Post by drawman on Nov 23, 2004 21:03:26 GMT -5
The Pixies...
First look at their name and you think its a band full of flamers. Well lets look beyond the name, which I had to do when I first heard about them, to discover one of my favorite bands presently. They have not only filled my crazy music cravings, but have opened doors to many bands for me. If you want to hear some of their best work, you can download/buy/hear the songs:
-Vamos
-Where is My Mind?
-Velouria
-Monkey Gone to Heaven
-Gouge Away
-River Euphrates
-Tony's Theme
-Silver
-Wave of Mutilation
The Pixies formed sometime around '86. The Pixies are: Black Francis on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Kim Deal on Bass and back-up vocals, Joey Santiago on lead guitar and David Lovering on drums. Their first recording was Come on Pilgrim, which shows the disturbed nature and dark humor of songwriter Francis. Songs on this mini-album are colorful with a wide variety of sounds going on. Francis sings in one song, "Nimrod's Son" about being hit in a car wreck, and he talks about being a bastard son, and he even throws in the always needed incest reference. All topped with crazy guitar work and some rhythm kicks that only Deal and Santiago could create to fit the mood.
Their second recording, Surfer Rosa, which turned out to be their first full-length album. Producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Cheap Trick) gave this CD a very rough edge and it came out beautifully. Being one of the least accessible music the Pixies created, Surfer Rosa is some of the best stuff they've churned out. The epic Vamos is a convulted spanish lyrics with crazy...and I mean crazy guitar work. The most explosive guitar solo I'm sure anyone has written, you might relate some sounds to a car wreck or a dying animal (They do this live and usually Santiago totals the guitar at the end). The song Gigantic, penned by Deal, is probably one of the most acceptable songs by the public eyes, with a catchy bass rhythm and a calm tone sung by Deal.
After Surfer Rosa's incredible success, the band followed up with the even more incredible and controversal album, "Doolittle". Doolittle has a little (a LITTLE) bit of a cleaner sound but still quirky in its own sense. In song "Monkey Gone to Heaven", highly distorted guitar riffs and punchy bass lines are accompanied by violins, cellos, and bells. The songs sings of a man dying, and a strange bridge saying: "if man is five, then the devil is six, and God is seven". When Francis is asked why God is seven, he replies "Because it rhymes with heaven!". The CD shows its calmer side though, with song "Here comes your man", containing a catchy guitar lick and quirky lyrics you can't help but sing along to.
The band's exaustion shows in their third full-length CD, "Bossanova". It sounds as if the band decided to record the whole CD with high reverb. This CD has a very atmospheric sound to it, but still upholds the name of the Pixies. Some of the Pixies' strongest work can be argued to be on this CD. The song "Velouria" can attract any Pixies fan prospect (It did for me). Other songs like "Hangwire" and "Dig for Fire" are also good songs. But alas, no songs contained on this CD were written by Deal, who is arguably as creative as Francis.
With their fourth and final release, "Trompe le Monde", Francis was not fooling anyone (Trompe le Monde is ?French? for "fool the world"). This CD went back to the band's rougher roots, and barely any backing vocals are to be found. The CD relates to Francis' obsession with outer--space and crazy non-sequiturs. After the album's release, the band went on tour and shortly after that Francis announced the band's break up in 92. He never did give reason, but you could say it was because of drugs...alcohol...inner-band problems...all of the above...
Francis continued as a solo artist and Deal went to form a band called "The Breeders" with a distinct sound, but you can always hear Pixies sounds intertwined within them. Recently, without warning, the band resurfaced and recorded a new song, currently only available on i-Tunes. They are also doing a world-tour now. They have preserved their sound almost 100% even though they have all matured as musicians and people. The tours have been unbelievable, mostly because of the recent boom in Pixies fans and no one expected every concert to be sold out. Every concert is like a big Sardines can. Some people say that the band will be returning to the studio to release another CD, and some do not want this, to preserve the legacy known as the Pixies. Francis has said that the future is not clear as of the moment, and he is just enjoying his time touring with his old friends.
The Pixies are a legend within numorous music genre's, whether it be Grunge, Alternative, or rock. The Pixies have influenced incredible numbers of bands, naming a few like Nirvana and Radiohead. Any band that screams a verse with a purposely offkey note can relate to the Pixies, who have begun a revolution that we continue today.
