T O P I C R E V I E W |
billgoodman |
Posted - 10/01/2022 : 01:35:25 What we know (in chronical order):
- Doggerel was made with the 40 demo's/ideas that Frank (and a couple more from Joey) brought to the sessions. They had some good songs that didn't fit the record so they were put aside (acording to FBF in the French Rolling Stone)
- Paz says the band worked on 16 of the 40 songs (bass magazine interview) [12 were released on Doggerel]
- In april (source?) of 2022 the Pixies and Tom Dalgety recorded for a week in Rockfield Studios (Wales).
- One of the songs Frank liked from the demo's, but did not do during the Doggerel-sessions, that they tried to record in Wales. Bluesy, stomper song, "I enjoyed it as an acoustic demo" [...] they tried to make it bigger, better and louder, but "in the end it was just too loud", "too much information". It didn't work out, it was failure, "thank god we didn't release this because we were in a rush" (interview on Raised on Radio)
- Joey brought some songs to the table again (working titles Howie's Garage, I hear you mary, Taking care of bid'ness, according to Uncut interview). They recorded three ideas in Rockfield (according to Under the Radar interview), maybe those three?
- Paz recorded two songs for it (according to BF in French interview)
- Frank to SPIN: [On Doggerel] "I think that’s one more writing collaboration than has appeared on any other disc in the Pixies catalog. I imagine there will be much more collaboration forthcoming. I sense it.”
- Session in Wales didn't go that well, acording to FBF in Ultimate Music Guide : "I was not in a good mood for lots of reasons" I was very frustrated because now Mr Fucking Producer wants to work on all the fucking artsy-fartsy scraps from the margin. I got all these 40 fucking songs I wrote, for once in my life I do my homework............Now I show up with the goods and they're like [] these werid little things that you didn't intend over here bla bla [ ] I threw my notebook on top of the roof [..] I threw about three temper tantrums in about eight days
- Joey in Under the Radar: "we have recorded so far about seven or eight demos for the next album. There will be a ninth album, we’re planning that already. After a good amount of a break, we will start recording again some time next year. We’re already kicking around what part of the world to work and record in next time"
- October 2023: Pixies record a new session with Tom Dalgety at Guilford Sounds, same place were Doggerel was recorded
- Paz leaves the band in october 2023 - march 2024
- Pixies play Vegas Suite, a new song, on the Bossanova Trompe tour
- Pixies rehearse a new song, which is posted on instagram: https://fb.watch/qROLONNt-1/
- Frank Black plays a new song, which is posted on instagram: https://fb.watch/qROQ6dvc5M/
- 11 song titles are published on the BMI website
It's here: https://pixies.tmstor.es/
--------------------------- BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
sdon |
Posted - 11/02/2024 : 02:32:21 Highlights for me on Zombies are
Primrose Jane Chicken Hypnotised Mercy Me Kings of the Prairie Vegas Suite
I don't like Impatient and Johnny I Hear you Mary is overproduced and a bit uninspired. Evans is fun but not a durable song. Motoroller is great but the lyrics irritate me a bit.
-- "Aristophanes! (gong sounds)" "Fucking up my devotion!"
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Bedbug |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 20:41:59 All right! Members of the Creature Crawling fan club unite! |
Brank_Flack |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 14:57:20 I get where you're both coming from, but I'm happy to have both Creature Crawling and Kings of the Prairie.
This album in particular to me sounds spontaneous and not overthought; wouldn't it be less punk to consciously try to tap into previous modes of songwriting? (+ Oysters Beds, Motoroller, and Ernest Evans are no slouches either) If mellow, pretty country songs are what are coming out right now, I have no problem with that, given that I find the songs satisfying (i.e., Primrose, Jane, Mercy Me, Kings, Vegas), and we never know what direction his muse will take him next. Lots of people had difficulty with the Catholics because they were mad at him doing alt-country instead of alt, or the Nashville records because they wanted him making more noise, or even the Black Francis solo albums because they wanted more Catholics, etc. rather than enjoying each period for what it was, knowing something else is going to come along later. That's not to say one shouldn't be critical, but just that I would hesitate to lean to heavily towards criticizing whatever the current iteration of his songwriting is for not sounding like or tapping into records from decades ago. |
Skatealex1 |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 14:22:49 I feel similarly with a lot of Frank's solo work. Maybe something a little more spontaneous or punky about it...
