| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 07:34:05
I thought it safe to post this since this isn't iknowmoreaboutmusicthanyou.com, even if they are a subsidiary site on frankblack.net. Nothing new, even speculation on the Breeders' show being a secret Pixies show has been discussed to death, but for the sake of completeness, I present:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/04-03/29.shtml#story2
Pixies Confirm Euro-Tour, Breeders Ca$h In
Tanya Donelly seriously regretting solo career. Again.
Brian Howe reports:
Dude. Have you heard? The Pixies are getting back together! What?! You say you already know that? That we run a Pixies headliner virtually every day now? That you just ooh'd and ahh'd over our story about Frank Black nearly buying a Snickers in a Circle K, but changing his mind at the last minute and leaving a line of disgruntled shoppers tapping their toes impatiently while he dug through the discount bin looking for a Mounds Bar instead, and are kind of nonplused to find yet another Pixies story today? That Pitchfork tends to develop unhealthy fixations that at least one rogue has described as the "Pixies Social Scene Syndrome?" Well, fie on you. We give the people what they want, and they want more Pixies. A million angry children refuse to be wrong.
According to pixiesmusic.com, the band everyone loves loving to love has added additional dates to the European tour on which we reported earlier this month. Not that they'll help you much, since tickets to these events seem to be selling out five minutes before they go on sale. I blame those filthy time-travelers. You can find a link to the previously reported dates at the foot of this story, and you can find the new ones (and confirmed/slightly altered versions of the old ones where applicable) right 'cheer:
05-26 Reykjavik, Iceland - Kaplakrika
06-17 Hultsfred, Sweden - Hultsfred Festival
06-19 Bologna, Italy - Heineken Jammin' Festival
06-20 Ljubljana, Slovenia - Krizanke Monastery
06-21 Athens, Greece - Rockwave
06-25 Scheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-26 Neuhausen, Germany - Southside Festival
06-29 Berlin, Germany - Wuhlheide
07-02 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-04 Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Festival
08-22 Chelmsford, England - V Festival
09-06 Seattle, Washington - Bumbershoot
Before those wretched few of you who spend your time scouring Pitchfork for errors start penning weirdly self-satisfied emails (since yeah, you must know a lot more about music and writing than we do if you caught that comma splice), let me go ahead and point out that we are quite aware Seattle, Washington is not a European domain. We thought you'd want to know about it anyway. Just be thankful we didn't parlay that Bumbershoot date into another headline.
For those of you who would like to see Pixies or something Pixies-related but did not buy your tickets five minutes before they went on sale and also lack time-travel capability, might we suggest rocking over to California... like, right now, and catching The Breeders at any of the following dates with Lucero. I'd like to suggest that the April Fool's Day show is actually a front, and that the lucky Breeders fans that show up will be BLOWN AWAY BY A MAGNIFICENT AND UTTERLY UNEXPECTED PIXIES PERFORMANCE! Please note that there is absolutely no basis for this wild speculation, save that I want to see if it will spread through the message boards like wildfire, propagated by those so eager to be the first to post the news on Iknowmoreaboutmusicthanyou.com, or wherever it is you people post these things, that they failed to make it to this mitigating sentence. Because those people deserve whatever they get. Remember: Only you can prevent Internet arson.
03-30 West Hollywood, CA - The Troubadour
03-31 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
04-01 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland of Dreams
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Cheeseman1000 |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 15:46:26
I sort of know what you mean IceCream, sort of. DITS is a good album, with some great moments, but I can't always 'connect' to it, if you like, as I can with the Pixies or with some of his earlier stuff. That said I like SMYT a lot.
This is said with all due reverence, but I don't think Frank Black is a highly emotionally involved singer. I'll qualify that: the delivery is deeply sincere, and very personal at times. However, he gives the listener enough credit not to need a particularly 'emotional' performance such as, say, someone like Ryan Adams or Neil Young would give. Maybe he realises his voice isn't as strong or as affecting as singers like that, so he doesn't try.
I like the fact that FB has enough respect for us to not put on any phoney show to try and convey the depth in his songs - we can see the depth perfectly well. At the same time, I would probably kill to hear Neil Young cover a FB tune, especially one from SMYT.
 "Everywhere I go I want to travel by X-Wing" |
| IceCream |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 15:33:47
I agree with you 120% that "music is still about whether it sounds good or not".
