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natenate101
= Cult of Ray =
USA
892 Posts |
 Posted - 10/26/2024 : 22:03:38
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| Makes sense as I’ve said the new stuff sounds like FB plus Pixies anyway. Can’t say it’s what I want to hear but respect to him for doing what he wants. He’s earned that right for sure. |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2024 : 22:23:26
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To be honest only Indie Cindy sounded like were Pixies left off
Wasn't that the whole idea by Gil Norton? You were twenty years on the Planet of Sound and now you're back!
Hear Carrier already sounded like The Golem to me. With a different production of course.
But what do we think? Should Pixies take a next step with a folk or country producer?
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2024 : 01:51:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Fascinating interview with Frank about going with the country thing for new Pixies and how music management people had told him not to do that when they first reformed:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pixies-more-try-recapture-youth-230158311.html?
Yes that is a great interview. So much coming out of these interviews this time round, such a contrast with the a few years ago*. Will keep the FB Kremlinologists busy for years.
That Kyle Meredith is great as well. Some nice stories about TOTY. It costs $200K to make compared to $40K for Doolittle. You would not be surprised to hear it was tons and tons of fun.
Another great nugget is he says he'd be happy to make a record every 6 months (gulp!). He's really got his musical mojo back at the moment, a while ago I recall an interview where he said he was more interested in painting.
*I remember one track run down with Dave for IC where he just replied that one was great/fun/interesting to almost every question. |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2024 : 07:07:09
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The Kyle Meredith interview was also funny insofar as Charles is silent about the fact that he has done a fantastic "rock opera" with Bluefinger.
Yes, I was also happy to hear about his seemingly rejuvenated interest in making LPs. Previously it seemed he only would when his manager told them to record, or when Tom pushed him to for Doggerel. It's probably a combination of feeling less pressure to make a hit, being allowed to write in a more natural style (rather that consciously write a "Pixies" song), and maybe even his kids getting older. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2024 : 20:35:33
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quote:
Originally posted by QuaBear
No wonder those first 2.0 records sound as they do....that being said, still some gems on those records, but no wonder this record feels tighter.
First two? Head Carrier mostly sounds like Catholics songs to me.
Frank may have been forcing it with Indie Cindy, but those are interesting, tense, exciting songs, and I listen to that album more than any other 2.0 one. |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2024 : 02:42:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
quote:
Originally posted by Bedbug
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk1y6zg8jno
I posted this one already.
Thank you Trouble
That Kyle interview is incredible
Frank speaks to his apparent change in lyrics writing
Hearing him sing a snippet from his first solo album is a real treat too makes me think that that song may end up in the encore of TOTY.
Great interview style by Kyle |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2024 : 20:44:22
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Frank and Tom Dalgety appear on a long episode of the podcast Tape Notes to discuss Zombies. Looking forward to listening to this!
There is one clip on youtube discussing the drums. Ironically I really dislike the drum sound on this record.
https://youtu.be/mN2Ai-09Woc?si=PCit79YdN2HMD2x6 |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 02:47:34
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Tom is a great supporter of Frank, and Frank smiles a lot in this snippet.
I'm on board with whatever they do. It's not going to top Trompe or Doolittle or Surfer Rosa, but that's ok.
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 02:48:02
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| ooooh good find, look forward to that as well. |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
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Sprite
* Dog in the Sand *
1334 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 03:08:19
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This on the other hand is a good one.
https://floodmagazine.com/179594/pixies-the-night-of-the-zombies-feature/
"Though new to the band, Richardson emerges as an essential ingredient of The Night the Zombies Came. She describes her experience recording with the band as a dream come true as a fan, and deeply engaging on a creative level. Her vocals, which figure prominently throughout the album, lend the songs a unique texture, and she found that she was granted a creative freedom that frequently nudged her outside of her comfort zone. “It was great figuring out what the song needed,” she says. “I didn’t want to do too much, but the door was open for me to try some stuff, which was incredible"
Audiences are changing; Charles Thompson isn’t. The 59-year-old Pixies frontman (also known, in various incarnations, as Black Francis or Frank Black) has always been averse to unnecessary theatrics. “We play our music,” he tells me. “There may be a little presumption among some audiences nowadays that people need to ‘perform,’ also. It’s enough of a challenge to get us to not only play, but to play it on a stage, in front of people. We’re already grappling with enough there!”