Even Bluefinger just had a kind of punk feeling about it, not overthinking it too much. I don't know if I can quantify exactly what mix of factors cause what though.
I'd be curious to hear what kind of songs came together if Frank tried writing some songs with the Teenager of the Year band. |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 14:06:44 I was listening to my Halloween playlist, and Creature Crawling came on.
Certainly not a top tier Frank song for many, and yet I absolutely adore it, and I love it 10,000 times more than anything on the last few Pixies albums.
I'm just not sure why something like that can't be tapped into again. It's certainly not an overly ambitious or complex song, and yet it has this great feel and attitude that I feel is missing from this new stuff. I don't know if it's the chord progression or melody or what. I just keep listening to Zombies and wondering (especially with that title and thematic idea) why the melodies aren't more strange, haunting, angular, instead of so consistently pleasant and simple. You title an album The Night The Zombies Came, I want it to be filled with Creatures Crawling, not mellow and pretty country songs. |
Brank_Flack |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 13:06:42 The album is gelling really well for me. I've come around to the songs that I wasn't sure of originally, and think they've really matured into a new sounds of their own. Kings of the Prairies has really grown on me as a wistful little number.
I think it sounds better on LP than streaming; less slick and compressed - more mysterious and dynamic.
Right now I think I'm
Beneath the Eyrie Indie Cindy *** The Night the Zombies Came Doggerel *** Head Carrier
It's similar in quality to Doggerel, but as mentioned previously, I just think it has a lot more personality.
My song tiers at the moment look something like this:
Motoroller Mercy Me Oyster Beds Vegas Suit *** Primrose The Night the Zombies Came Kings of the Prairies *** Ernest Evans *** Johnny Good Man You're So Impatient *** Hypnotized I Hear You Mary |
Active Duck |
Posted - 11/01/2024 : 00:42:38 quote: Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
I find Hypnotized to be very bad.
Motoroller pulled me in, and last night I found myself enjoying Mercy Me and King of the Prairies more.
Ha! Yeah, I'm not totally convinced that it's not bad. There's something about the vocals around the 1:25 mark (The clouds in my eyes, they're not leaving) that got my attention. |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/31/2024 : 11:51:30 quote: Originally posted by Active Duck
I'm on a similar journey. This album is starting to pull me in. Is there a song that has been the key?
Weirdly, as it doesn't seem to be the most loved, Hypnotised has been the one that has opened things up for me. At first it felt like several songs badly stitched together but being irritated by it made me pay more attention and suddenly the mood of the album started to make sense to me.
I find Hypnotized to be very bad.
Motoroller pulled me in, and last night I found myself enjoying Mercy Me and King of the Prairies more. |
kotvana |
Posted - 10/31/2024 : 03:07:27 2 first listen thought it was a horrible album, unless the closer.
After third listen, I think think the 2 previous albums were MUCH MUCH better, especially BTE, and for the first time in his career there is a decline in FB ARTISTIC POWER, both lyrically and musically, but.. MERCY ME is also quite good...
frank blak/saved my life visit me! http://kotvana.googlepages.com |
Active Duck |
Posted - 10/31/2024 : 00:57:23 quote: Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
I listened like two more times. The album is slowly growing on me. Instead of not liking the whole thing, I think I like maybe a good third of it. I'm still figuring it out.
I'm on a similar journey. This album is starting to pull me in. Is there a song that has been the key?
