| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/21/2024 : 08:35:24
Slant Magazine 4/5: https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-album-review/
Riff Magazine (positive): https://riffmagazine.com/reviews/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came/ |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Sprite |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 05:26:05
One more which is quite detailed (75/100)
https://spectrumculture.com/2024/10/27/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review/
Does contain this astonishing line: "Before getting into the good stuff, there are three or four tracks—“Johnny Good Man,” “Motoroller” and “Oyster Beds,” for sure—that could be painlessly removed from The Night the Zombies Came. Doing so would make the album significantly stronger"
So at least we know where the other 25% went.
Also 3.5/5 here
https://crypticrock.com/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-album-review/
|
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 13:58:46
7/10 here
https://www.popmatters.com/pixies-night-zombies-came-review
|
| billgoodman |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 08:04:21
Hoping FBF would go the Leonard Cohen route for years
BTE and Doggerel had those moments
Also Dylan post Time Out Of Mind
---------------------------
BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 06:36:10
While I tend to agree with you in general about Tom as producer, I disagree re: Mercy Me - it's going for late Leonard Cohen rather than Americana, so I think it genuinely works better with the Pixies arrangement vs. a Nashville arrangement. Accordingly, there is supposed to be a layer or so of lackadaisical but melancholic distance to the performance backed by a quasi-loungey band. I think it works quite well, but we can obviously differ. Something like "My Oh My" off of Popular Problems (which plays with a deliberately simple and classic refrain) might be what Charles has in mind. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/29/2024 : 21:54:10
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
This is dead on: "The sophisticated tempo shifts on songs such as "Hypnotised" heighten the album's playful mood, but every now and then, unimaginative production and arrangement choices threaten to snuff out Zombies' spark. On "I Hear You Mary," an '80s hard rock sheen steamrolls over its imagery of runaway gargoyles and daffodils blooming among tombs."
It's nice to know I'm not totally crazy and alone. I really feel like this album is just the least interesting thing Frank and especially the Pixies has ever done. Unimaginative production is right. And I feel like I've heard every melody before except for a few bits. Stuff like Mercy Me may work well on Fastman Raiderman but it sounds strained and out of place on a Pixies album, and I don't think the band is up to the task of making that stuff feel exciting or even sincere.
|
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/29/2024 : 06:47:54
quote:
Originally posted by Jamie
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-night-the-zombies-came-mw0004342091 - A 3.5/5 star review from All Music Guide that reads more positive than that. Also I think they've revised a couple old ratings up half a star, Trompe is 4.5/5 and BTE is 4/5.
Yeah, a good review and glad to see BTE get bumped up to 4.
This is dead on: "The sophisticated tempo shifts on songs such as "Hypnotised" heighten the album's playful mood, but every now and then, unimaginative production and arrangement choices threaten to snuff out Zombies' spark. On "I Hear You Mary," an '80s hard rock sheen steamrolls over its imagery of runaway gargoyles and daffodils blooming among tombs." |
| Jamie |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 22:21:59
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-night-the-zombies-came-mw0004342091 - A 3.5/5 star review from All Music Guide that reads more positive than that. Also I think they've revised a couple old ratings up half a star, Trompe is 4.5/5 and BTE is 4/5. |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/27/2024 : 07:27:54
Couple More
Louder: 4/5
https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came
6.5/10 Silent Radio (in College we'd call that a 2:1)
https://www.silentradio.co.uk/10/25/album-review-pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came/
8/10 Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/best-albums-of-the-week-laura-marling-razorlight-pixies/
Paywalled but I could access via this archive
https://archive.ph/xelci
Nice Line:In Pixies’ world, nothing is so straightforward: as per the album title, the undead make unbilled appearances, songs stray off radar, and you’re readily persuaded once again that the great Black Francis is touched by an extraordinary genius |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 10/26/2024 : 22:30:43
Isn't it funny that Pixies are around long enough now that the stories in the reviews are changing:
we can't compare it forever to Doolittle
yeah, this is kinda good in its own way...
---------------------------
BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| tamefan |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 14:22:32
the leftie youth on /r/indiheads don't like the album:
https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/1gbh4sy/fresh_album_pixies_the_night_the_zombies_came/ |
| QuaBear |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 14:02:54
Brooklyn Vegan review (positive):
Pixies – The Night the Zombies Came (BMG)
Back from the dead: A new bassist brings new life to these indie lifers; it’s no ‘Doolittle’ but what is?
