It sounds like a new song that someone has brought in to the band and they've had about 2 or 3 practices with it. Barely enough time to write a decent guitar lead, and not enough time at all to do anything interesting with the drums.
Hastily record a demo, and that's what you've got here. It's not bad, exactly, but it's just not quite ripe.
PS - I f they did record 8 songs or whatever while they were rehearsing fo rthe warmpup tour, and 'Bam Thwok' is an eample of the musicianship and recording quality we can expect from them, I really hope they will consider re-recording after the tour.
Hearing how much tighter and confident they are on the Brixton shows as compared to the early warmup shows, I think they could really kick butt on a new recording at this point. They are a well oiled machine and sound like they have their old edge back.
PS - I f they did record 8 songs or whatever while they were rehearsing fo rthe warmpup tour, and 'Bam Thwok' is an eample of the musicianship and recording quality we can expect from them, I really hope they will consider re-recording after the tour.
Hearing how much tighter and confident they are on the Brixton shows as compared to the early warmup shows, I think they could really kick butt on a new recording at this point. They are a well oiled machine and sound like they have their old edge back.
Yes I agree totally. While this sounds pretty good, they had only been together again for a month or something when they recorded it? You can sense that they are not comfortable yet on this recording, but I guarantee if they recorded something new today, it would be so much better. Even if it was the same song.
I must be the last of us who hasn't heard the song yet. What dumb luck. Here I sit in a Hotel in the middle of Buffalo, NY. (yeah I can smell the bad air coming from Canada. hehe) Anyway, here I sit and our newest memeber Shem posts a link to Bam Thwok. And would you know it the Hotel doesn't have speakers attached to the computer.
Analog mindset The recording sessions for Title TK marked the birth of The Breeders’ “All Wave” philosophy, an all-analog approach to recording that arose out of bad experiences with the now pervasive Pro Tools digital recording software. “Instead of sampling the band, the engineer will create a sound using Pro Tools, a brand new sound, so all the music is coming from him and his computer,” Kelly protests.
“The only thing that’s natural is the vocals, and even that’s pitch-shifted up and down. I think that’s not a good thing. You can tell it’s digitally created. You can hear it’s been corrected. I want to hear the drummer slow down at the end of a track because he’s tired. I want to hear the vocalist who’s been screaming their ass off. I want to hear their voice get hoarse. I like that in music. I like emotion—and the other stuff doesn’t have much.”
one more: And it's all "All Wave," all the time. Every bit of processing, every squawk of noise, is the result of the vibrations of vocal cords and various other cords and objects picked up magnetically. Just as Kim wanted it, no foolin' with Pro Tools and beat boxes.
Frank Black: It’s a personal thing. I’m not a mega-star, but I have the satisfaction of… me and my band… yeah, we played that. We didn’t assemble a facsimile of a performance with 10,000 edits. The recording process is pretty anal now. It has been for a long time, but now it’s really easy to be super-anal. With computers, people are using modern technology to be creative, but everyone’s really playing it safe. It’s about getting on the radio when only 10 guys get play on the radio. Everyone’s a nervous Nelly… too serious, too much of a high-stakes money game. I get satisfaction out of saying "I played the damn thing. You and your little band of lame-ass haircut beautiful boys, you didn’t play shit on your record." I’m being cynical…
"I joined the Cult of Frank/Nobody wanted to join my Culf"
Okay. Now I've heard them being somewhat against Pro Tools. Is that for sure what they used on this?
no, I don't know what I pointed it out with my posts about them being against Pro Tools (kim is most certain not 'somewhat' against Pro Tools. She is really against it.I've got a dutch documentary, which you can see online, were she makes jokes about the program.I'm not too sure about Frank but he seems a bit against digital recording) I just don't think the pixies would ever use it I can't hear it, I'm no technician or Sound devote I just don't think they would use it that's all
"I joined the Cult of Frank/Nobody wanted to join my Culf"
The song would be ok (but still not really good) if it wasn't for that horrible chorus "wakka wakka". What's that? Fozzy Bear from the Muppet Show? That's all I can think of when I hear it.
I would definitely expect an album from the band. I can't believe they would just release this thing. Disappointing....
I'm just glad that someone posted that they don't have a record company yet. I don't feed the RIAA, so I wanted to make sure that buying the song wasn't going to the wrong place!
I'm glad to have the song, but it won't be ranking among my favorites. I like the lo-fi recording a lot, though. Very Sonic Youth, without the lame seriousness that Sonic Youth had. I've always liked that the Pixies didn't polute their songs with overt politics.
Charlie Oleg plays organ solo on BAM THWOK with the Pixies!!!
That's exactly what I thought ! Fantastic, he's back ! (and without Simone Garnier !) But I didn't know that Charlie Oleg was the Joey's father-in-law...
Okay. I am officially digging Bam Thwok. It took a few days for me to wrap my mind around the fact that there is indeed a new Pixies song and all... and by golly it is indeed quite listenable and toe tapping too.
Kinda wishing the F.B. vocals were a bit louder tho... just cause I likes the sound of it and all.
"You've gotta listen for a weird, strange noise. Something out of the ordinary." - John Crichton
Geez...I finally was able to hear Bam Thwok. It's pretty good. Simple recording, but that's okay. It has a lot of their signature stuff in there, especially Joey's guitar. I find that it's kind of a peace offering from Kim to Frank. I think she's saying: "It's okay that you wrote all those sci-fi songs before, and to prove it, I'll write one and we can record it."
After hearing the song, I truly believe everything's okay between Kim and Frank now.
