| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 10/09/2024 : 22:49:30
Yes, sooner or later we'll have a topic on it anyway
- During a BBC interview FB mentions a new recording session in Londen in the fall.
- On October 7th Pixies share a rehearsal of Motoroller for Later With Jools Holland. Meaning that they are in the UK this month. Zombies-tour will not start for a month
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Sprite |
Posted - 09/03/2025 : 04:06:46
Sounds good to me! |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 08/31/2025 : 14:52:41
"we we got some stuff... we've already recorded some stuff that we we're going to finish, revisit, listen to them. I would say they're 70% baked." |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 08/30/2025 : 22:26:20
Some stuff is 70% baked
October is a month off from touring...
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| oddball |
Posted - 08/29/2025 : 12:30:07
At least something is in the works based on this recent interview with Joey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy1HCvXOuY8
-oddball |
| Skatealex1 |
Posted - 08/20/2025 : 16:10:40
I got an app that for playing music files and sorting them through my phone (pulsar for Android) so I can listen to non streaming stuff like Christmass from my phone when I get the itch to do so. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/20/2025 : 11:15:30
My iPod becoming outdated has been awful for stuff like that. Tons of albums and songs I love not streaming at all. I mean I'm into fairly under the radar music. It's too much of a hassle figuring out how to play this stuff in the car (where I 90% listen to stuff.) I love the bonus songs on Christmass. What a generous heaping from Frank to throw those on the live album. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 08/20/2025 : 02:33:19
quote:
Originally posted by Skatealex1
Agreed about the formulaic nature of a lot of the newer stuff.
I'm actually listening to Christmass as I write this. Admittingly that is from some time ago with a younger Frank Black but still- listen to how dynamic a song like Massif Central or Don't Get Me Wrong are- classic rock influence or not doesn't even matter when listening to a lot of his songs from this era.
Also on topic- I also feel like Bluefinger was kind of a great version of a modern day Black Francis and even the more chill/non screaming songs there are cool- Lolita, Your Mouth Into Mine, etc. Top tier Francis songs and no screaming needed either.
I wonder why Christmass is never streaming. DGMW is the best |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/17/2025 : 12:21:22
Yes, and then even "formulaic" and simpler stuff like Coastline is at least recorded with a lot of realness and warmth so it feels genuinely emotional to me. But the new Pixies stuff has a production style that feels over processed or something. |
| Skatealex1 |
Posted - 08/17/2025 : 10:47:06
Agreed about the formulaic nature of a lot of the newer stuff.
I'm actually listening to Christmass as I write this. Admittingly that is from some time ago with a younger Frank Black but still- listen to how dynamic a song like Massif Central or Don't Get Me Wrong are- classic rock influence or not doesn't even matter when listening to a lot of his songs from this era.
Also on topic- I also feel like Bluefinger was kind of a great version of a modern day Black Francis and even the more chill/non screaming songs there are cool- Lolita, Your Mouth Into Mine, etc. Top tier Francis songs and no screaming needed either. |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 08/17/2025 : 03:04:47
Yeah I think Kim's voice was definitely used in atypical ways and brilliantly so. More recent Pixies over-egg the dual harmonies as if they're compensating for previous sins. Off the top of my head I'm thinking Bel Esprit and Vegas Suite as the worst offenders. Mercy Me too, a song I otherwise like a lot, uses it a bit too much. And almost every chorus in every song. (This post unfortunately prompted me to listen to I Hear You Mary again.) Emma generally sounds excellent but yeah it's overdone. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/16/2025 : 18:54:14
quote:
Originally posted by The Maharal
For me one of the biggest drawbacks of Pixies post-IC is BF pandering far too much to the male/female harmonies. Giving far too much gravitas to female backing vocals.
Hmm, that's an interesting criticism. You mean how Kim's voice was used in atypical ways and often not to just make the song more "powerful" or sweet sounding or etc? I can see that.
This other band I like did a similar thing. It's hard to explain without sounding like "no girls allowed!" but for their 2nd album they added a female vocalist with a very classically pretty voice, and then just overused her on every song in very obvious "this sounds PRETTY!!!!!" ways, and for me it completely changed the feel of the band, which was a bit more rough and quirky and...boyish? |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 08/16/2025 : 03:34:18
For me one of the biggest drawbacks of Pixies post-IC is BF pandering far too much to the male/female harmonies. Giving far too much gravitas to female backing vocals. Added to the slightly off-kilter intros and the country-ish / classic rock sound it's all very formulaic and forgetful. Well, not all of it obviously, there's still three or four bangers on every album.
It would be nice if he were to do something with EDF or Mark Mulcahy again. Or even Tiven. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/15/2025 : 23:40:25
quote:
Originally posted by Jamie
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated.
Exactly. Some of the discourse in this thread leaves me scratching my head.
I don't think it's that confusing. Catholics is its own thing. Pixies is its own thing. Both carry certain expectations or were consistently presenting a specific sort of sound (or sub-genre) for years. Think about someone like David Lowery and his two bands, Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. They're both unmistakably Lowery's style but they also both have specific hallmarks of the sound (with some overlap too.)
