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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
 Posted - 09/10/2013 : 21:10:06
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It is so funny to me that there seems to be on this website, from the pixiest of Pixies fans, the track that magnets the most hate. All I can say is give it a chance. It seems a lot of people give a lot of energy to 'what if' stuff like SVN FINGERS & BLUEFINGER were failed Pixies material. Irrelevant. It obviously isn't because its under a different moniker. Embrace what is now labled PIXIES. If you dont like it, then go away. OR think of it this way....does ANY Pixies material, feom album to album, sound the same? The fact that they are jumping back into the game IN THE CURRENT GAME (being maybe they should test waters by releasing random songs as a test) do any injustice to what they did naturally in the music game 20+ years ago with conceptual albums? No! When you digress, you will see they were NEVER about changing the business or the machine game of music...they were simply making music. It was different then, and they were a part of the process. I think their attitude now in where they fit in is absolutely correct. I am not a fan of incohesive music (meaning a song here and there strung along by inconclusion) but THAT has always been PIXIES conundrum. Let them release 4 songs over months thru the next year. Let them get their toe in the ocean to MAYBE revive conceptual musical art in an album form. Its all go-with-the-flow...if it weren't, an ebb would never tide. I feel a lot of backlash for Another Toe (in fact ALL of EP1) is that fans (and particularly a faction of NEWISH fans) want a revisit of 80's-90's ideals because they weren't born or were too young to be cognizant of the time. I was there when the PIXIES started. They stopped for a long time...AND they are proving to have the balls to wipe 20 years of dust off and do new things at the pace where they are not only comfortable with, but comfortable to present WHERE THEY ARE NOW...kinda like (well, kids this is directed at you) how they were back THEN where one album they presented differed GREATLY from another. Get over it. Put some effort into listening, and ultimately embrace it.
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"I want the guy who did this. I want him. I want him bad........" TJ Hooker
-bRIAN |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2013 : 21:14:37
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Im also very drunk so I apologize for the nebulous argument. I giess im saying there is nothing wrong with feeling out an industry before decimating it with creativity. They are new to the game again because theyve been out ofbit. I have no doubt in a years time they will release something as fresh amd abrasivly original as Surfer Rosa or Doolitle. In the meantime, listen to the gems were afforded..luxuries of aural majesty.
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"I want the guy who did this. I want him. I want him bad........" TJ Hooker
-bRIAN |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2013 : 21:17:57
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Im also very drunk so I apologize for the nebulous argument. I giess im saying there is nothing wrong with feeling out an industry before decimating it with creativity. They are new to the game again because theyve been out ofbit. I have no doubt in a years time they will release something as fresh amd abrasivly original as Surfer Rosa or Doolitle. In the meantime, listen to the gems were afforded..luxuries of aural majesty.
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"I want the guy who did this. I want him. I want him bad........" TJ Hooker
-bRIAN |
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vilainde
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Niue
7438 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2013 : 21:18:41
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quote:
Originally posted by TRANSMARINE
Im also very drunk
Who would have known??
Anyway, I'm not drunk but I like the song.
Denis
Obsidiana Bijoux |
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natenate101
= Cult of Ray =
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2013 : 21:21:12
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quote:
Originally posted by vilainde
quote:
Originally posted by TRANSMARINE
Im also very drunk
Who would have known??
Anyway, I'm not drunk but I like the song.
Denis
Obsidiana Bijoux
Same here. Catchy song. I find myself humming it from time to time. |
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fumanbru
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1461 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 00:02:26
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very good drunk post trans! i don't see any gramatical errors. you did spell "guess" incorrectly on your second post but i know what you are saying.
at first i wasn't keen on toe in the ocean....but i have to say it has really grown on me.
after going over the lyrics i got a different perspective of the song.