Thompson and co. have applied this “less is more” philosophy to Pixies shows for decades. The band doesn’t adhere to a predetermined setlist, and avoids speaking between songs at their shows. Today, it could register as an implicit repudiation of audiences who are inclined to avoid art that makes them uncomfortable. “They don’t want to be confronted with a lot of antagonistic energy,” Thompson says. “I can understand that. I’m not as afraid of an antagonistic energy—or at least an energy that’s not so hand-holding of the audience.”
photo by Liam Maxwell
This won’t surprise longtime followers of the Pixies, a wildly influential band who have charted their own path since their rise to prominence in the late 1980s with culture-shifting records like Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. But for all of the band’s surface prickliness, the most recent Pixies records hum with a warm familiarity. The Night the Zombies Came, the tenth Pixies album, deploys all of their sonic hallmarks but continues to explore them from fresh angles. Unnerving and funny, “Chicken” is likely the year’s most effective song about bird decapitation. The eerie “Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)” is thick with B-movie imagery and a rich gothic atmosphere. Its selection as the title track, though, shouldn’t be overread: “I don’t want to elevate the song to too high of a status, because that would be misleading,” Thompson says. “It just has to sound cool as a title.”
Zombies is the fourth consecutive Pixies album produced by Tom Dalgety, who the band views as an essential partner. “He knows all of our personalities,” says Joey Santiago, the band’s lead guitarist and co-founder. “We have the same language.” Bassist Emma Richardson of Band of Skulls recently joined the Pixies, and she credits Dalgety with ensuring the sessions were both productive and fun: “He’s led by intuition and instinct. He’s got a good knowledge of what the band wants.” Thompson credits him for keeping the band focused: “He seems to be a very good manager of time. His planning is, generally speaking, a thing that’s helpful, as opposed to something that’s cramping my style.”
photo by David Iskra
“I’m not as afraid of an antagonistic energy—or at least an energy that’s not so hand-holding of the audience.”
— Charles Thompson
Though new to the band, Richardson emerges as an essential ingredient of The Night the Zombies Came. She describes her experience recording with the band as a dream come true as a fan, and deeply engaging on a creative level. Her vocals, which figure prominently throughout the album, lend the songs a unique texture, and she found that she was granted a creative freedom that frequently nudged her outside of her comfort zone. “It was great figuring out what the song needed,” she says. “I didn’t want to do too much, but the door was open for me to try some stuff, which was incredible.”
Santiago takes an expanded role on Zombies, having written the music for “I Hear You Mary” and the lyrics for “Hypnotised.” “Charles is one of the best lyricists around,” Santiago says. “And when he asks me again to [write], I say, ‘Are you high?’” But Santiago found the assignment simultaneously daunting and invigorating—even when he was ultimately tasked with finishing it on unexpectedly short notice. “Tom called me and [said], ‘Charles wants to sing the song in an hour.’ But it’s a fun process, I have a blast with it.”
"Thompson is no stranger to critical reappraisal. Rarely has that shift been more pronounced than with Teenager of the Year, which was greeted with a curiously icy reception upon release. Critics initially seemed eager to repudiate Thompson’s break from the Pixies; decades later, it’s rightfully recognized as one of the great rock albums of the 1990s. “I don’t think that in general, I make records that are immediately likable,” Thompson says. “I think it just takes time for people to come around to maybe have a better understanding of it. You just need to listen to it a few times before you can feel the wavelength of it.”
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2024 : 22:17:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Frank and Tom Dalgety appear on a long episode of the podcast Tape Notes to discuss Zombies. Looking forward to listening to this!
For anybody sleeping on the full podcast episode, I listened today, it's almost 2 hours long, and it's fantastic.
They not only play isolated tracks from the album (as in you can listen to Emma's harmonies or Joey's guitar parts or Frank's 12-string guitars), but they play demos from the album too. It's utterly fascinating. They dive deep into several songs, the lyrics, the songwriting, the production and the mixing.
Basically a shortened version of the Pixies Podcast, but for Zombies. |
Edited by - Troubles A Foot on 11/02/2024 22:18:03 |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2024 : 23:02:09
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It's indeed awesome. Emma was also recommended by Gil Norton!
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 15:30:25
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I've listened to the discussion of Vegas Suite and Mary (I'll listen to the rest later).
It's a great podcast and an essential listen, but I can't help be frustrated with Tom re: Mary. Charles originally didn't like the song, and in particular the final chorus that switches to major chords (my least favourite part of the album), but Tom cheekily sneaked the song onto the album at the last minute! I guess one has to take the good with the bad, haha. |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 15:49:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
I've listened to the discussion of Vegas Suite and Mary (I'll listen to the rest later).