That Frank leaned into classic rock during the Catholics, for me, has no bearing on what a Pixies album should be expected to sound like. In fact when he changed his name back to Black Francis and put out something like Bluefinger, that was more along the lines of how I imagined he would alter his style as he comes back to the Pixies.
I don't (or I didn't used to) really see the Pixies as Frank and the Pixies, I see it as the Pixies. I guess this is the fundamental difference between some of the members here. For me, Pixies is a certain box that certain kinds of songs should fall into, and Catholics or solo material is another kind of box. Both boxes are on the same shelf, but they are different boxes. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 08/12/2025 : 09:30:51
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
quote:
Originally posted by Jamie
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated.
Exactly. Some of the discourse in this thread leaves me scratching my head.
I guess I don't hold the Pixies sacred in that way, it's always been Frank Black and the Pixies to me. It's just Charles's evolution as a songwriter. The Pixies are my favorite backing band of his, so I prefer that he's working with them, "classic rock" as it may be. I'd rather have Joey's guitar and female backing vocals than not (and I'm excited to hear how they use Emma's vocals on the next one).
But if we ever figure it out and all come to a consensus, then what will the twelve of us on this forum ever have to talk about?
"There's a dozen of us! A dozen!" |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 08/12/2025 : 03:05:43
quote:
Originally posted by Jamie
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated.
Exactly. Some of the discourse in this thread leaves me scratching my head.
I guess I don't hold the Pixies sacred in that way, it's always been Frank Black and the Pixies to me. It's just Charles's evolution as a songwriter. The Pixies are my favorite backing band of his, so I prefer that he's working with them, "classic rock" as it may be. I'd rather have Joey's guitar and female backing vocals than not (and I'm excited to hear how they use Emma's vocals on the next one).
But if we ever figure it out and all come to a consensus, then what will the twelve of us on this forum ever have to talk about? |
| Jamie |
Posted - 08/11/2025 : 20:30:48
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated.
Exactly. Some of the discourse in this thread leaves me scratching my head.
I guess I don't hold the Pixies sacred in that way, it's always been Frank Black and the Pixies to me. It's just Charles's evolution as a songwriter. The Pixies are my favorite backing band of his, so I prefer that he's working with them, "classic rock" as it may be. I'd rather have Joey's guitar and female backing vocals than not (and I'm excited to hear how they use Emma's vocals on the next one).
|
| Skatealex1 |
Posted - 08/07/2025 : 17:39:58
I agree with 2.0 as being Frank Black and Pixies, etc... I just kinda wish he could tap a little more into the older approach a bit somehow.
I'm sure a new producer could make a big difference here as has been mentioned. The fact that the BTE demos are possibly some of my favorite Pixies 2.0 releases kinda suggests that for me. Those songs kind of have the more spontaneous feel I get from some of Franks best solo works (IMO) including with the Catholics and the seemingly low production on those actually elevates it for me. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 08/07/2025 : 17:29:54
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
I'm fine with whoever he chooses to play with, including the Pixies who aren't a shabby backing band. At this points, I consider Pixies 2.0 albums as extensions of the Frank Black/Black Francis solo discography rather than the Pixies 1.0 canon, which helps me be less finicky about each new release. In the grand scheme of his post-TOTY albums, I think the Pixies 2.0 albums are all solid, with BTE in the DITS and Bluefinger camp of post-imperial classics, Indie Cindy being in the next tier, and HC/Doggerel/TNTZC being in the middle rather than lower tier.
A change of producers would excite me more than a change of band, but I can live with Tom. I do think Tom is in part responsible for the classic rock sound of Pixies 2.0, but let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated. I reckon what they need is a producer who pushes them away from their instincts towards classic rock (like Norton did on IC) rather than one who leans in on it (i.e., Tom).
Agreed, and I've been saying this for a long time (probably thought it when TLM came out) and apparently I still don't get tired of talking about it: 2.0 is best seen as Frank Black and the Pixies not the Pixies, for a number of reasons.
If a genie asked me what would I want this next album to be, I honestly don't know what I would ask for. I'm really happy with all of 2.0 and wouldn't really change much. But I'm definitely open to something totally different sounding as well. |
| Stevio10 |
Posted - 08/07/2025 : 12:57:27
Yeah agree with these points. Kinda sums it up when Pixies social media posts tribute to Ozzy Osbourne but will neglect Brian Wilson or David Thomas - nothing against Ozzy love him but love the others as well.
Maybe in 2025 it's just enough to be relevant and touring, staying in the circuit. Pixies do that very well and a new album every couple of year helps.
But let's face it, it's the classic material that sells tickets. It's interesting they have a night for Trompe / Bossanova and a night for a classic set. Why don't they have a night for 2.0 material? I doubt it would sell as well.
It seems they put faith in Tom helping them stay relevant in a world where alt rock is diminishing and their peers are no longer around or relevant.