Another Toe In the Ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
I put my toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
Down on the shelf an elf I saw
I took his picture he was waving
I passed again and now they're gone
I think my picture is worth saving
No more waiting for a new day
you've got to swim sometimes
I'll be here for the rest of my life
Up in the land of green
making love in the cool, black sand
Thinking where I've been
I put my toe in the ocean
Another toe in the ocean
Merry making with the fairies
Going down to the onion patch
To you and me to shining seas
I see the lights of Edward Thatch
No more waiting for a new day
You've got to swim sometimes
I'll be here for the rest of my life
Up in the land of green
Making love in the cool, black sand
Thinking where I've been
I put my toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
Edward Thatch : http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/Pirates/tp/Ten-Facts-About-Blackbeard-The-Pirate.htm
 "I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
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Ziggy
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
2411 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 00:13:37
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| I really like the production on the EP, but this one doesn't quite work for me. Enjoying the song itself. Reminds me of 'Teenager of the Year'. |
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bedrock_barney
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
871 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 00:45:53
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Still don't like it........(and I've been a fan of the band from the beginning)
It's unoriginal and plods along like a million other radio friendly songs that have been released in the last 30 years or so.
damn..my avatar thingamajig has bust |
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fumanbru
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1461 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 02:07:20
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good points kogi. wondering if the band was thinking to try something a bit more mainstream...maybe try to tap into that huge nickelback market and make billions!  i don't use the itunes genius function...i wonder what songs come up after another toe?
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
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sdon
= Cult of Ray =
France
779 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 04:47:52
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production is poor / bland, but it seems live version sounds better
the song itself has some good ideas, but overall it's too easy to compare to other bands, which should not be the case with a Pixies song
reminds me also of 'Teenager of the Year' (Abstract Plain, etc.)
I don't consciously like that song, but weirdly I often find myself humming it though
Pixies are infectious
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"Aristophanes! (gong sounds)" |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6009 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 04:53:24
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The fade is great, because of Joey. I guess the big problem here are the vocals. The way the backing vocals are produced. They sound so thick and clean. Indie Cindy and Andro Queen also suffer from this problem IMO. Do love the slick backing vocals in What Goes Boom though
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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OLDMANOTY
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
469 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 10:12:09
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I was taken aback at first by how generic the song sounded, particularly the opening. It was an odd combination of confusion and disappointment. I really like it now, though. As fumanbru suggested, perhaps it's an experiment - the sound, arrangement and delivery deliberately 'mainstream', slightly parodic maybe?
Whatever, the reason I like it is because it's a great tune and I keep wanting to hear it again. That it doesn't sound awfully 'Pixies' doesn't bother me much - the other tracks do. |
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trobrianders
> Teenager of the Year <
Papua New Guinea
3302 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 10:40:41
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I put a toe in this ocean and got my ears wet.
_______________
Ed is the hoo hoo |
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Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 10:44:13
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I just think it's a good pop song, expertly written. I'm always up for a good pop song.
The lyrics are great. It's one of Frank's many, many songs about alcoholism (my favorite: "If Your Poison Gets You"). The ocean is alcohol and the narrator must stay on the "shore". One toe in the ocean and his self-destructive cycle starts up again. Drinking is "swimming" and he describes his alcoholic delirium in aquatic imagery. |
Edited by - Jason on 09/11/2013 10:45:02 |
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Ziggy
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
2411 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 11:43:31
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| Watching one of the live videos it struck me how much more 'Joey-like' the lead playing is on the live performance. Really elevates the song. |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1225 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 13:11:17
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| I've been a big fan of this song from the start. I think it will be the Here Comes Your Man of the 20 song EP set. |
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moonruler
- FB Fan -
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 13:18:01
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I love this song. Along with What Goes Boom?, I think it is the best of the new stuff.
Although I guess I have an idea of what they sound like, I do not get the Nickleback comparisons. I realize it is somewhat tongue in cheek, maybe, but only if you listen to this lazily could you say it sounds like radio friendly music. Of any kind.