It's a great podcast and an essential listen, but I can't help be frustrated with Tom re: Mary. Charles originally didn't like the song, and in particular the final chorus that switches to major chords (my least favourite part of the album), but Tom cheekily sneaked the song onto the album at the last minute! I guess one has to take the good with the bad, haha.
Yes, I was waiting for more to hear it, but this interview is once again illuminating about all the problems Tom brings to the table, and the intense level of his involvement (choosing, arranging and performing on songs) really bothers me.
My mind can't help but spin wondering about what fully finished songs Frank had been working on that were thrown away by Tom in favor of picking at something like Mary instead. I see why Frank threw his notebook on the roof.
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 16:07:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
I've listened to the discussion of Vegas Suite and Mary (I'll listen to the rest later).
It's a great podcast and an essential listen, but I can't help be frustrated with Tom re: Mary. Charles originally didn't like the song, and in particular the final chorus that switches to major chords (my least favourite part of the album), but Tom cheekily sneaked the song onto the album at the last minute! I guess one has to take the good with the bad, haha.
Yes, I was waiting for more to hear it, but this interview is once again illuminating about all the problems Tom brings to the table, and the intense level of his involvement (choosing, arranging and performing on songs) really bothers me.
My mind can't help but spin wondering about what fully finished songs Frank had been working on that were thrown away by Tom in favor of picking at something like Mary instead. I see why Frank threw his notebook on the roof.
Yeah, that worries me too. I also didn't like when Tom was talking about how Joey resists going back to the well of "drone" chords too often (by which it just sounds like Tom means a big loud strum on a chord at the beginning of each chord change?) but Tom encourages him to do it anyway. It can sometimes be effective (Daniel Boone, Vegas Suite) but it's an over-used tool that Tom keeps returning to. It was at its worse on Doggerel where seemingly every chorus had them. |
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Skatealex1
* Dog in the Sand *
1670 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 16:13:48
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Agreed about Tom . I find his influence on the band's sound to be a little toxic (as someone that is into indie music). I realize the band apparently feels different, I'm sure he's nice to work with but... I can almost imagine the Pixies of the 90's rejecting the choice of working someone steeped in classic rock over say indie rock music. It seems odd to me.
Also... even Frank Black's Catholic records- maybe they had some more country and alternative influences but even they didn't feel like the influence was mainstream rock pop or classic rock.
There's still stuff I like on the new album to be clear but I feel like there's potential for more and perhaps more interesting choices like on the BTE demos. |
Edited by - Skatealex1 on 11/03/2024 16:16:09 |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 16:43:38
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| At the very least, the production on Mary is something of an (though not a complete) outlier on the album, which in general is a more interestingly produced album than Doggerel. |
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QuaBear
- FB Fan -
USA
66 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 18:48:40
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I don't know, I really like Mary....Joey wrote the music. I mean, Charles does say he initially had trepidations about it, but in the end, he did enjoy it.
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
I've listened to the discussion of Vegas Suite and Mary (I'll listen to the rest later).
It's a great podcast and an essential listen, but I can't help be frustrated with Tom re: Mary. Charles originally didn't like the song, and in particular the final chorus that switches to major chords (my least favourite part of the album), but Tom cheekily sneaked the song onto the album at the last minute! I guess one has to take the good with the bad, haha.
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Edited by - QuaBear on 11/03/2024 18:51:12 |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2024 : 20:15:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Skatealex1
Agreed about Tom . I find his influence on the band's sound to be a little toxic (as someone that is into indie music). I realize the band apparently feels different, I'm sure he's nice to work with but... I can almost imagine the Pixies of the 90's rejecting the choice of working someone steeped in classic rock over say indie rock music. It seems odd to me.
Yes, I made note of this in the interview. Tom's specific reference points he name checks are things like Bruce Springsteen and I think The Who? But I feel like Pixies was originally so weird because its reference points were Iggy Pop and other crazy music.
quote:
Also... even Frank Black's Catholic records- maybe they had some more country and alternative influences but even they didn't feel like the influence was mainstream rock pop or classic rock.
There's still stuff I like on the new album to be clear but I feel like there's potential for more and perhaps more interesting choices like on the BTE demos.
I agree about Catholics. In some ways those songs can be as strange and extreme as Pixies songs. It at least had the raw rock feel. I imagine if those albums were overproduced in the Dalgety style we wouldn't be as fond of them.