Weirdly, as it doesn't seem to be the most loved, Hypnotised has been the one that has opened things up for me. At first it felt like several songs badly stitched together but being irritated by it made me pay more attention and suddenly the mood of the album started to make sense to me. |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 23:25:15 I listened like two more times. The album is slowly growing on me. Instead of not liking the whole thing, I think I like maybe a good third of it. I'm still figuring it out. |
auxfnx |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 02:08:39 the more i listen, little doubts kinda melt away and the melodies become seriously satisfying to hear each time. this is a really consistent album and i love it. there's a lot of clever and addictive off kilterness to the chord progressions and melodies. some The Catholics flavour on here too that i know not everyone loves but i'm all for it. very pleased. and i also like that they brought back the centre label 'window' in the vinyl sleeve and incorporated it into the artwork, especially for a full length LP like this. don't see that too often these days and when you do it's generally a single. some tunes on here really feel like classics already, like Vegas Suite. |
hammerhands |
Posted - 10/30/2024 : 00:43:32 quote: Originally posted by hammerhands
I have a couple of technical questions.
1. Does the digital download come with the CD on PixiesMerch.com?
2. What is the format/resolution of the digital download on PixiesMerch.com?
I can get 24/48 .flac from ProStudioMasters, which is what they have for the last few releases.
I asked the website and they have replied:
1. No the CD does not come with a digital download.
2. The format of the download is 24/48 .wav |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/29/2024 : 07:57:26 Emma’s voice is wonderful
She kills it on Mercy Me |
tamefan |
Posted - 10/29/2024 : 02:56:40 yeah i'm having a blast with almost every song on this record
blessed days |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 19:46:25 quote: Originally posted by johnnyribcage
Best 2.0 album.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
Agreed
Each 2.0 album is better than the one before
What a great time to be a Frank fan
On Primrose, which is an absolutely perfect song, I love how “repose” melts into Joey’s solo.. so many fun twists on that song |
AG80 |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 19:35:13 quote: Originally posted by Active Duck
Apologies for taking it back to the basics but what are people ranking as their top 3 tracks on the album so far? Is there a consensus emerging on what the standouts are?
I really love this album so this isn't easy!
My top 3 tracks at this moment in time:
1 Jane (The Night the Zombies Came.) 2 Mercy Me 3 Chicken
-------------------------------------- I'm feeling fine in the modern age. |
johnnyribcage |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 19:24:31 Best 2.0 album.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 16:55:52 quote: Originally posted by QuaBear
Spinning this as I drive and run errands. Such a great flow from song to song. Each song just feels like it contributes to this whole album….again, no songs overstay their welcome. I love this thing.
Agree, I love it.
Every song is 100% perfectly Pixies 2.0 album |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 16:53:43 quote: Originally posted by Brank_Flack There's also much I like about I Hear You Mary - particularly the verses. It could just be a production issue on the choruses, though I'm not sure about the ending which loses the minor-key complexity of the chord progression for Who-esque major chords.
The Dalgety thing seems to be interesting verses, boring choruses. Pixies, and Frank's solo work for that matter, never had this problem. I think the Zombies album may be the worst offender so far. I just tune out mentally every time one of these songs' choruses happen. |
QuaBear |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 13:40:41 Spinning this as I drive and run errands. Such a great flow from song to song. Each song just feels like it contributes to this whole album….again, no songs overstay their welcome. I love this thing. |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 10:46:58 quote: Originally posted by yarbles
quote: Originally posted by Bedbug
Forgive me if this has been asked and answered somewhere in the last 2 dozen pages:
Do we know about B-sides for this album? Any infotel anywhere?
I am super curious about what the album was sounding like when Paz recorded it with them last October...
It was probably the perfect blend of Surfer Rosa meets Doolittle, but now we’ll never know |
Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 10:44:12 quote: Originally posted by QuaBear
I love Johnny Goodman and I Hear You Mary!