More than anything, the songwriting is far above what you would hear listening to any radio stations offering. |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
649 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 15:29:51
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Transmarine,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. It sounds like you and I are on the same page as far as this EP and Pixies v.2.0 goes.
It's interesting to me that some people are saying they like the song more in its live incarnation rather than the studio recording, and that it sounds more "like the band" when played live.
I think that is symptomatic of how this record was made (and how many are made these days), meaning that it was demoed in private, worked up essentially in private, recorded in private and then released before the group had ever played it once togethr in front of a crowd.
That's the way "hotly anticipated releases" like a new Pixies track have to be done these days, out of a fear that the surprise will be completely ruined by camcorder videos on YouTube, etc...
However, it eliminates a key element of how (many, but certainly not all) great rock records used to be made: the songs were worked out and polished/rearranged over the course of a tour, based at least partially on audience feedback (whether or not this was implicitly understood by both the musicians and the crowds), and then, once everything felt "ready to preserve," the band would book a studio and cut the track with all the vim, vigor and knowledge it had gained from those scores of live performances.
It's the same way Carlin, Pryor, Chris Rock and other extremely serious and thoughtful social critics/comedians would prepare for making a live concert album (although the way the Pixies have done it this time is completely in line with the way Dylan has approached every single album he's made since 1964).
However, these days, folks of that ilk can't work in that fashion because of the ubiquity of clandestine smartphone pilfering of their club dates and warm-up shows, and a band like the Pixies has to summon up whatever attitude and energy they feel is appropriate to create a recording they'll wear around their necks forever, without the benefit of the natural evolution that can only come from playing it dozens of times in front of fresh, unbiased ears, and dealing with their responses -- positive, negative and indifferent.
I really love the studio track of "Another Toe," precisely because of the delicate line it is straddling between so-called "commercial rock" and straight-up Pixies-ness -- but if that recording can be called anything, it would be "a tad hesitant."
Give it three weeks into this tour, and I am sure the song will have organically found its true destination. My bet is it will wind up sounding like it mainlined a speedball of testosterone, B-12 and bubblegum.
And, for whatever it's worth, despite FBF's public musings on the subject matter, I don't think it's really about Blackbeard or alcoholism at all.
At least not deep down, where it really counts. But that's a flight of lyrical interpretive fancy for another thread and another day...
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
Edited by - peter radiator on 09/11/2013 20:55:27 |
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johnnyribcage
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 16:23:32
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quote:
Originally posted by peter radiator
And, for whatever it's worth, despite FBF's public musings on the subject matter, I don't think it's really about Blackbeard or alcoholism at all.
At least not deep down, where it really counts. But that's a flight of lyrical interpretive fancy for another thread and another day...
Agreed for sure, though why not talk about it? :) I think it's pretty heart-on-the sleeve obvious what it about, at least in my interpretation. Seemed pretty clear cut on the first couple listens. I could be totally off base, but to me he's obviously talking about the Pixies (elves, fairies, sitting on the shelf, waiting). Thatch seems like a red herring. The chorus and the toe dipping all point back to the new Pixies material and direction. Dipping toes - release one song here, an ep there, etc. Pretty interesting, and very Charles.
Everybody calm down, I'm the Burgermeister of Purgatory |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
649 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 19:02:27
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Exactly, Johnnyribcage.
I didn't mean to be coy, I was just intending to go to sleep, rather than stay up and Pixie talk. :)
Songs mean one thing (or more) to the composer, and they mean untold other things to every single person who hears them. Some pop and rock songs are mind-numbingly one-dimensional, and others really traffic in obscura and obfuscation, at least in part to encourage (mis)understanding, which is often what propels such songs to far greater status than their humble beginnings or hidden inspirations would ever engender without the goosing of frothed-up, brow-furrowed fanboys (and girls).
I'm sure on some level, FBF does truly feel this song is about unhealthy addictions, etc... And, I'm also sure that on some level it actually is.