1. I am a fsh with no i's. 2. You must be wearing Zubaz, 'cause you're daring to be different. 3. I am a man with 3 fingers...but that doesn't count my index finger nor my thumb.
Finally heard it, but only a poor quality version and it doesn't help it was on laptop speakers. At least I finally heard it.
The song is lots of fun, almost sounds like an homage to the Los Angeles band X. Maybe that will change when I hear it like it was intended to be heard, but that's what I'm hearing now.
anyway, i wanted to say - and i will say, that inspite my bady-bad english i think the song Bam Thwok is a great song.
after hearing it few days it sounded weak to me, lacking the formula of melodic charm*spiritual power of the old pixies.
after few days more it really got into me. i think is different from old-pixies but yet have alot of the old sound. we should recognize that these guys are true genius who can invent themself in a very creative way. neethles to say - Bam Thwok is the best song u will hear in 2004 (unless another pixies single..)
no, I don't know what I pointed it out with my posts about them being against Pro Tools (kim is most certain not 'somewhat' against Pro Tools. She is really against it.I've got a dutch documentary, which you can see online, were she makes jokes about the program.I'm not too sure about Frank but he seems a bit against digital recording) I just don't think the pixies would ever use it I can't hear it, I'm no technician or Sound devote I just don't think they would use it that's all
"I joined the Cult of Frank/Nobody wanted to join my Culf"
I don't think it was your post that mentioned it. I think it was somebody else's. But your post had quotes with anti-digital talk in it, so I felt like replying to yours rather than finding the other one that was more specific. Didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Sorry. But yeah, I can see exactly where you and others are coming from, especially now. And I won't pretend to know or predict what the band plans on doing. But if they did push on with a more digital edge, I wouldn't be surprised. The Pixies have reformed and rerecorded. That's the most surprising thing I can imagine. With that in mind, somebody could say the Pixies were going to become an acapella act, and I would have to say that anything can happen. Know what I mean?
quote:Reveal who you are, you one-post good samaritan!
I'm just a guy who found these forums after Googling for 'pixies bam thwok'. I heard the song on my local radio station a few mornings ago and the tune stuck in my head. When I finally found the song hosted online, I thought it would help some people if I posted it here. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the yin and yang of life. While I'm helping people in here who want to hear the song, I'm denying the band an income by providing an alternative to paying 99c on iTunes.
Yeah, I grappled with the ethics of it, too. I had no other way of hearing it and, as I have for years, I'll buy several copies of whatever they eventually sell at my local CD store -- a copy for each of my lucky friends.
People change their minds. It's just a tool, and the sound quality is approaching analogue, so there's really not much to complain about there anymore, especially when many people are listening to mp3's anyway...that kind of blows away any of the original fidelity. I heard many engineers that were adamantly against digital and ProTools do a 180 and embrace it. It's easy to back up, you don't have to calibrate it, it's portable...you just have to be careful not to abuse it.
What I believe Frank and Kim are bitching about is that in a ProTools environment, there are so many takes, layers, effects and editing possibiities that it takes the musicianship out of the recording. Whereas in the past, you do 8 or 9 take and pick the best one, now you can cut and paste in individual notes and tunes people's voices. The end result is not very musical...that is what they are complaining about.
Thanks for the quotes Bill, I'm totally with you about FB and Kim definately carrying the torch for analogue recording. Title TK and the Catholics records are very "live" sounding. However, and I don't really know much about audio, Bam Thwok has the kind of sound quality which I accredit to bedroom computer music recording. I could be wrong of course. The cut and paste of the organ solo also adds to this "feel" for me. Whatever. Obviously they caused more of a stir with this song than they thought they would. I'm sure it was just to test the waters to see if they should record some proper tracks. Lets hope they do. This reunion seems pretty fun so far.
Of course, as far as sound quality, even with the best ProTools setup, recording at 24/96 (approaching analog quality) - if you're doing it in your bedroom or kitchen, your recording is going to sound like a bedroom or kitchen. It has nothing to do with using digital to record, it has to do with your bedroom or kitchen sounding like crap.
Musicians go to studios to get excellent room sounds. That is what makes it sound more "live" and professional; those rooms are tuned to make music sound great - in other words, if I took the best quality mic in the world and recorded in my bedroom onto 24" analog - it would still sound like a bedroom recording just as much as a digital recording would.
As one could expect from a new Pixies release, the discussion is installed. Personaly, I love the way Bam Thowk sounds. It sounds just like someone has already said: not an amateaur production, but a good band playing in a room. Just like Surferosa. I´ve read an interview with Joey Santiago, and he says he is not very fond of effects. The Pixies always kept it simple, frontal. A very brutal way of making rock. Today everything is overproduced. In that way, some people felt violated about the way the new song sounds. I look at it as a sincere way of playing. No bullshit. What you hear is what you get. Did you want the Pixies, or something else, like an old fashioned band, with is surface polished by technological tricks? It rocks. Joey´s in excellent shape. And what´s that all about Kim? They always wrote their lyrics on a surrealistic basis! And, from my point of view, there isn´t that much of a change in her atittude. I guess we will have to wait for more. But it promises. Maybe history can write itself again. (please, excuse my awful english)
Hey, El Pynto no need to apologise for your English! It's excellent! Certainly better than my Portuguese!
Anyway, I couldn't get a copy of Bam Thowk via iTunes as I'm on windows 98. Had a mate buy it for me and burn to CD. I hated it first listen but it's grown on me. It'll never be one of my all time favourites but it's just nice to hear something from them after so long.
BAM THWOK
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 14:07:39
"I joined the Cult of Frank/Nobody wanted to join my Culf"
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Frank
