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On the Shelf 177: Pixies
Dec. 28th, 2016 12:07 pmNot that there aren't bigger problems in the world, but what is there to think about this new Pixies album.
There of course are some truths and the reality is once you release more than 3 albums you are flirting with disaster. The greatest of the great- the Smiths, the Clash, the Velvets even Nirvana would have released clunkers of albums. Of course, we are a bit spoiled in that there have been a number of successful reunions.
In any case, none of this was enough to help the Pixies first reunion disc Indie Cindy, which by all measures was not a great reunion album. It become an in-joke with the indie press, and even though i wanted to like it, I found it hard to justify. Certainly as a Pixies record, even as a Frank Black record; though it wasn't totally awful, by most standards, it was unnecessary, to put it kindest.
Which brings us to Head Carrier. Admittedly, the reviews are a bit better, and this time even some positive reviews have crept in. For example, Luke Haines thinks it is a complete heir to the lineage.
Me? I am not sure that i have landed on an opinion. At first blush, it does feel like the Pixies, and it is worth a turn in my rotation. There are a couple of positives for me. Universally, it's agreed that Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Zwan) is a perfect compliment to the band. I can't argue that. She seems to fit right in that spot where one can only picture Kim Deal. She's not Kim, but she works. For me, the big ah-ha is Santiago (and Lovering. And Paz), and the melodies feel like what would be the next chapter of Pixies. If not Surfer Rosa, then a follow up to Trompe le Monde.
Which is the problem. The Pixies made their sound so effortless, and we now have 30 years of people who have copied the formula. There's Nirvana of course, but also Arcade Fire. There's Blur and Good Charlotte and indeed what passed for Britpop and modern alt-rock. No Jack White and no Weezer, and I am just dipping my toes in bands who wouldn't exist without the Pixies.
It's hard to re-capture that magic. Otherwise, bands would just do it.
I think Head carrier most succeeds. I think it will make my Top 20 year end list, but it's not a definite. Frank Black says his only vehicle for music going forward is the Pixies. That will change (of course), but if it continues like this, we have a promising future. For me, Black is the weak link here in the reunion, but I am sure given his past, he will be right on track in no time.
There of course are some truths and the reality is once you release more than 3 albums you are flirting with disaster. The greatest of the great- the Smiths, the Clash, the Velvets even Nirvana would have released clunkers of albums. Of course, we are a bit spoiled in that there have been a number of successful reunions.
In any case, none of this was enough to help the Pixies first reunion disc Indie Cindy, which by all measures was not a great reunion album. It become an in-joke with the indie press, and even though i wanted to like it, I found it hard to justify. Certainly as a Pixies record, even as a Frank Black record; though it wasn't totally awful, by most standards, it was unnecessary, to put it kindest.
Which brings us to Head Carrier. Admittedly, the reviews are a bit better, and this time even some positive reviews have crept in. For example, Luke Haines thinks it is a complete heir to the lineage.
Me? I am not sure that i have landed on an opinion. At first blush, it does feel like the Pixies, and it is worth a turn in my rotation. There are a couple of positives for me. Universally, it's agreed that Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Zwan) is a perfect compliment to the band. I can't argue that. She seems to fit right in that spot where one can only picture Kim Deal. She's not Kim, but she works. For me, the big ah-ha is Santiago (and Lovering. And Paz), and the melodies feel like what would be the next chapter of Pixies. If not Surfer Rosa, then a follow up to Trompe le Monde.
Which is the problem. The Pixies made their sound so effortless, and we now have 30 years of people who have copied the formula. There's Nirvana of course, but also Arcade Fire. There's Blur and Good Charlotte and indeed what passed for Britpop and modern alt-rock. No Jack White and no Weezer, and I am just dipping my toes in bands who wouldn't exist without the Pixies.
It's hard to re-capture that magic. Otherwise, bands would just do it.
I think Head carrier most succeeds. I think it will make my Top 20 year end list, but it's not a definite. Frank Black says his only vehicle for music going forward is the Pixies. That will change (of course), but if it continues like this, we have a promising future. For me, Black is the weak link here in the reunion, but I am sure given his past, he will be right on track in no time.