However, from the first spin, I pegged "Another Toe" as the declarative middle-finger of this EP -- albeit, a somewhat vulnerable and frightened bird.
Imagine my surprise when FBF is quoted as openly naming "Indie Cindy" as the one song on the record that he wrote explicitly (or as explicitly as his delightfully deceptive compositional techniques will allow) to reflect his own feelings and fears regarding re-launching the band as a viable, creative entity, and how such an effort might be met with public opinion.
If he were to read this post, he'd probably chuckle at how utterly lame and simplistic an interpretation of "Another Toe," it is - and he might be right.
But then again, songwriters and poets often operate in a mode which automatically keeps their own hearts at bay, for to allow one's own innermost fears to intrude upon the craft of composition is to invite insipid drivel and thus failure of the task at hand.
That said, feel free to dive with me into the (admittedly) shallow end of the pool:
Another Toe In the Ocean
I have a drink I start to sink
I put my toe in the ocean
(He figuratively -- or perhaps quite literally -- has a drink to steel his nerves upon deciding to once more try to sway his bandmates by writing a new batch of material that both he and they will deem worthy of the Pixies name and legacy.)
I have a drink I start to sink
Another toe in the ocean
(He's been down this road before.)
Down on the shelf an elf I saw
(His earlier, younger/smaller persona has been locked away "on a shelf," frozen in time, an indie-rock fossil in very real danger of becoming an attraction carted around to state fairs and the like.)
I took his picture he was waving
(He's taken stock of the relationship between his past incarnation as a young bandleader and his current role as a self-actualized solo artist/bandleader/collaborator/dabbler/part-time futurist prophet, and the role of Pixies frontman is calling to him, with an air of nostalgia but perhaps in a somewhat mocking way as well.)
I passed again and now they're gone
I think my picture is worth saving
(Note the change to plural from one elf/Pixie to many? He declares the worth of his earlier work and persona, and wants to ensure that life/incarnation is not lost forever.)
No more waiting for a new day
you've got to swim sometimes
(He's sick and tired of siting around waiting for the universe to align itself properly so that his old bandmates can feel comfortable trusting him to deliver the goods as far as worthy new material goes. He "accepts chaos," and espouses the worth in just fucking going for broke, throwing caution to the wind and seeing if the Pixies can emerge from their creative hiatus to more acclaim than derision.)
I'll be here for the rest of my life
Up in the land of green
(Rather than the ecological allegory he has alluded to in interviews - although that ecological theme could merely be a remnant from an earlier draft of the song where such a connection was more obvious - I see this as a thinly veiled reference to the fact that while FBF and family obviously have financial needs that require a steady paycheck, the past decade of rejuvenated Pixies touring and uptick in back catalog and merch sales has surely seen his income level increase far higher than anything the Catholics or his Americana-based LPs could ever hope to generate. If he has played his cards right and planned his estate wisely, he (and his loved ones) will likely have some sort of safety cushion for as long as he may be around. Something like that can't help but change a person's perspective, and in the event he is fortunate enough to feel secure enough to relax and spend his time metaphorically "making love in the cool, black sand," he'll never be able to stop "thinking where (he's) been (writing and performing new material with the Pixies from 1986-1992, an astoundingly unique band that each member must feel in some way they were lucky to have helped create).
And so, puts "another toe in the ocean," which I see as a body of water inherently related to what Patti Smith called the "Sea of Possibilities."
Merry making with the fairies (Read: pixies)
(Having a blast writing songs, partying and being young and foolish with his bandmates the first time around, before things grew too strained and tense to survive.)
Going down to the onion patch
(This line is the key that unlocks "Another Toe." Sit back and digest the sentiment expressed in the lyrics to this obscure tune from the '40s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7nO9n6Ez64
Then line them up with FBF at times appearing - at least to those of us who've been hanging on every miniscule back-and-forth "update" on the whole "will-they-or-won't-they-make-a-new-record" saga for the past decade - to have become "a fucking beggar" as the result of all the "wasted days and wasted nights" he tried to facilitate an actual forward-moving reboot of the band.)