I wasn't really comparing SMYT with FB's earlier stuff. I was comparing FB's "cliched" (for lack of a better word) stuff to the stuff of other artists who can take a tired old 4-chord progression and give it new life by making a beautiful song (or a rocking song, depending on my mood) out of it. Case in point: "Hey Hey, My My" by Niel Young or "Lord, It's Hard to be Happy When You're Not Using The Metric System" by Atom and His Package. I agree with you 120% that "music is still about whether it sounds good or not". That's why I like those aforementioned songs. They are beautiful even though I consider them to be cliched.
Therefore, the reason why I wouldn't like SMYT isn't becuase I consider songs like Horrible Day to be cliched. The reason would be, quite simply, because I didn't think it sounds good. But that's pretty hypothetical, as I do like SMYT quite a bit.
I don't neccesarilly think the abstract stuff "sounds good" BECAUSE of its abstract-ness. It's probably just coincedence.
I will listen to DITS again this weekend. |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 22:19:23
Spin DITS twice more and I assure you you will regret that post. :)
I see what you're saying with DITS, and even agree with you in that I prefer some of his more "experimental" (for lack of a better word) stuff from early on, but music is still about whether it sounds good or not, and SMYT is beautiful even if you consider songs like Horrible Day to be cliched. They're still great songs and while they might not deserve the top marks I'd give to TOTY, Orange, etc., the album still deserves better than an almost failing mark. IMHO, of course.
 "When 5000 posts you reach / Have a life you will not, hmmm?" |
| IceCream |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 21:58:30
quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
There's NO WAY IN HELL Dog In The Sand deserves anything less than a 9. It's a beautiful album start to finish. And SMYT a 5.4?!
I don't know why, but I'm having trouble getting into DITS. I'd expect "Bullet" to be a catchy song, but I just don't feel the passion and happiness I get from playing it as I do "Thallassocracy" or "Parry the Wind High, Low". Maybe I think it sounds too much like the Rolling Stones.
I also somewhat agree with the 5.4 for SMYT; I respect Frank's direction change, and I understand that it's probably just as hard/honorable to write amazing songs whilst embracing cliche as it is to write amazing songs whilst playing these crazy chord progressions and riffs with completely untraditional senses of time signatures or anything, but that's exactly the problem: the songs on SMYT are not amazing. I don't consider Frank a master at writing amazing songs whilst embracing cliche. There are masters at that; believe me, there are. But Frank is not one of them. (IMHO, of couse). Of course, Frank's not bad by any means, but his songs that are the most beautiful, catchy, rocking, or powerful on any other levels....are STILL his abstract ones.
However, I DO agree that Devil's Workshop deserves nothing less than a 9. |
| Itchload |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 21:26:10
quote:
yeah, I can see that. Except I don't really have much to say about the Pixes, so I think I might have a limited shelf life here . . .
We'll always have Paris. |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 12:02:48
quote:
Originally posted by speedy_m
And if you're not careful Brian, you might just become a regular 'round these parts. It's extremely addicitive, this board, trust me...
yeah, I can see that. Except I don't really have much to say about the Pixes, so I think I might have a limited shelf life here . . . |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 19:04:42
I'm all about the pink kissy face. That exactly how I picture you. Unfortunately, I won't be able to take any news items in the 'fork seriously anymore. And if you're not careful Brian, you might just become a regular 'round these parts. It's extremely addicitive, this board, trust me... |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 16:40:20
quote:
Or Brian will get mad at me.
OMG I AM SO FUCKING ANGRY RIGHT NOW!!!
Ok, I'm over it. |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 07:49:58
Matt, have you listened to anything post-Pistolero? Even if the early Catholics stuff is too 'rawk' for you, there's NO WAY IN HELL Dog In The Sand deserves anything less than a 9. It's a beautiful album start to finish. And SMYT a 5.4?!
I mean, great, they recognize the brilliance of FB's early solo stuff, but it seems like the reviewers continue to hear the late stuff and think, "Well, this isn't like the old stuff FB used to do." How about some credit for trying a new direction and evaluating the album on its own merits as well as how it fits into the catalogue? The Show Me Your Tears album starts off with the reviewer going on a tirade begging the Pixies not to reunite. Come on.
