| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| two reelers |
Posted - 09/17/2019 : 15:57:41
..are a thousand times better than the album songs themselves!!!
Seriously, I mean it.
Spontaneity.
Urgency.
Rocking.
Quirkyness.
Oddity.
Sing-along.
Fantastic sound.
Joey's guitar, imaginative and not constrained.
Frank's guitar sounding simple yet full.
Thriving bass.
Song structures you can really hear and remember.
Good lyrics.
Rawness and power.
In short, no producer watering it down to a "good-sounding" album which is intended to make everyone happy, or intended to sound interesting, or intended to make an impact. No intention at all, just good music as we know it from the man and his fellow musicians.
I'm convinced that is the album Frank is more happy about. If not, at least it is definitely the album I'm very happy about.
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 10/02/2019 : 09:40:14
Don't think so. I'd wager we'll never hear any of them, sadly. |
| Discoking |
Posted - 10/01/2019 : 22:42:08
have any of the BTE bonus tracks/demos ever been played live by the pixies?
if so, are they being played live regularly, or was it a one-off?
thx!
i do remember charles played please don't go during a solo gig last year (http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30017), but i'm not really up-to-date with the recent pixies setlists.
 it's educational |
| Discoking |
Posted - 09/30/2019 : 23:22:41
good point.
it's educational |
| rivum |
Posted - 09/30/2019 : 05:30:24
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
Has there been a BTE review yet that has even acknowledged the demos?
is that because anyone who reviews it is provided a review copy of the album which would likely only include BTE proper? I can't imagine anybody who didn't order one was sent a vinyl deluxe set. |
| Jeepster |
Posted - 09/28/2019 : 14:34:13
the demos are amazing but the goth production on BTE proper is just so much fun
-----------------------
Q: Where do Pixies keep their instruments when they're not playing?
A: Debasement. |
| pot |
Posted - 09/28/2019 : 11:48:01
I think they should just release a full blown demo album where all the tracks on it are like the last two track on Beyond The Rim. Even if they're covers and there are cowbells. Rock it up. This is where Paz comes in with her vocals. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/27/2019 : 13:11:04
quote:
Originally posted by The Maharal
I agree with whoever said the demos are a bit Pavement-y.
Trying to figure out what How I Learned To Earn Rewards reminds me of. That groove is amazing. It's a bit like JJ Cale maybe.
Caught In A Dream could be Frank's take on Twin Peaks s3.
I thought about that too, hmmm |
| anazgnos |
Posted - 09/27/2019 : 12:31:57
It's illegal for me to post in this thread, as I really enjoy both the album and the demos just about equally.
I just think Charles and the band are suddenly on kind of hot streak lately. Paz has gelled, Joey is killing it sober, and it just seems like the band is in a really good place and they're all feeling it. IC/HC, I could certainly nitpick whether the album production sucked the life out of good songs (or whether some of the songs were good at all), but this one, I'm not feeling that dichotomy so urgently. I really like the vibe of the demos but I wouldn't be unhappy if I heard they were going back to Dreamland with Dalgety, because it kind of seems like he 'gets' it now and they have a good thing going. |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 09/25/2019 : 08:41:59
I agree with whoever said the demos are a bit Pavement-y.
Trying to figure out what How I Learned To Earn Rewards reminds me of. That groove is amazing. It's a bit like JJ Cale maybe.
Caught In A Dream could be Frank's take on Twin Peaks s3. |
| OLDMANOTY |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 12:03:57
Good points about the demos. I suppose its also because they take me back to how I felt when I heard Pixies for the first time. Nostalgia basically. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 07:19:00
Yes! Makes great sense.
Johnny Ribcage is 10/10 ! |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 06:08:14
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Sizzling hot take: Woman of War is the most over-rated BF song around these parts. It's a charming throw-away, and that's fine as it's a b-side.