To you and me to shining seas
(He's offering to put the hammer down and go "all-in" as far as a new, actively creative version of the Pixies goes - for himself, for his bandmates and for the fans.)
I see the lights of Edward Thatch
(When he says he "sees the lights," although it could be running lights from [Frank Black]beard's pirate vessel, it is more likely that he means that he "sees the light," or rather, has been enlightened by the actions of Edward Thatch, as they pertain to running a rock band, er, I mean a pirate ship. From Wikipedia, which we all know FBF adores when writing songs: "Contrary to the modern-day picture of the traditional tyrannical pirate, [Thatch] commanded his vessels with the permission of their crews and there is no known account of his ever having harmed or murdered those he held captive." In other words, he's learned his lesson and is pledging to lead the Pixies in a different, more mature and gentle manner than he did the first time around, knowing that the band cannot survive without a fresh approach which takes into consideration the lessons of the past.)
Like I said before, this is the way I hear the song, and I'll be the first to admit that I could be so far off-base as to cause FBF to do a Danny Thomas spit-take if he were to read this.
So, my apologies to him if I've inexplicably mangled his lyrical intent. :)
I happen to also feel there are slight echoes of this same sentiment on display in the lyrics to "Andro Queen" (Andro Queen/Kim Deal has lost her ring/desire to write and progress with the band, so FBF must "kiss her finger" in hopes she will make good on her "pledge" to someday return to the fold, while she spends her time off wandering for her ruby/acclaim via her own solo-oriented projects. For what's missing/being able to try and prove himself [along with his bandmates], he'd gladly sacrifice his flesh/give everything, only kissing "you"/interacting lovingly with his audience is so hard to do in this wild thresh/dispiriting, frustrating musical relationship.)
I have no idea what to make (if anything) of the direct mention of a female bass player who seems to confound those around her as to whether or not she's ever going to "get rocking" in "What Goes Boom."
Ironically, that may be the only song that has absolutely nothing to do (even obliquely) with the band's own real-life drama.
If so, then how wonderfully characteristic of FBF to use those lines (along with the demand for someone to "make some room" [read: "get out of the way"] so that something can "go boom") as a ruse to direct listeners away from the more soul-baring lyrics on (semi-hidden) display in every other track on the EP!
Just my .02, for whatever they might be worth.
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
Edited by - peter radiator on 09/11/2013 21:06:32 |
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The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
1994 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 22:26:57
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I still don't understand the hate.
This is the new song that pops most in my head these days ! |
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natenate101
= Cult of Ray =
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2013 : 23:43:09
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| Some informative and enlightening analysis above. Thanks. Seems to me Indie Cindy is kinda obviously about Kim Deal. As for Another Toe and What Goes Boom, now that you guys point some of this stuff out, seems oddly reasonable. Though that may be too obvious of subject matter for BF. Regardless, interesting and engaging songs. |
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fumanbru
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1461 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2013 : 00:05:20
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how she going! wow! thanks peter radiator and johnny! i love your interpretation and breakdown of the lyrics. and that youtube link is great! frank is such a brilliant songwriter.
it's really too bad that some of the music reviewers (pitchfork, etc.)don't spend a bit more time actually reading the lyrics and put some serious thought into their reviews. i love the wordplays and lyrical sounds with what goes boom. i love the lyrics to android queen and the pr release about the song...thinking their may be much more below the surface.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
Edited by - fumanbru on 09/12/2013 01:43:38 |
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fumanbru
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1461 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2013 : 01:39:59
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just got back from my morning jog! listening to another toe on the headphones...new perspective! imo the music and lyrics convey a message of courage, hope, and inspiration! take a chance! go, go little record go! my first impression was a 4/10....now 8/10! and the funny thing was i always knew at some point i would have a better appreciation for the song.
then if you carry that same theme to the next track...what goes boom!! we are not putting our toe in the ocean...we are diving into the waters head first! and you better get ready mother fuckers cause we're turning it up to 11!! HUH!
