Pixies // Indie Cindy
The incomparable Pixies return after a 21 year dry spell, but was it worth the wait?
So, the new Pixies album. I almost couldn’t listen. I didn’t want one of the greatest bands of all time to ruin it for themselves. Straight up, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but you needn’t worry too much as there are certainly moments of brilliance here. Opener ‘What Goes Boom’ is giant; a bold smack of exhilarating guitar, dynamic vocals and angst, picking up where Trompe Le Monde left off. When Santiago’s gorgeous guitar on ‘Greens and Blues’ slinks its way in, 21 years in the waiting, it proves to be a beautiful and bittersweet moment (a solitary tear of joy may have rolled down my cheek). Further satisfaction is achieved with ‘Ring the Bell’, a thick slice of trademark guitar pop heaven, a running theme on this album - although I am missing Kim Deal by this point.
Sadly it’s not quite 100%. The overall pace is sluggish and wanders off course, attention spans waning, the bands included. It feels almost Pixies-by-numbers, as if the genius and unpredictability of what they once were has now itself become predictable. The Spanish on ‘Andro Queen’ and the obscure rhythms throughout are good but lack invention by their standards. The absolute cornerstone of the album, ‘Blue Eyed Hexe’ helps regain some control; steamrolling in, heavy, delicious and rousing, it rips this body of work in two. Ultimately there’s everything here that you would expect from a Pixies album, just not the bang on triumphant return we were waiting for.
7/10 Ellie Jones
