four new songs the Breeders played were also works in progress. Two didn't have lyrics (at least discernible ones), and a noisy number tentatively titled "Yo" featured only Deal's heavily treated squawks. Another sounded like a Minor Threat romp with a touch of country-and-western flair. Taken as a whole, the new material seemed sloppy, but not without promise. And the entire show left it hard to tell how big a splash -- if any at all -- the newly revived Breeders will make.