I agree 100% but I’ve always been afraid to say it for fear of getting knocked out.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
Can’t one of you musicians do the science to tell us what the speed of WOW is? It just seems faster than anything 2.0, maybe not anything, I’d have to think about it. It fed a craving for more Bad Wicked Worlds when we were getting plenty of Vanishing Spies (love them all. We are privileged to have so much FBF that we can chatter about which ones are better). So tell me that most of IC is a 4/4 or 5/8 or 11/16 and then tell me that WOW is a 24/5 or whatever “time signature” it is. Genuinely curious.
No one’s gonna knock you out. All the emotions got aired out during album survivor anyway ;-)
WOW is a straight 4/4 time signature (which isn’t the speed) meaning there are 4 beats to a measure, with each beat equaling a quarter note. The speed or tempo of the song is approx 146 or 147 beats per minute (bpm)Which is fairly uptempo. 120 bpm is kinda of the home base for a lot of popular and rock music. But tempo and time signature alone don’t tell the whole story, as phrasing can have a lot to do with it, providing illusions greater momentum or shifting time signatures.
As for how the tempo compares to what’s on BTE, just doing a quick check, Graveyard Hill is also a 4/4 song and it seems to be about 138 bpm, so slightly slower than WOW. On the other hand, St. Nazaire is 4/4 with the some 3/4’s thrown in to spice it up (listen to how the lick at about 17 seconds in sounds different and shorter than what preceded and follows), and it’s actually closer to about 150 bpm.
Bad Wicked World is a different animal. It sort of feels like it’s grooving along in a sort of 4/4 thing, but it’s a cut time or 8/8 for much of it, but with lots of time signature shifting going on. The solo (not sure if it’s guitar or keyboard) for example is alternating 6/8 and and 10/8 (so kind of a trick to even things out while still bouncing back and forth). And there are other changes as well. And I’m not sure if this makes sense to you, but the bpm is going to have a different kind of meaning in this context to the listener. If you’re toe tapping along, you’re probably doing it at around 130 bpm, but the number of beats actually going off is double that. And I’m not a music theory expert by any means, so if someone is they might take issue with that description - just the best way I can explain it.
Make sense?
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 05:44:06
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Sizzling hot take: Woman of War is the most over-rated BF song around these parts. It's a charming throw-away, and that's fine as it's a b-side.
I agree 100% but I’ve always been afraid to say it for fear of getting knocked out.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
Can’t one of you musicians do the science to tell us what the speed of WOW is? It just seems faster than anything 2.0, maybe not anything, I’d have to think about it. It fed a craving for more Bad Wicked Worlds when we were getting plenty of Vanishing Spies (love them all. We are privileged to have so much FBF that we can chatter about which ones are better). So tell me that most of IC is a 4/4 or 5/8 or 11/16 and then tell me that WOW is a 24/5 or whatever “time signature” it is. Genuinely curious.
No one’s gonna knock you out. All the emotions got aired out during album survivor anyway ;-) |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 05:31:51
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
Great point Johnny Ribcage.
Has there been a BTE review yet that has even acknowledged the demos?
I’m not sure, I did a quick search but didn’t find anything.
You’d think if folks outside our little Cult of Ray here were that up on the demos, you’d be seeing articles with headlines like “The Pixies Album We Should Have Gotten” or “The Best New Pixies Album You’ve Never Heard,” and they’d be clamoring for a wide release.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 05:27:22
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Sizzling hot take: Woman of War is the most over-rated BF song around these parts. It's a charming throw-away, and that's fine as it's a b-side.
I agree 100% but I’ve always been afraid to say it for fear of getting knocked out.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 05:26:53
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Sizzling hot take: Woman of War is the most over-rated BF song around these parts. It's a charming throw-away, and that's fine as it's a b-side.
Women of War probably gets the high marks it does around here because it came out on the heels of IC and sounds much more zany and up tempo. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 04:35:56
Sizzling hot take: Woman of War is the most over-rated BF song around these parts. It's a charming throw-away, and that's fine as it's a b-side. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 03:53:29
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
quote:
Originally posted by picpic
quote:
Originally posted by OLDMANOTY
Bolding mine. This is how I feel too. Same reaction I had with 'Women Of War' a few years back. There's an strange, unfathomable depth & atmosphere to those demos, an instantaneous 'wow' factor absent in the glossy new album & the previous two. I like the new one, I think its their best since Trompe but...yeah, why can't they just do this all the time. Its just instantly leagues ahead for me. Don't get it, find it frustrating.