Pixies have now made as many albums in the last 10 years as they did in their original six year run, and if none of the 2000s-on albums are as good as the ones on 4AD with Kim Deal, the band (Black Francis, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering) have settled into a comfortable style that recalls their heyday but reflects their age with a gentler style. The Night the Zombies Came is the Pixies 10th album and first with new bassist Emma Richardson (ex-Band of Skulls), and the change seems to have invigorated the band. Also changed them just a little. Richardson’s most obvious contribution to the record is not the bass but her backing vocals. She sings on nearly every song and is featured prominently, moreso than Kim Deal ever was, even if she never takes lead. Her voice sounds great with Black Francis’ and makes this album distinct in the band’s discography, though it makes it a little less Pixies-ish. (The difference between a Pixies album and a Frank Black solo album these days seems to be name only.) Still, we get the surfy, tremolo’d guitar, sci-fi lyrics and driving basslines we associate with the band, Black Francis sounds like he’s having fun this time, and the songs are pretty good — especially the album’s delightful, Phil Spector-esque title track. To further the zombie theme, an alternate title for this album might be Pixies: Back from the Dead. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 13:32:27
quote:
Originally posted by Sprite
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
quote:
Originally posted by Sprite
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will.
Doggerel reviewer got sacked I heard. Big No Kim No Deal energy at Guardian Towers.
It's odd. I haven't much time for that thing you see in Facebook fan groups for bands where they decry any review that doesn't evangelise about their band. But the Guardian seems to have a particular grudge against FB. I remember an article that gave the band a kicking for continuing after Kim walked out on them.
Maybe Kim's record getting a much more favourable writeup. I'm looking forward to it, but not expecting it to sound any different to any other album she's put out!
The Guardian like to push the line the Pixies don't matter. Whereas the truth is they matter more than ever.
Would you be willing to expand on what you mean? |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 13:30:44
Anyway here is a nice review and David interview combo from the Irish Times.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2024/10/25/my-advice-for-oasis-have-pixies-as-your-opening-act/
Includes this brilliant story:
He adjusts his baseball hat and continues. “I’m just a guy who plays drums. It’s a nice thing to hear. But I have a funny story, ‘cos I knew Kurt. This was once on Super Bowl Sunday – this is a long time ago.” Lovering, Cobain and Courtney Love, his wife, “went all together to an amusement park called Six Flags in Valencia, California. There was nobody there. Just us – five people total. We were walking around. Kurt was in pyjamas. All of a sudden we hear, ‘Oh my God, it’s David Lovering, it’s David Lovering.’ Some kid had recognised me – not Kurt Cobain. He recognised me. You’ve got to be kidding me.” |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 13:27:59
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
quote:
Originally posted by Sprite
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will.
Doggerel reviewer got sacked I heard. Big No Kim No Deal energy at Guardian Towers.
It's odd. I haven't much time for that thing you see in Facebook fan groups for bands where they decry any review that doesn't evangelise about their band. But the Guardian seems to have a particular grudge against FB. I remember an article that gave the band a kicking for continuing after Kim walked out on them.
Maybe Kim's record getting a much more favourable writeup. I'm looking forward to it, but not expecting it to sound any different to any other album she's put out!
The Guardian like to push the line the Pixies don't matter. Whereas the truth is they matter more than ever. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 07:58:23
Clash 8/10: https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGInqJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeK0CYqqVdoDoio0kktpNYM3WYJG4JNNH_b78g0sD6BhJ9gwkbdvErZOqw_aem_VWbJrsEHVWJFYOF6NClwoQ
"While many consider ‘Doolittle’ as the pinnacle of their career, PIXIES demonstrate how a band can conserve their veteran sound while serving it with a twist of originality, and a good helping of imagination. Thus, ‘The Night the Zombies Came’ isn’t an album for the uninspired or your average Joe – it’s a bible for the daydreaming visionary who finds beauty in the mundane. "
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| Ziggy |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 06:51:17
quote:
Originally posted by Sprite
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will.
Doggerel reviewer got sacked I heard. Big No Kim No Deal energy at Guardian Towers.
It's odd. I haven't much time for that thing you see in Facebook fan groups for bands where they decry any review that doesn't evangelise about their band. But the Guardian seems to have a particular grudge against FB. I remember an article that gave the band a kicking for continuing after Kim walked out on them.