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!"...long live snitz!! |
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ccuadros
* Dog in the Sand *
Chile
1315 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2013 : 05:02:30
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| after listed over 100 times ep 1 (no joke) really i like a lot the song, the chorus is easy to remember |
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picpic
* Dog in the Sand *
Belgium
1872 Posts |
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IBreed
= Cult of Ray =
310 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2013 : 12:22:16
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| this is the most boring divisive song of all time. |
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natenate101
= Cult of Ray =
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2013 : 18:12:58
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quote:
Originally posted by IBreed
this is the most boring divisive song of all time.
Take away the chorus and it's just fine. That chorus is pretty bad though. |
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Stevio10
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
1071 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2013 : 21:53:27
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The song has definitely grown on me and the biggest compliment I can pay to it is by putting it in the same world/vision/experience as Wave of Mutilation.
Not in terms of musical style but theme, like what Life on Mars is to Space Oddity. That old FBF favourite - water, oceans - is the key theme; travelling on and through the ocean as far and wide as your fury will take you before coming to and finding yourself lost in an abyss.
I agree with Pete Rad about it being somewhat biographical yet the imagery and metaphors speak volumes. The Pixies rode their wave of mutilation and adulation as far as it would take them before somewhat finding themselves marooned, surrounded by an ocean of mutilation of their own creation.
That feeling of being stuck, extinction on the horizon, the ominous light switch going out. Or the alternative - embrace the world in which you have created no matter how deformed it may be. Another toe, to me, is the first steps of uncertainty, dipping their toe to test the water in amongst all the other mutilated toes of their own creation.
Just my mutilated thoughts! |
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picpic
* Dog in the Sand *
Belgium
1872 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2013 : 00:08:12
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Do you english-speaking people hate the song because of the lyrics ?
As a foreigner who does'nt understand what the hell this song is about (or any of other Pixies song) -sometimes even after reading the lyrics-, i have a tendency to only appreciate music/melodies/overall feeling of a song. And Another Toe is a strong number, to me at least.
The only thing I don't really like is the mastering of EP1 (too compressed, too loud -worse than Trompe Le Monde-). That's too bad, because the production is great. But I don't know if BF / Gil Norton are responsible for that. That's not a bad thing if you're listening to it with headphones, but it sounds like shit on any decent loudspeaker-based system. |
Edited by - picpic on 12/15/2013 00:08:42 |
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Classic Masher
- FB Fan -
146 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2013 : 03:58:32
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quote:
Originally posted by picpic
Do you english-speaking people hate the song because of the lyrics ?
As a foreigner who does'nt understand what the hell this song is about (or any of other Pixies song) -sometimes even after reading the lyrics-, i have a tendency to only appreciate music/melodies/overall feeling of a song. And Another Toe is a strong number, to me at least.
The only thing I don't really like is the mastering of EP1 (too compressed, too loud -worse than Trompe Le Monde-). That's too bad, because the production is great. But I don't know if BF / Gil Norton are responsible for that. That's not a bad thing if you're listening to it with headphones, but it sounds like shit on any decent loudspeaker-based system.
I think the complaint is that the rhyme of the chorus is rather simplistic and sophomoric. And any song about drinking just seems like an attempt to pander to the frat boy set.
"Mixed messages from Sir Naff, please authenticate..." |
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The Champ
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
736 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2013 : 08:51:37
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quote:
Originally posted by picpic
Do you english-speaking people hate the song because of the lyrics ?
As a foreigner who does'nt understand what the hell this song is about (or any of other Pixies song) -sometimes even after reading the lyrics-, i have a tendency to only appreciate music/melodies/overall feeling of a song. And Another Toe is a strong number, to me at least.