Personally I would like a Frank Black album every year or two - doesn't need to tour it, just release stuff for people who want it. Pixies make up with Kim, tour classic material every few years. Sounds like a decent compromise to me. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 08/07/2025 : 11:43:03
I'm fine with whoever he chooses to play with, including the Pixies who aren't a shabby backing band. At this points, I consider Pixies 2.0 albums as extensions of the Frank Black/Black Francis solo discography rather than the Pixies 1.0 canon, which helps me be less finicky about each new release. In the grand scheme of his post-TOTY albums, I think the Pixies 2.0 albums are all solid, with BTE in the DITS and Bluefinger camp of post-imperial classics, Indie Cindy being in the next tier, and HC/Doggerel/TNTZC being in the middle rather than lower tier.
A change of producers would excite me more than a change of band, but I can live with Tom. I do think Tom is in part responsible for the classic rock sound of Pixies 2.0, but let's also not pretend FB's output beginning with Frank Black and the Catholics hasn't been increasingly classic rock rather than indie/alternative/college radio orientated. I reckon what they need is a producer who pushes them away from their instincts towards classic rock (like Norton did on IC) rather than one who leans in on it (i.e., Tom). |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 08/07/2025 : 10:36:21
quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
God just be Frank Black again and work with whoever
This sums it up nicely for me |
| two reelers |
Posted - 08/06/2025 : 23:00:53
quote:
Pixies turning into a classic rock band just seems kind of boring IMO.(Tom Dalgetys influences apparently)
My feeling about Pixies 2.0 has never been been captured more accurately as in this one sentence.
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
| Skatealex1 |
Posted - 08/06/2025 : 12:03:45
I'd kill for more FB recording stuff over more Pixies. At the very least a new producer if Pixies will keep doing their thing.
Pixies turning into a classic rock band just seems kind of boring IMO.(Tom Dalgetys influences apparently)
Also the TOTY reunion shows sounded so good. I think it could've been interesting to hear what it'd sound like if they tried something new. |
| two reelers |
Posted - 08/06/2025 : 00:52:48
I would more look forward to a Cult of Ray 30-year anniversary tour, bringing back Lyle and the origial catholics line-up. And bookend the show with side A and side B of FB self-titled, of course with EDF and Nick Vincent.
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/05/2025 : 13:36:25
God just be Frank Black again and work with whoever |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 08/05/2025 : 06:22:02
Yeah, at this point I would take spontaneity and regular releases as well. Less pressure for each album to be a statement or return-to-form "NEW PIXIES ALBUM", and Charles has been very clear that he writes spontaneously for upcoming recording sessions. The only difference between an album every year and every few years, I reckon at least, is fewer albums, not fewer considered classics.
Changing their name from the Pixies would also help, but it would be financial suicide. |
| oddball |
Posted - 08/04/2025 : 11:11:53
Or take the opposite approach in favor of spontaneity. It seems like content from many sessions in recent years has been shelved (Halloween sessions from way back when, Superlecker sessions, whatever happened last year in England, etc.). Take the FB & the Cs route and get this stuff out! Or release it through Frank Black or Black Francis or whatever, and save other content for Pixies albums. He's too prolific of a songwriter to keep things in the can. Just my two cents. I just think of artists who take their time and go with releases every three to four years, only to disappoint in the end.
-oddball |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/04/2025 : 08:20:34
After this last one, new Pixies albums are now met with extreme trepidation from me, and not something I look forward to anymore. Just something I'll be curious about and have anxiety that it will be really bad and further distance me from the band.
I say let them take their time making it. |
| Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo |
Posted - 08/04/2025 : 07:15:19
I just hope they could deliver something great (not something like the latest album).
I dream of a new producer.
++++ |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 08/01/2025 : 06:21:27
yeah, maybe next year. Sept/oct 2027. Hope we will make it!
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 07/31/2025 : 07:42:32
I guess there's no new album out this year, given they normally release them in the fall and start with singles in the early summer/late spring. I was hoping the sessions from last autumn yielded a full album, but I guess not (unless they are sitting on it this year so they can semi-tour "Zombies," which presumably they would have toured during last summer's dates if it wasn't delayed by the re-recording of Paz's parts). |
| Sprite |
Posted - 04/30/2025 : 07:39:15
Are these songs from the acoustic gigs he did a while back in the U.S?
|
| billgoodman |
Posted - 04/30/2025 : 03:11:38
Thanks to Aerohead we have recordings of songs that maybe on the new one:
Nothing Like Honey:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10dkVdDLokZS4oYI_ZC3ijJd-RjT0AvkF
The Liar:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10dkVdDLokZS4oYI_ZC3ijJd-RjT0AvkF
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 04/30/2025 : 03:05:15
The have a massive tour this year, but the last two weeks of september and october are free in their schedule.
New record
please
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| Sprite |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 03:08:52
"Notably, The Night the Zombies Came sounds at ease, the work of a band with plenty left to say (indeed, both Thompson and Santiago confirm that they’ve already started work on a follow-up)."
https://floodmagazine.com/179594/pixies-the-night-of-the-zombies-feature/ |