If Show Me Your Tears were an album by a rock-country-whatevergenrethisis upstart or an established and talented artist, it would've been received by that particular reviewer FAR more positively. Like it was by almost every other publication.
Anyway, I find it hard to agree with some of their reviews, and others are spot on, which is as I'd expect, but I find it hard to believe anyone could agree with their assessment of SMYT in particular.
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| mattb |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 07:31:45
quote:
Originally posted by Itchload
ha, that so? Actually, I find bad reviews are much more fun to read than good. When I see a movie, I generally go on the web and read a few reviews, see what other people thought. Regardless of how I feel about the movie though, I generally only read the bad ones.
It wouldn't bother me too much about Pitchfork/Frank thing, but I know how a good pitchfork review can get a couple hundred people to check an album out, maybe even buy it. Taht said, a bad one, with 10 albums getting released a day, is going to cause most readers to spend their hard pressed time elsewhere.
Frank's early Catholic albums might be a little to rawk for some people, too bar band. I know they are for some of my non-uber friends. But his recent stuff, with the nods to Leonard Cohen and folk music along with his usual eclectic rock stylings have won him over in the eyes of some I know. It's at least worth something more than the "another Catholic album, the same but only worse than the ones that came before" review SMYT got.
I'm being totally serious though, I agree with almost all of their reviews. Anytime I find a review site I look for old albums that I loved and hated to see what they say about them. Pitchfork was right on the money. I too am not much of a fan of Frank's work starting with cult of ray but I think the first two albums are incredible. I like them too how they're ok with going back on what they said earlier. Like when the album first comes out they'll say that it's not bad but after some time reflecting on it can say that actually it kind of sucks. Sebadoh's Harmacy springs to mind as a good example. I'm like that too, I could hear something and be like hey this is pretty good but after listening to the album for a while realize that it's got no lasting effect. More review sites should do that. In that same vein one thing that would make the site even better is if they went back to the original review and changed it after realizing something's not as good as it was on the first few listens.
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http://www.broszkowski.com |
| Itchload |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 21:06:23
Yeah that's true. In fact, in an old list, they had both FB and TOTY in the top 100, much higher in fact. I guess it's mostly the Catholics stuff. If I remember correctly, the cult of ray review calls it "genius rock", yet it gets a 5 something...methinks their might have been a bit of revisionism in that rating.
It's not that big a deal to me I reckon--you have to understand I'm desperately trying to avoid finishing a final paper due tomorrow. |
| Dave Noisy |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 21:05:45
Oooh..that could be the next FB.net fan-album. Songs with the theme 'moronophonic'..
 Join the Cult of the Flying Pigxies - I'm A Believer! |
| Shawn |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 20:56:16
Anyway, its not like Pitchfork completely snubbed all of Frank's solo stuff.
They included Teenager of the Year in their list of the top 100 albums of the 90's at #94.
Pitchfork never existed in 1994, so they never had a review for it.
|
| Itchload |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 19:03:32
ha, that so? Actually, I find bad reviews are much more fun to read than good. When I see a movie, I generally go on the web and read a few reviews, see what other people thought. Regardless of how I feel about the movie though, I generally only read the bad ones.
It wouldn't bother me too much about Pitchfork/Frank thing, but I know how a good pitchfork review can get a couple hundred people to check an album out, maybe even buy it. Taht said, a bad one, with 10 albums getting released a day, is going to cause most readers to spend their hard pressed time elsewhere.
Frank's early Catholic albums might be a little to rawk for some people, too bar band. I know they are for some of my non-uber friends. But his recent stuff, with the nods to Leonard Cohen and folk music along with his usual eclectic rock stylings have won him over in the eyes of some I know. It's at least worth something more than the "another Catholic album, the same but only worse than the ones that came before" review SMYT got. |
| mattb |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 13:17:48
quote:
Originally posted by Itchload
unencouraging reviews of FB's solo work,
That's why I started reading pitchfork. 
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http://www.broszkowski.com |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 13:12:54
quote:
Originally posted by Itchload
Yeah that's funny Speedy M. I always felt a little wounded when P-fork hamped on Bob's solo stuff. It was strange though because generally his Fading Captain albums get good reviews (at least 2 out of every 3), but whenever a new GBV album comes out, the review headline reads something like "GBV miraculously put out a good album!"