Maybe Kim's record getting a much more favourable writeup. I'm looking forward to it, but not expecting it to sound any different to any other album she's put out! |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 06:22:29
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will.
Doggerel reviewer got sacked I heard. Big No Kim No Deal energy at Guardian Towers. |
| tamefan |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 06:01:56
"an echo of an echo of former glories"
poor phil doesn't get it. how lame would it be if Pixies were clinging to their past? |
| QuaBear |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 05:49:30
Yeh, I simply don't hear the 2/5....but who cares.
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will.
|
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/25/2024 : 05:44:20
The Guardian 2/5: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review-an-echo-of-an-echo-of-past-glories
They also gave Beneath the Eyrie 2/5 (but Doggerel 4/5), so make of that what you will. |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 12:16:38
Glide https://glidemagazine.com/306968/pixies-strive-for-diversity-listenability-on-animated-night-the-zombies-came-album-review/
Verdict: Medium
Out of the Blue https://www.ootb-zine.com/2024/10/album-review-pixies-night-zombies-came.html?spref=tw
5/5 |
| yarbles |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 09:54:41
theeeemeeeee froooooommmm NAAAAARRRRCCCCC |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 09:41:19
That narc one is well named ;) |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 09:28:36
Narc Magazine: 3.5/5: https://narcmagazine.com/album-review-pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came/ |
| QuaBear |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 08:13:14
https://cultfollowing.co.uk/2024/10/24/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review/ Good review |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 07:07:20
Mojo 4/5: https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-review/
Far Out Magazine 4/5: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-album-review/
The Line of Best Fit 5/10: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came-modest-party
(And I'll second Bedbug's praise of BTE above) |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 03:09:00
I just spun BTE yesterday
What a fantastic album from start to finish
We Pixies fans really are spoiled
What other bands are producing like this? |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 02:47:52
Yes of course. I just thought many Pixies 2.0 album reviews (esp since BTE onwards) are "It's good, but still something missing", whereas that one read as "Its really really good" in absolute terms.
Anyway will find out in a few hours. I'm half expecting to prefer Doggerel by the end of it. |
| yarbles |
Posted - 10/24/2024 : 00:46:34
quote:
Originally posted by Sprite
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
DIY Mag (4.5/5) https://diymag.com/review/album/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came
That's a great review. The No Kim No Deal crowd will not be happy.
When is the No Kim/No Deal crowd ever happy when it comes to modern day Pixies? |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/23/2024 : 11:28:08
Another positive, and quite thoughtful one: https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2024/10/23/album-pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came |
| Sprite |
Posted - 10/23/2024 : 07:25:49
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
DIY Mag (4.5/5) https://diymag.com/review/album/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came
That's a great review. The No Kim No Deal crowd will not be happy. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/23/2024 : 06:52:18
DIY Mag (4.5/5) https://diymag.com/review/album/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came
Soundsphere (positive) https://www.soundspheremag.com/reviews/album-review-pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came/
No More Workhorse (guardedly positive) https://diymag.com/review/album/pixies-the-night-the-zombies-came
I believe Slate gave it a 6/10, but I just saw a screenshot that I can't figure out how to upload. |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/23/2024 : 06:26:39
Yes it's an interesting topic, because one could easily argue for many songs, the arrangement is what makes them popular (like a catchy synth riff, or a danceable drum beat, or Kim's voice, or George Harrison's solo, etc), and so how do you divide credit (and money) in terms of who "wrote" the song. I'm mostly a believer in what I said above, that the song is the singer, with one instrument, playing the song by themselves, and everything else is decoration on top. But many songs stretch this.
For example, Soul Coughing is a band where what the rhythm section does is so invaluable and integral to the song, I don't think many of the songs even work as solo performances (which I've seen live), so I'd call them "songwriters" essentially also, even though Doughty wrote the words, and sometimes the guitar chords, and this was another huge source of contention within that band.
On topic: I'm glad when they get good reviews but I don't know if the rest of the world thinks of the Pixies the way I do, and I often disagree or don't even comprehend the reviews of their music. So whether Zombies (still hate the title, deeply) is getting good reviews or not doesn't really give me any optimism. |
| tamefan |
Posted - 10/23/2024 : 02:45:56
quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
detailed explanation
Thanks! That was super insightful and clarifying. I learned a lot from your post.  |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 10/22/2024 : 20:08:13
Those are some really good reviews
Congrats Charles and team
Can’t wait to hear it |