Because BTE sounds like what a modern rock record is supposed to sound like.
And the band seems to be fairly in line with the idea (particularly Joey).
That said, I'm really happy with them releasing the demos. It's really the best of both worlds. They could very well have kept them sleeping forever in the Pixies safe.
___
"Service Unavailable"
I think it’s important to keep in mind that most of us on this forum listen to FBF and the Pixies differently than the general public, especially casual fans. I could be wrong, but if they had released these demos plus a few other tracks as the new album, it probably would have been shredded and largely ignored. Just my guess. I mean, they DID release the demos and the only buzz it’s getting is here and a couple other forums.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
Great point Johnny Ribcage.
Has there been a BTE review yet that has even acknowledged the demos? |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 03:00:01
quote:
Originally posted by picpic
quote:
Originally posted by OLDMANOTY
Bolding mine. This is how I feel too. Same reaction I had with 'Women Of War' a few years back. There's an strange, unfathomable depth & atmosphere to those demos, an instantaneous 'wow' factor absent in the glossy new album & the previous two. I like the new one, I think its their best since Trompe but...yeah, why can't they just do this all the time. Its just instantly leagues ahead for me. Don't get it, find it frustrating.
Because BTE sounds like what a modern rock record is supposed to sound like.
And the band seems to be fairly in line with the idea (particularly Joey).
That said, I'm really happy with them releasing the demos. It's really the best of both worlds. They could very well have kept them sleeping forever in the Pixies safe.
___
"Service Unavailable"
I think it’s important to keep in mind that most of us on this forum listen to FBF and the Pixies differently than the general public, especially casual fans. I could be wrong, but if they had released these demos plus a few other tracks as the new album, it probably would have been shredded and largely ignored. Just my guess. I mean, they DID release the demos and the only buzz it’s getting is here and a couple other forums.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| picpic |
Posted - 09/24/2019 : 00:36:35
quote:
Originally posted by OLDMANOTY
Bolding mine. This is how I feel too. Same reaction I had with 'Women Of War' a few years back. There's an strange, unfathomable depth & atmosphere to those demos, an instantaneous 'wow' factor absent in the glossy new album & the previous two. I like the new one, I think its their best since Trompe but...yeah, why can't they just do this all the time. Its just instantly leagues ahead for me. Don't get it, find it frustrating.
Because BTE sounds like what a modern rock record is supposed to sound like.
And the band seems to be fairly in line with the idea (particularly Joey).
That said, I'm really happy with them releasing the demos. It's really the best of both worlds. They could very well have kept them sleeping forever in the Pixies safe.
___
"Service Unavailable" |
| OLDMANOTY |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 10:14:04
quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
So I just took a long road trip (5 hours each way) and I listened to BTE twice and the demos twice on the way there and back.
Damn man...the demos just felt like the classic Frank traveling kind of music. Pixies album was really fun to listen to also, but these demos went so well with driving around, not just the words or melodies but the feel of it. Put me in such a great mood. These 9 songs truly are one of my favorite things Frank has ever released. I don't get why a new Pixies album can't just sound like this. I am like 10000% satisfied with these 9 songs as a collection and I don't need anything more production wise. All I want is maybe a few more songs to make it longer.
Bolding mine. This is how I feel too. Same reaction I had with 'Women Of War' a few years back. There's an strange, unfathomable depth & atmosphere to those demos, an instantaneous 'wow' factor absent in the glossy new album & the previous two. I like the new one, I think its their best since Trompe but...yeah, why can't they just do this all the time. Its just instantly leagues ahead for me. Don't get it, find it frustrating. |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 09:56:01
I was on holiday for a week so only listening to the demos last night and today. Cyrus is brilliant. Who is Cyrus? Someone from the Dark Mountain Project? What a great song.