-End
First look at their name and you think its a band full of flamers. Well lets look beyond the name, which I had to do when I first heard about them, to discover one of my favorite bands presently. They have not only filled my crazy music cravings, but have opened doors to many bands for me. If you want to hear some of their best work, you can download/buy/hear the songs:
-Vamos
-Where is My Mind?
-Velouria
-Monkey Gone to Heaven
-Gouge Away
-River Euphrates
-Tony's Theme
-Silver
-Wave of Mutilation
The Pixies formed sometime around '86. The Pixies are: Black Francis on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Kim Deal on Bass and back-up vocals, Joey Santiago on lead guitar and David Lovering on drums. Their first recording was Come on Pilgrim, which shows the disturbed nature and dark humor of songwriter Francis. Songs on this mini-album are colorful with a wide variety of sounds going on. Francis sings in one song, "Nimrod's Son" about being hit in a car wreck, and he talks about being a bastard son, and he even throws in the always needed incest reference. All topped with crazy guitar work and some rhythm kicks that only Deal and Santiago could create to fit the mood.
Their second recording, Surfer Rosa, which turned out to be their first full-length album. Producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Cheap Trick) gave this CD a very rough edge and it came out beautifully. Being one of the least accessible music the Pixies created, Surfer Rosa is some of the best stuff they've churned out. The epic Vamos is a convulted spanish lyrics with crazy...and I mean crazy guitar work. The most explosive guitar solo I'm sure anyone has written, you might relate some sounds to a car wreck or a dying animal (They do this live and usually Santiago totals the guitar at the end). The song Gigantic, penned by Deal, is probably one of the most acceptable songs by the public eyes, with a catchy bass rhythm and a calm tone sung by Deal.
After Surfer Rosa's incredible success, the band followed up with the even more incredible and controversal album, "Doolittle". Doolittle has a little (a LITTLE) bit of a cleaner sound but still quirky in its own sense. In song "Monkey Gone to Heaven", highly distorted guitar riffs and punchy bass lines are accompanied by violins, cellos, and bells. The songs sings of a man dying, and a strange bridge saying: "if man is five, then the devil is six, and God is seven". When Francis is asked why God is seven, he replies "Because it rhymes with heaven!". The CD shows its calmer side though, with song "Here comes your man", containing a catchy guitar lick and quirky lyrics you can't help but sing along to.
The band's exaustion shows in their third full-length CD, "Bossanova". It sounds as if the band decided to record the whole CD with high reverb. This CD has a very atmospheric sound to it, but still upholds the name of the Pixies. Some of the Pixies' strongest work can be argued to be on this CD. The song "Velouria" can attract any Pixies fan prospect (It did for me). Other songs like "Hangwire" and "Dig for Fire" are also good songs. But alas, no songs contained on this CD were written by Deal, who is arguably as creative as Francis.
With their fourth and final release, "Trompe le Monde", Francis was not fooling anyone (Trompe le Monde is ?French? for "fool the world"). This CD went back to the band's rougher roots, and barely any backing vocals are to be found. The CD relates to Francis' obsession with outer--space and crazy non-sequiturs. After the album's release, the band went on tour and shortly after that Francis announced the band's break up in 92. He never did give reason, but you could say it was because of drugs...alcohol...inner-band problems...all of the above...
Francis continued as a solo artist and Deal went to form a band called "The Breeders" with a distinct sound, but you can always hear Pixies sounds intertwined within them. Recently, without warning, the band resurfaced and recorded a new song, currently only available on i-Tunes. They are also doing a world-tour now. They have preserved their sound almost 100% even though they have all matured as musicians and people. The tours have been unbelievable, mostly because of the recent boom in Pixies fans and no one expected every concert to be sold out. Every concert is like a big Sardines can. Some people say that the band will be returning to the studio to release another CD, and some do not want this, to preserve the legacy known as the Pixies. Francis has said that the future is not clear as of the moment, and he is just enjoying his time touring with his old friends.
The Pixies are a legend within numorous music genre's, whether it be Grunge, Alternative, or rock. The Pixies have influenced incredible numbers of bands, naming a few like Nirvana and Radiohead. Any band that screams a verse with a purposely offkey note can relate to the Pixies, who have begun a revolution that we continue today.
-End