I hear ya Itchload. The Fading Captain Series has this weird stigma. Generally positive reviews, and yet in retrospect everyone decries it as crap, and is glad when he puts out a proper GBV record. Oh well, gotta still love the 'fork. Or Brian will get mad at me. |
| Itchload |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 12:17:19
Yeah that's funny Speedy M. I always felt a little wounded when P-fork hamped on Bob's solo stuff. It was strange though because generally his Fading Captain albums get good reviews (at least 2 out of every 3), but whenever a new GBV album comes out, the review headline reads something like "GBV miraculously put out a good album!"
It might be a little similiar to FB though, very prolific, elderly indie rock guys who don't really sound much like indie rock at all anymore only gettin' respect from their respective cult circles.
On a different note, one time for about a week I attempted to visit that pitchfork message board, or the unofficial one or whatever. Despite his usually good reviews, Chris Ott either needs to be loved or needs to be violently slapped, wow what an insecure guy, haha. Don't even think about trying to disagree with him. The board was way too fast paced for me too.
quote:
I saw them play a couple week ago and was surprised that they were actually still pretty good, even though Mark E. Smith had to sit the whole time due to broken leg and is starting to look like Garrison Keilor
Ha, MES is actually looking better since the last time I saw them. Having to sit actually helps out the show, keeps him from ambling off stage. Naturally, he apruptly cancelled the rest of the tour for no apparent reason, though they might be re-scheduling for June. |
| Jefrey |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 11:38:04
"moronophonic" would make a great album name. Or band name. This gives me ideas. The band would be expected to be terrible and the music would still sell like William Hung doing Rush covers. |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 11:10:32
Oh man, if you start Lord of the Rings bashing, this could get ugly. I mean, becuase all the nerds will come out to defend it, and they are just plain unatractive. |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 11:07:15
quote:
Is that so crazy?
yes. no man has ever cut Schreiber's monkey and lived to tell the tale. *drunky m pulls off helmet, long hair billows out dramatically* "But I, sir, am no man!" The sound of a thousand nerds high fiving at once, "Best . . . plot twist . . . EVER!" |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 10:59:21
quote:
Originally posted by brianhowe
Cheese and crackers Brian, you are an elitist prick. Presuming to tell me that I have rare abilities or that I understand anything. I'll tell you what "sucks": YOU. And to call yourself the godhead of anything, let along "Pfork", now that's just blasphemy. You make me SICK.
But seriously, "Les" Brian Howe? What's up with that? And also seriously, I want a real, honest to goddness, Pforkified opinion on those tribute albums, stat!
Oh, and PS, Ryan Schreiber gave Kid Marine a 5.3! So you can tell him that I'll meet him in the school yard for a good old fashioned monkey knife fight. No apes or chimps, just a real honest-to-goodness capuchin with a bad attitude and blade no longer than 4 inches. Little Pepe will slice and dice whatever primate Schreiber can throw at 'im.
[/quote]
Dean, how dare you! I wasn't drunk. I was just being folksy! I'm just joshin' ya Brian. Perhaps I should have littered my post with smiley's. Anyway, all of the above was just a joke. I was saying you're such a prick, blah blah blah, becuase of Pitchfork, when in fact you were being really nice to me, irony, etc. And I didn't like Mr. Schreiber's review of Robert Pollard's Kid Marine. So I thought maybe my monkey could cut his monkey up a little. Is that so crazy? |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 10:21:13
Ahh... silly me.
Well, I guess Mike drank too much and I didn't sleep enough then. :)
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 10:08:05
quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
Oh, sure, my innocent joke gets a cut, while Mike's cut gets an innocent question mark (or 9).
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened"
Oh Cult of Frank, I meant that Reznor's project sounds moronophonic, not your joke. |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 09:54:40
Oh, sure, my innocent joke gets a cut, while Mike's cut gets an innocent question mark (or 9).
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 09:51:12
quote:
Originally posted by speedy_m
quote:
Originally posted by brianhowe
Thanks speedy m. Now here is a person who knows how to take something for what it is, and understands that anything a writer says is that writer's opinion, which seems obvious. But many still assume we have some Pfork godhead that generates site opinion, when in fact it is a chorus of (often contradictory) opinions and voices.
Speedy, congrats on your rare ability to disagree with something without saying it "sucks," which is meaningless without qualification. Now what is this Tribute everyone keeps talking about?
