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The New Bolero
= Cult of Ray =
394 Posts |
 Posted - 06/07/2004 : 20:21:25
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Why do these lame reviewers think the band was ever of the "HELLO DETROIT! ARE THE TIGERS GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES THIS YEAR OR WHAT?" variety? A lot of critics get hung up on the lack of flash and stage banter and then use that to launch their shitty reviews--as opposed to beginning with the music and going from there. I don't know, it seems to me like they're talkier than ever on the reunion tour. Just who was Ludovic Hunter-Tilney expecting, Huey Lewis and the Freakin' News? I mean what the hell?
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1086445481802
Music: The Pixies
By Ludovic Hunter-Tilney
Published: June 7 2004 19:01 | Last Updated: June 7 2004 19:01
This isn't an easy one to give a star rating to. The music was fantastic and the audience as fervent as any I've seen before: five stars. But there were other, more complicated emotions too; among them a niggling sense of disquietude at the sight of a great band returning to play the nostalgia circuit 11 years after splitting up.
For a brief period in the late 1980s, the Pixies were the best rock band in the world. Their music - a sort of unhinged surf pop with loud guitars and primal screaming - was electrifying. If in 1988 you weren't either: a) mourning the Smiths, b) shaking your big hair to Guns n' Roses or c) gurning madly to Acid House in illegal raves, then the Pixies' debut album Surfer Rosa was your (OK, my) wake-up call.
During a set culled mainly from their early albums, they showed that their songs haven't aged an iota. Frank Black, the vocalist, remains one of rock's finest screamers, his howls erupting in songs such as "Monkey Gone to Heaven" like eerie sonic seizures. On bass Kim Deal gave the music warmth and focus, adding meat to guitarist Joey Santiago's catchy but lacerating riffs.
The songs were greeted like old friends by a frenzied audience. Tracks like "Cactus" and "Debaser" were superb proof of how enduring the Pixies' influence has been, the sudden shifts between quiet melodies and explosions of sound acting as a blueprint for bands such as Nirvana to follow (Kurt Cobain described writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as a Pixies rip-off).
After a rancorous split no one expected them to reform and it seems they're only doing it for the money. They haven't given any interviews and didn't radiate much pleasure at being on stage together. Nobody spoke to the audience, with the exception of Deal - easily the cheeriest of the bunch - who was applauded when she gave a short speech. In a way, their reticence was admirable: no insincere talk of how great it was to be back and so on. But it also conveyed a sense of shame, as if they realised that they were cashing in on their past: pandering to their audience's expectations, not stretching them. Tel 0870 771 2000
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Edited by - The New Bolero on 06/07/2004 20:22:39 |
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the thing
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
313 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 01:49:28
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Remind me the next time I'm cashing in on my fame and notoriety not to do any press - clearly if you want to sellout you should:
The Rolling Stones go on tour with Volkswagen fer christ sake - and no-one ever accuses them of selling out (or is it so blatantly obvious that no-one cares to mention it anymore)
 How does lemur fur, reflect the sea? Someone should do tests |
Edited by - the thing on 06/08/2004 01:49:59 |
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Peter Walker
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
189 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 01:57:22
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| I suspect the difference is that the Rolling Stones are largely trying to finance the purchase of their next Caribbean island (apart from Keef, who I suspect would play even if he wasn't getting paid). The Pixies are largely trying to finance their future individual projects. |
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Antoinette
- FB Fan -
64 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 13:41:26
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| The complaint about no stage banter is getting pretty revealing -- even a cursory review of 80s-early 90s era Pixies stuff (heck even a scan thru the DVD) shows just as little interest in "engaging the crowd." These writers - esp. the ones who "knew 'em back in the day" are being lazy. |
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Domestiques
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
503 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2004 : 22:28:56
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I didnt go to see the pixies for banter, I can go and see billy bragg or reel big fish for that, I just wish journos would lay off the fact that they aint getting a life story.
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“I want to be a star!” I cried
They said, “You’re overqualified.
Why don’t you learn to tune your damn guitar?” |
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Dallas
= Cult of Ray =
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 08:21:31
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"a sense of shame"???
What a jackass. What a genius he must be to simply watch a band like the Pixies rip through a set, but, somewhere deep in their eyes sense shame. Not just any shame. The shame that comes along with filling medium to small concert halls with paying customers.
Playing up the financial aspect of the Pixies tour is also a bit ridiculous. What band doesnt tour for $?? As opposed to the other bands that tour to make Ticketmaster money? |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6192 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 08:28:22
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If they want stagebante
they can go to a GBV concert
60% music
40% stagebanter
But it has to be said they play for like 2,5 hours
so it's ok and robert pollard is a fun guy too
 "I joined the Cult of Frank/Nobody wanted to join my Culf" |
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This Just in: Another Useless Review!
