With their thin, singsong vocals and fuzzed-out guitars, Veruca Salt may sound like the Breeders and the Pixies, but lack either band's talent for inverting pop conventions or taste for the bizarre. What Veruca Salt has instead is a raw talent for simple, infectious pop songs; the result is a surprisingly fresh fusion of alternative pop and bubblegum. Nina Gordon and Louise Post try hard to inject meaning into the sweet, distorted rush of "Seether," but all that sticks is the infectious melody and crushing guitars. That also applies to the slower songs, from the enchanting lust of "Spiderman '79" to "Forsythia," which is too close to the Breeders' Pod for comfort. But musically, American Thighs is surprisingly satisfying; it's a pure pop album masquerading as the next big thing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Certainly a better album than Erlewine indicates. Great stuff. Saw them open for Juleana Hatfield in Chicago before this album came out. They were great live.
Saw 'em in 1995 at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas show at the (then) Universal Ampitheatre. Great vibe, awesome sound, choice show. I bought American Thighs the next day.
This album is the best that Veruca Salt ever released and really takes me back to the 90's. The album is great from start to finish and with Nina's amazing vocals and Louise's great guitar playing, it may be a 15 year old album but it's just as great now as it was back in the day...
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a jackazz. His reviews need to be taken off of Pandora. American Thighs is one of the best albums ever.