Cheese and crackers Brian, you are an elitist prick. Presuming to tell me that I have rare abilities or that I understand anything. I'll tell you what "sucks": YOU. And to call yourself the godhead of anything, let along "Pfork", now that's just blasphemy. You make me SICK.
But seriously, "Les" Brian Howe? What's up with that? And also seriously, I want a real, honest to goddness, Pforkified opinion on those tribute albums, stat!
Oh, and PS, Ryan Schreiber gave Kid Marine a 5.3! So you can tell him that I'll meet him in the school yard for a good old fashioned monkey knife fight. No apes or chimps, just a real honest-to-goodness capuchin with a bad attitude and blade no longer than 4 inches. Little Pepe will slice and dice whatever primate Schreiber can throw at 'im.
|
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 09:48:58
quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
No chords? Wouldn't that be monotonic? Which, really, wouldn't be that much of a change for NIN, which is generally monotonous at the best of times.
Recording in mono isn't really all that interesting either. I'd sooner move to 4-channel than 1. You can't really do anything interesting in mono.
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened"
If you ask me, the whole thing sounds pretty "moronophonic." |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 07:28:12
So you did quite a bit more drinking after I left, Mike? :)
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 01:05:26
quote:
Originally posted by brianhowe
Thanks speedy m. Now here is a person who knows how to take something for what it is, and understands that anything a writer says is that writer's opinion, which seems obvious. But many still assume we have some Pfork godhead that generates site opinion, when in fact it is a chorus of (often contradictory) opinions and voices.
Speedy, congrats on your rare ability to disagree with something without saying it "sucks," which is meaningless without qualification. Now what is this Tribute everyone keeps talking about?
Cheese and crackers Brian, you are an elitist prick. Presuming to tell me that I have rare abilities or that I understand anything. I'll tell you what "sucks": YOU. And to call yourself the godhead of anything, let along "Pfork", now that's just blasphemy. You make me SICK.
But seriously, "Les" Brian Howe? What's up with that? And also seriously, I want a real, honest to goddness, Pforkified opinion on those tribute albums, stat!
Oh, and PS, Ryan Schreiber gave Kid Marine a 5.3! So you can tell him that I'll meet him in the school yard for a good old fashioned monkey knife fight. No apes or chimps, just a real honest-to-goodness capuchin with a bad attitude and blade no longer than 4 inches. Little Pepe will slice and dice whatever primate Schreiber can throw at 'im. |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 23:27:41
I was just making a lame joke and failing even at that. :)
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| porkbone1 |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 18:49:20
In this case monophonic would be the opposite of polyphonic (from polyphony, the measure of an instrument to play more than one note at a time). Remember those old Casio keyboards that would only play one note at a time? You know, you'd try to play a chord and it would just play whatever note you struck first? Yeah, like that.
I think monophonic would also apply to a recording process too, since records were once known as "stereophonic" -- but who knows?
_______________________
The joke has come upon me |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 14:13:13
No chords? Wouldn't that be monotonic? Which, really, wouldn't be that much of a change for NIN, which is generally monotonous at the best of times.
Recording in mono isn't really all that interesting either. I'd sooner move to 4-channel than 1. You can't really do anything interesting in mono.
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| Dave Noisy |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 14:03:27
I got a little excited today when i read on PFork that NIN's new album would be monophonic.
I'm thinking 'wow, an album that isn't in stereo..what the hell is he gonna do with it..??'
But then it stated 'no chords'. Weird. I think i'd rather go for the non-stereo..heh..
Join the Cult of the Flying Pigxies - I'm A Believer! |
| Cult_Of_Frank |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 14:00:18
You can grab the Pixies tribute album (as well as a Frank Black one) off our FTP. If you want a preview of Hey - A Pixies Tribute, you can also access that through the tribute page. Here are some links:
Tribute info/Hey Preview:
http://www.frankblack.net/tribute/
FTP info:
http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4477
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
| brianhowe |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 12:51:55
quote:
Originally posted by Jefrey
Rock bands that don't sound like rock bands.
Like The Doves? Dong! |
| Jefrey |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 12:46:09
The Tribute album is a collection of electronica-based Pixies covers. Remember that Lilys album of elevator music a while back? Kinda like that. Rock bands that don't sound like rock bands. |
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