Chapel Hill - I'm almost certain there's a Dinosaur Jr song that sounds a bit like this one. Will have to scan through their discography later. In any case I enjoy it a lot. A one minute Pixies song that could have fit snugly on BTE.
Hey Debussy - what a big fuck-off Future of the Left-ish bass line. Bit of Nadine in there. And Come On Over To My House. Is that Paz or Charles singing at the end? Like certain songs during Pixies 1.0 it's quite hard to distinguish between female and male vocals!
Really enjoy the verses of IJCBITY - it's peak Charles. The chorus is a bit basic but I'm liking it more with each listen. Might be my favourite of these demos.
Marigold hasn't struck me yet.
Stick in two of Hey Debussy, Cyrus, HILTER (heh) and IJCBITY in place of Long Rider and Los Surfers and I'd be VERY happy with BTE.
Disagree with the sentiment that the demo album is the best FBF solo album since Bluefinger - that seriously underestimates the quality of The Golem (though maybe the Golem has been discounted as an 'album' since it's more of a compilation, in which case carry on!). However, it is tremendous fun and it's lovely to see Charles writing in a more 'relaxed' fashion again.
Also, Charles is rhyming sirens with violence again. Wahey!
|
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 09:42:08
Don’t get me wrong, I love the demos, so great to have them |
| presley1 |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 09:32:42
Caught in a dream. Brilliant
Oh my golly! |
| picpic |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 09:14:38
I have trouble ranking songs for my part. All I know is that I've been listening to those demos non-stop for nearly a week now.
___
"Service Unavailable" |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 09/23/2019 : 07:50:59
Women of War > any single BTE demo |
| Stevio10 |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 23:45:22
quote:
Originally posted by sdon
As pointed in another thread, using the lyrics I thought of:
Teenage Sirens (mal de mer)
Grizzly Bear (please don't go)
--
"Aristophanes! (gong sounds)"
"Fucking up my devotion!"
Grizzly Bear sounds like a great Pixies album, I'd love to see that artwork |
| two reelers |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 17:24:49
quote:
Originally posted by Fitzy
Still can't get into 'Hey Debussy', but the other ones are great.
Really? That is my favourite!
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 13:45:34
quote:
Originally posted by tamefan
These songs are the band shooting from the hip and hitting the bullseye over and over again, which is somehow more satisfying than the band carefully taking aim and nailing it, which is what they do on the album.
I find both approaches and their results to be highly satisfying. I’m an equal opportunity lover of Pixies/FBF. Hell I started that FMRM appreciation thread. I’m rarely disappointed with whatever he puts out and however it sounds. I’m easy that way.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| tamefan |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 13:11:22
These songs are the band shooting from the hip and hitting the bullseye over and over again, which is somehow more satisfying than the band carefully taking aim and nailing it, which is what they do on the album. |
| Fitzy |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 12:02:06
These songs take me back to Devil's Workshop, and it's looser feel, as opposed to the more 'serious' tone of BLD.
This many songs, and going back and forth between the albums also remind me of that time, when you just felt spoiled.
Still can't get into 'Hey Debussy', but the other ones are great.
Joey's solo on 'Caught in a Dream'!! Just brilliant. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 11:34:05
I kind of like Caught In A Dream as a title, or How I Learned to Earn Rewards. They both feel appropriate. |
| sdon |
Posted - 09/21/2019 : 02:24:12
As pointed in another thread, using the lyrics I thought of:
Teenage Sirens (mal de mer)
Grizzly Bear (please don't go)
--
"Aristophanes! (gong sounds)"
"Fucking up my devotion!"
|
| Stevio10 |
Posted - 09/20/2019 : 21:21:32
I'm calling it Above the Eyrie as it escaped the doom and gloom below.
Thanks for sharing them! |
| Jason Bravo |
Posted - 09/20/2019 : 16:13:28
Caught in a Dream...absolutely rediculous! That one should not be a demo, it should be on a record somewhere...Good God it's badass. |
