THE PIXIESEP-1
[self-released-2013]
It was probably not necessary to time the backlash against
the Pixies—once the dudes put out an official release sans bassist/vocalist Kim
Deal—who quit the band in the midst of the sessions for this EP and made it
formal this past June—the knives would be sure to come out. Maybe an egg timer would've sufficed.
First in line is—who else?—Pitchfork with their 1.0 review,
which declares “There is no Pixies in this Pixies” and derisively aligns the
song “Another Toe in the Ocean” with Weezer circa their self-titled 2001
comeback record aka The Green Album. (How the mighty have fallen: not even
Weezer can escape the wrath of P4K’s bullshit revisionist history.) “If one of
these songs had started playing over the credits of an American Pie knockoff...you would not
blink.” Who barfed in your Fruit Loops, dude?
To be fair, the first three songs on EP-1 (“Andro Queen”,
the aforementioned “Another Toe in the Ocean” and “Indie Cindy”) might be a tad more Frank
Black and the Catholics than the mothership. Which is all the more surprising since
it was helmed by none other than Gil Norton, who produced Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe le Monde for the band. But the fourth and closing track, “What Goes
Boom”, is what you’d expect from Charlie Thompson and his co-horts at this stage
of the game: a nod at their past that’s not too reverential but nevertheless makes
a point of reminding you what in fact you’re listening to.
So, is it a classic? Of course not. But it’s no embarrassment.
And even though EP-1 is the band’s first official release of a new collection of
songs since 1991, expectations aren’t as high as those faced by MBV, another beloved
alt-rock institution which also hadn’t put out anything official since
Nevermind.
The Pixies are back as a regular recording unit, and if the
nomenclature of this EP is any indication, there will be more where this one
came from. Bottom line: Can’t see Pixies fans not enjoying this. Unless
they’re a self-absorbed, Johnny-come-lately twit at an influential but
ultimately harmful, noxious music website. All others proceed at will.