Especially that change in Johnny Goodman nearing the end.
quote: Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Listened to it again on a lunch walk around the neighbourhood. I'm quite fond of most of it, but still a bit unsure about Hypnotized, Johnny Goodman, and I Hear You Mary (mostly because of the over-produced chorus), which takes up most of the middle-section of the record. It's still early, so how I warm up or don't to those songs will be important to whether the album ends up as 3.5/5 or 4/5 for me.
Yes, I do like the end of Johnny Goodman! The earlier sections haven't really stuck with me, but that could change.
There's also much I like about I Hear You Mary - particularly the verses. It could just be a production issue on the choruses, though I'm not sure about the ending which loses the minor-key complexity of the chord progression for Who-esque major chords. |
yarbles |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 10:33:32 quote: Originally posted by Bedbug
Forgive me if this has been asked and answered somewhere in the last 2 dozen pages:
Do we know about B-sides for this album? Any infotel anywhere?
I have no info.... but i'm just guessing that with having to urgently recruit Emma to help finish the album, I'm thinking they didn't do anything extra... Perhaps there were extra bits with Paz? But I imagine Dalgety was all, these are the 13 songs for the album, Emma could you please help us out and add parts to these 13 tracks? Oh, and Que Sera Sera, that's 14 songs.
I am super curious about what the album was sounding like when Paz recorded it with them last October... |
QuaBear |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 10:21:10 I love Johnny Goodman and I Hear You Mary!
Especially that change in Johnny Goodman nearing the end.
quote: Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Listened to it again on a lunch walk around the neighbourhood. I'm quite fond of most of it, but still a bit unsure about Hypnotized, Johnny Goodman, and I Hear You Mary (mostly because of the over-produced chorus), which takes up most of the middle-section of the record. It's still early, so how I warm up or don't to those songs will be important to whether the album ends up as 3.5/5 or 4/5 for me.
|
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 10:09:44 Forgive me if this has been asked and answered somewhere in the last 2 dozen pages:
Do we know about B-sides for this album? Any infotel anywhere? |
Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 09:50:24 Listened to it again on a lunch walk around the neighbourhood. I'm quite fond of most of it, but still a bit unsure about Hypnotized, Johnny Goodman, and I Hear You Mary (mostly because of the over-produced chorus), which takes up most of the middle-section of the record. It's still early, so how I warm up or don't to those songs will be important to whether the album ends up as 3.5/5 or 4/5 for me. |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 07:42:41 quote: Originally posted by johnnyribcage
I'm loving this one. Still haven't spent enough time with it to talk in much detail about specific songs, but I love the way this one washes over me. I get those hazy slower track Bossanova vibes (like Havalina). I've been waiting for one like this. Maybe I listened to it the first time in the perfect circumstance. I was at Cedar Point over the weekend, and on Saturday we headed back to the lake cabin when the park got crazy busy in the afternoon. Kids were watching TV and I had a nice sativa edible. Sat on the deck with the sun washing everything out and shining like diamonds on the lake, breeze blowing, some boats crashing through the chilly waves, and it was the perfect soundtrack. Creepy, dreamlike... Good stuff. The water and the chill in the air with the bright sun, the arrangements have some of that surf vibe but in a cold, eerie way.
And to me nothing about it feels contrived, or trying to be something its not. Not that I have a problem with the other albums, but every now and then on them I get the sense that things got overbaked at times. I don't get that on this one. The production is lovely as well, at least it seems to be on the smaller stuff I've listened to it on. Haven't fired it up on the main rig yet. Ordered the vinyl this morning.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
Agree with you that nothing on TNTZC sounds contrived. It sounds like a very natural musical expression to me.
I’m noticing lots of unexpected surprises as the listens stack up.
And yeah, Motoroller - didn’t love it at first but man it’s grown to be one of my top ten for sure |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 07:12:44 quote: Originally posted by tamefan
can't identify an obvious top 3, there are 6 or 7 songs that i like about equally, but number 1 is unambiguously...
1. Motoroller. i agree with sprite: the transitions are HYPE. frankly the whole song slaps. i was trying to figure out what it is about this song.