The idea of Dalgety rejecting all those BTE demos just burns me up inside. I can only thank god someone on board decided they were at least good enough as bonus songs.
quote:
I also didn't like when Tom was talking about how Joey resists going back to the well of "drone" chords too often (by which it just sounds like Tom means a big loud strum on a chord at the beginning of each chord change?) but Tom encourages him to do it anyway.
Yes, in this podcast and in the Pixies podcasts in the past, half of Dalgety's anecdotes are that the band didn't want to do something but he talked them into it. It is just unfathomable to me he has this much power over the Pixies. Maybe Steve Albini's infamous quote about them was right on the money? |
Edited by - Troubles A Foot on 11/03/2024 20:20:39 |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 08:00:54
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Tom produced those lovely BTE bonus disc
He is also the one who tries to get FBF in the recording studio
I am not defending him, but it's clear he is only partial to blame for some choices
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 08:49:03
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quote:
Originally posted by billgoodman
He is also the one who tries to get FBF in the recording studio
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken?
Yes, I agree with this. Plus, BTE is one of my favourite FBF albums (it's been rehashed a million times now, but I'm fine with the tracklisting and don't feel that the LP needs anything from the demoes disc, even though I do like some of the songs), and I like this one too. That's why I've come around to the position of taking the bad with the good. It's just a bit frustrating to hear that Charles was originally also against my least favourite moments on the record, but Tom insisted on them/snuck them in, haha. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
3148 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 08:56:15
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| If there is less “compression” on these albums is that Tom’s credit? |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1036 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 09:07:11
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FB/Pixies were always strongly influenced by the producers. The most “true/raw” I sound /idea of their music might be captured in COP and most of the Catholics /BF recordings, which essentially were self/non-produced.
Norton, Tiven, Dalgety, and I would argue even Albini, were largely responsible for the final products pressed on the records. The same for EDF, but I would assume here it was always a creative process//collaboration between the two of them.
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
955 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 10:54:21
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quote:
Originally posted by billgoodman
Tom produced those lovely BTE bonus disc
He is also the one who tries to get FBF in the recording studio
I am not defending him, but it's clear he is only partial to blame for some choices
But the producer shouldn't be partially to blame for a bunch of bad ideas. The producer should be helping and making great albums, not trying to ruin them and talk the band into doing things they don't want to do constantly.
He produced the BTE bonus songs but he rejected all of them, and I think he's crazy for that.
His reference point is all classic rock boredom and nothing that I consider in the spirit of the Pixies. I wish they had a producer who understands what makes the Pixies special and more than just a rock band. |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 11:16:32
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Frank wants to make that kind of music now
Or simply doesn't care what kind of production he gets
I would love to have a new sound. 4 by Gil, 4 by Tom, now work with Dangermouse!
This management keeps the company moving forward, Pixies are doing great
And apparently Toms production still works
Press has been good
Maybe he's cheap too, they work on their own nowadays I believe
No record label involved, only licensing
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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tamefan
- FB Fan -
Canada
239 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2024 : 14:25:39
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| i would love a new producer, but not DM! he's too hands-on and tends to gloss albums with the same drum sound and synth hooks. he's a talented guy, no doubt, that first broken bells record is GORGEOUS but i don't trust him to honour the spirit of the band. we wouldn't get "pixies produced by DM" we would get "DM featuring the Pixies" |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6214 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2024 : 00:27:24
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I would love a break, so DM featuring Pixies would be fine
Frank likes him a lot.
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo
* Dog in the Sand *
1079 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2024 : 05:36:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Frank and Tom Dalgety appear on a long episode of the podcast Tape Notes to discuss Zombies. Looking forward to listening to this!
There is one clip on youtube discussing the drums. Ironically I really dislike the drum sound on this record.
https://youtu.be/mN2Ai-09Woc?si=PCit79YdN2HMD2x6
Hey! Where to find the full podcast?
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Brank_Flack
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1017 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2024 : 06:36:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo
quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Frank and Tom Dalgety appear on a long episode of the podcast Tape Notes to discuss Zombies. Looking forward to listening to this!
There is one clip on youtube discussing the drums. Ironically I really dislike the drum sound on this record.
https://youtu.be/mN2Ai-09Woc?si=PCit79YdN2HMD2x6
Hey! Where to find the full podcast?
++++
I found it by searching "Tape Notes" in Apple podcasts. I would imagine it's also on Spotify. |
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Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo
* Dog in the Sand *
1079 Posts |
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Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo
* Dog in the Sand *
1079 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2024 : 07:07:20
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I'm just hearing the clip of the demo version of Jane... The demo version of the album really should be released. It would blast the actual "finished" product imo.
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Pixies interviews 2024