The only thing I don't really like is the mastering of EP1 (too compressed, too loud -worse than Trompe Le Monde-). That's too bad, because the production is great. But I don't know if BF / Gil Norton are responsible for that. That's not a bad thing if you're listening to it with headphones, but it sounds like shit on any decent loudspeaker-based system.
Sounds pretty excellent on mine when I crank that to 11. Without compression you couldn't hear the little guitar intricacies. |
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picpic
* Dog in the Sand *
Belgium
1872 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2013 : 22:07:11
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quote:
Originally posted by The Champ
Sounds pretty excellent on mine when I crank that to 11. Without compression you couldn't hear the little guitar intricacies.
I'm not a anti-loudness-war-fanatic who requires 0% compression, but for EP1, that's just too much. I guess that's not a problem for 90% of listener who use headphones or crappy sound systems. Whatever... Hi-Fi is dead, so i'm probably just an old fool complaining about details !
I know musicians/recording artists/listeners generally absolutely don't mind about those kind of things, however. And record labels can't edit a special uncompressed version, that understandably wouldn't be profitable.
Anyway, I still like Another Toe (and EP-1 !). I just don't listen to it on main system. Same for Trompe Le Monde  |
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trevgreg
- FB Fan -
45 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2013 : 05:57:46
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quote:
Originally posted by picpic
I'm not a anti-loudness-war-fanatic who requires 0% compression, but for EP1, that's just too much. I guess that's not a problem for 90% of listener who use headphones or crappy sound systems. Whatever... Hi-Fi is dead, so i'm probably just an old fool complaining about details !
I know musicians/recording artists/listeners generally absolutely don't mind about those kind of things, however. And record labels can't edit a special uncompressed version, that understandably wouldn't be profitable.
Anyway, I still like Another Toe (and EP-1 !). I just don't listen to it on main system. Same for Trompe Le Monde
I do have a bit of an issue with the loudness on Another Toe, more than the other songs in general. There have been a few times where I had to turn down the volume a tad at the beginning of the song!
That being said, I do like the song. As for why some people might not like it, I guess that maybe some are turned off a bit by the fact it has a strong hook or three. Therefore, it screams "sell out" and "bad" in their eyes. |
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eroticvultcha
- FB Fan -
Ireland
81 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2013 : 07:15:58
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| I love everybody's enthusiasm, but I think you're reading way too much into Another Toe. It's a pretty mediocre attempt at another Pixies 'radio song'. I doubt the lyrics are meant to convey anything as profound as you guys are interpreting (although each to their own). |
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IBreed
= Cult of Ray =
310 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2013 : 08:47:21
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quote:
Originally posted by eroticvultcha
I love everybody's enthusiasm, but I think you're reading way too much into Another Toe. It's a pretty mediocre attempt at another Pixies 'radio song'. I doubt the lyrics are meant to convey anything as profound as you guys are interpreting (although each to their own).
plus, of course it's fine to like or dislike this song. it's objectively not without merit.
i do dislike the defensive hypotheticals as to why people don't like it though.
someone else commented on the nickelback comparison. harmonically, i don't think that's baseless. to my ears, the chorus shares more in common with kroeger's radio style of writing than the pixies of yore. it's very "modern rock" at its core and in presentation, in a way other pixies songs aren't (even the 90's oasis-esque chorus of indie cindy is offset with a decidedly frank black chord change to even it out). the bridge is the only specifically pixies thing about another toe and it sounds tacked on, less integrated than the other song's pixies' moments.
people will of course interpret the above as my being resistant to change. i'm not. i will vigorously defend indie cindy and what goes boom. even andro queen to a degree. but another toe isn't an evolution, it's a tangent. |
Edited by - IBreed on 12/16/2013 08:48:11 |
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Another Toe in the Ocean