If I may, I think it's because this song has tension in it (musically-speaking), which is missing from most of this album, and to me is a crucial part of the Pixies sound, if not Frank's sound on some of his best albums. |
Brank_Flack |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 06:27:44 quote: Originally posted by johnnyribcage
And to me nothing about it feels contrived, or trying to be something its not. Not that I have a problem with the other albums, but every now and then on them I get the sense that things got overbaked at times. I don't get that on this one.
Yes, I agree with this. I was thinking this morning that one of the nice things about it is how unassuming it is - eerie or off-kilter ditties that play off each other to sustain a mood. Another way of putting it, is its almost throw-away character is part of its strange charm. Still only one listen though, so I'm just basing this on early impressions. |
johnnyribcage |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 05:59:23 I'm loving this one. Still haven't spent enough time with it to talk in much detail about specific songs, but I love the way this one washes over me. I get those hazy slower track Bossanova vibes (like Havalina). I've been waiting for one like this. Maybe I listened to it the first time in the perfect circumstance. I was at Cedar Point over the weekend, and on Saturday we headed back to the lake cabin when the park got crazy busy in the afternoon. Kids were watching TV and I had a nice sativa edible. Sat on the deck with the sun washing everything out and shining like diamonds on the lake, breeze blowing, some boats crashing through the chilly waves, and it was the perfect soundtrack. Creepy, dreamlike... Good stuff. The water and the chill in the air with the bright sun, the arrangements have some of that surf vibe but in a cold, eerie way.
And to me nothing about it feels contrived, or trying to be something its not. Not that I have a problem with the other albums, but every now and then on them I get the sense that things got overbaked at times. I don't get that on this one. The production is lovely as well, at least it seems to be on the smaller stuff I've listened to it on. Haven't fired it up on the main rig yet. Ordered the vinyl this morning.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
Bedbug |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 04:18:03 Very hard to pick just three
Primrose and Chicken are two of my favorites but the second half of the album is my favorite half |
tamefan |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 04:06:33 can't identify an obvious top 3, there are 6 or 7 songs that i like about equally, but number 1 is unambiguously...
1. Motoroller. i agree with sprite: the transitions are HYPE. frankly the whole song slaps. i was trying to figure out what it is about this song. is it joey's gnarly riff? he has some sinister tones that he holds, too. the song builds a lot of tension that gets released with those huuuuge guitars on the chorus. maybe someone who's more insightful about music can explain why the change in vocal styles between the verse & chorus, combined with the change from that left-panned riff to the huge right-panned guitars, is so god damn satisfying. boy did they fuckin' nail it.
honestly, it's every part of this song, isn't it? the verse slaps, the chorus slaps, the refrain slaps. "first you run out of space, then you run out of time." even emma sounds menacing! (quite the accomplishment) i go ape for those refrains. they've gotta be my favourite part of the song. i picture a shirtless mongoloid Charles covered in body paint in the central asian steppe at dusk with his riders going raiding. that refrain is tuvan throat singer-core. tuvancore? it's some psycho central asian shit. motoroller is hands down my favourite 2.0. track since daniel boone and those two songs join plaster of paris as unambiguous modern pixies masterpieces |
Active Duck |
Posted - 10/28/2024 : 03:05:10 Apologies for taking it back to the basics but what are people ranking as their top 3 tracks on the album so far? Is there a consensus emerging on what the standouts are? |
Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 10/27/2024 : 20:58:09 quote: Originally posted by Sprite Hey Trouble, I remember you being very down on Doggerel (and I think BTE?). How do those seem to you years later. Did anything that you did not like to start off with click in end of do you still consider it bland yuk?
