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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 11/02/2006 : 03:02:47
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http://marginallyclever.blogspot.com/2006/10/pixies-definitive-users-guide.html
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Pixies: A Definitive User's Guide
Hold my head, we'll trampoline
My last post seems to have generated a lot (over 3 units) of increduilityness (and that's
something that doesn't even exist, so, good post). I will attempt to address that here and
perhaps provide some guidelines to "discovering" the Pixies.
Music, my friends, is not an area of expertise for me. This is more Alan's (updated
annually!) bag, but I will give it a shot. I don't know a whole lot about music technically (I
can play the chromatic scale!), but I know what I like. And generally I like a little quirk in
my tunes - a little hitch in my giddy-up. I addition, I like a band capable of varying its
metronome settings. To demonstrate what I mean, the first band I really liked and
pursued was They Might Be Giants. I was in the 8th grade and I found them fascinating.
Flood, to me, is the album that made me want to find more music "like this." What
attracted me? TMBG are always eclectic. I had spent most of the past year listening to a
top 40 station and rotting my brain with Bobby Brown's "My Perogative." TMBG were an
oasis in that cultural desert.
As to the metronome thing, speaking generally, a genre like punk is one which I don't
have much of an affinity. Though I might like a band here or there (Bad Religion), I'm
overall not that enthused about the overall punk scene. Thrashing at your guitar as quickly
as possible is a fine skill, but not always the best in creativity. In much the same way, I
don't usually enjoy singer-songwriters. I might find them talented and I can understand
why they are liked, but I tend to avoid them.
This is the most basic and seminal of my musical tastes that I can provide. With that grain
of salt, here is my Pixies' guide:
Start with Doolittle. Not only is Doolittle their best album (maybe not my favorite,
but that's another story), but its range is best indicative of their catalog as a whole.
My one bit of advice is, give it time. It may be off-putting at first, but don't listen
once and discard. Take some time to listen, at least 3 to 4 times. If you don't like it
then, feel free to mailbomb me.
Doolittle is the ideal starting point. From their, if you like what you've heard, you'll
probably want a Bossanova or a Trompe le Monde.
That being said, many people consider Trompe le Monde, not the last Pixies' album,
but instead the first Frank Black album. I don't necessarily agree that that's true.
While TLM is not pure Pixies it is rockin' enough to be a legitimate part of their body
of work. I only mention this because if you find that Doolittle isn't your bag of tea,
you might enjoy TLM all the same.
Surfer Rosa . . . just be sure that you're ready. If you don't like what you've heard
so far . . . you're probably not ready and you'll probably never be a fan.
Come on Pilgrim you know I love you! CoP is usually my favorite Pixies' album. As
with any band you love, this distinction can fluctuate amongst albums. If you want
to get your ass rocked off for 25 minutes, this is the album for you.
All this is to say, give them a try. If you like them, fantastic! We shall be best of friends. If
not, well I guess there are other albums you might enjoy.
posted by roger at 3:24 PM |
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Douglas
= Cult of Ray =
Sweden
308 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2006 : 03:23:18
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| Well, it's not how I would instruct people to use the Pixies, but I'm sure it works for some... |
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tisasawath
= Cult of Ray =
Wallis and Futuna Islands
783 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2006 : 04:53:17
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I was first listening to all four LPs from tapes, I didn't know the real chronological order, so my impression was that Doolitle was first, Surfer next, then Trompe and Bossanova last, that's how I heard their music developing
I also misconceived that the female vocalist was absent from the last two albums (and the band), because female vocals weren't prominent anymore
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AAAAWWWWWRRRIIGGHHTTTTT !! ! |
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Pixies: A Definitive User's Guide.