Doggerel grew on me a lot partially as it became attached to this one week where I had this six-day job with a lot of driving, and I listened to Doggerel the entire time because it had just come out, and it went really well with driving on the highway at 2 AM (especially stuff like Thunder and Lightning), and I have a weird fondness for it and that moment in time. I should note There's A Moon On is so hated by me that it was cut out of my Spotify playlist so in my mind it's not even on that album, as I only listened to it like twice. Also, my wife got obsessed, for some reason, with Who's More Sorry Now, and it made me more into that song too.
I've said to my wife about Doggerel, like...I don't love it, but for some reason, I often feel like listening to it? I put it on A LOT. I also think Dregs of the Wine is one of the best Pixies 2.0 songs and I thought it was the direction they should have been going in: more ambitious, unpredictable, but keeping that same 1.0 spirit with a lot of sharp turns and curve balls. If Zombies was like this I'd be thrilled.
I still find Doggerel to be a bizarre Pixies record, as it is so folky and mellow, but now that I'm so disappointed in Zombies, at this point I'd love another Doggerel or BTE.
BTE in comparison also feels strong, and has some of that Frank solo magic like This Is My Fate, and Catfish Kate is just an insanely successful and catchy chorus however you slice it. A great ending with Daniel Boone (that bridge is incredible) and Death Horizon, if a tad pat. I can imagine songs like Bird of Prey being on Black Letter Day, and Silver Bullet could even be mistaken for a 1.0 song, and while I dislike Dalgety's push to give them radio singles, Graveyard Hill and Mark of Cain are fun and easy to rock out to. The main strange thing about BTE is how much more I love the demo album, and I don't count it as being part of BTE, but it shows to me Frank did have the spark of inspiration during this time, with plenty of interesting, weird, "classic" type songs coming out of him, even if I think Dalgety picked many of the wrong ones for the proper album. That demo album shows me there is still hope Pixies can make something I become absolutely in love and obsessed with.
I have listened to Zombies two more times today and I have to say the production is just terrible to me. I hate how the drums sound, I hate how Frank's voice sounds, and the guitars don't sound good either. You could say many things about Dalgety but I thought BTE and Doggerel sounded pretty solid, in a kind of boring, accessible way. But Zombies I really find unpleasant to listen to. Especially those drums.
I'll say that Motoroller is growing on me and actually got in my head today, possibly due to reading it's about Kim, which always sparks my interest in a song. If it was produced better I think it could be a new classic. Jane also has cool verses but I really can't get into the chorus (I actually hate the "JANE!" yell thing I have seen praised around here.)
All of the more mellow, reverb-heavy songs just don't work for me. Corn, dogs, prairies...I just find the melodies to be boring. It's all so PLEASANT. Should Pixies be making pleasant music!? It's funny because looking back now on BTE and Doggerel, there's a lot of crooked and weird melodies (Cain, Fate, NoMatterDay) and some of that old spirit, compared with Zombies.
I think these Pixies records would be more successful to me if they were like the early Catholics which had that mix of raw crazy rocking energy but also some wistful, sweet, earthy country stuff. I mean I know some people will say that's kind of what they're doing but it's kind of missing the mark for me. Like Pistolero has I Switched You (could have been a Pixies screamer) but also more traditional stuff too. Or Dog in the Sand has weirdo stuff like Robert Onion and Pixies stuff like Bullet and Hermaphroditos, but it also has sweet, sincere songs like If It Takes All Night, Stupid Me, etc. That balance works well for me when executed by the Catholics. Somehow it just works. But these Pixies albums, especially Zombies, feels so confused to me. Perhaps it's Dalgety's production. I don't think they've made anything as consistently pleasant as Zombies and it's not a direction I think they should go in. Pixies should always have a degree of "what the fuck" to their songs. Otherwise they're just doing songs any other band can do.
Forgive me if any of that is confusing, I'm still working it all out in my head. I think the Catholics 100% approach to earthy folky country worked because it felt so sincere and committed, but it feels like the Pixies are doing it 50% and it feels off to me. I've said it before but like forcing a square peg in a round hole. I don't think these musicians are naturally born for that kind of music the way the Catholics seemed to be. |
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