Yeah, Pixies Still Got It...: My Review of "Indie Cindy"

Pixies

To tell the truth, even though I downloaded this album a year ago on the very day it came out, I did not even listen to it all the way through until a few days ago.  Yes, I have this OCD thing about not listening albums until I am ready to review them (which is why I have 30+ albums sitting unlistened to on my phone).  But it was more than that.  I was kind of afraid, because I had already read many, many negative reviews about it.

Anyone who knows me knows that Pixies are one of my favorite bands.  I first bought "Come On, Pilgrim" in a record store in Austin, Texas in 1987.  I have claimed ad nauseum that "Doolittle" is the greatest rock album ever written.  Even after their last album, "Trompe le Monde" (1991), and their disheartening break-up, I kept up with Black Francis's career under the moniker, Frank Black.  ("Teenager of the Year" and "The Cult of Ray" are two of my favorite albums.)

I guess the thing I was afraid of is something that happens to a lot of artists - middle-age slump.  The creative muse becomes over-domesticated and staid, and the passion and joi de vivre disappears, leaving the product lackluster and, well, boring.  It is something that happens often.  I have seen it in my own writing.

I was as excited as everyone else when "Indie Cindy" came out - the first Pixies full-length album in 23 years!  But when I saw the negative comments circulating cyberspace about it, I started to get a little worried.  Yes, I had heard some of these new songs when I reviewed "EP1", and they were great.  But did Pixies - one of the most influential rockers of the last millennium - still have it?

So I finally gave it a listen last week.  I had nothing to worry about!  It's all there - Joey Santiago's fierce strumming and slightly discordant, dreamy solos, David Lovering's furious drum beats, and Black Francis's zany lyrics, somethings emoted softly, sometimes shrieked.  Their quirky brand of psychedelia wed to surf punk is as bright and accelerated as always.  What a sweet relief!  I don't know what in the hell those naysayers were talking about!

Pixies have many facets to their sound, and it is all here.  There is the aggressive, powerhouse sound like in "What Goes Boom" and "Blue Eyed Hexe", which ends with Francis shredding his vocal chord with some delicious, piercing screams.  Then there is the sweet, surfy tunes loaded with hooks like "Greens and Blues", "Ring the Bell", and "Another Toe in the Ocean", with its familiar nautical theme.  "Andro Queen" has the obligatory Spanish lyrics.  Pixies are in form with "Indie Cindy" and "Bagboy", both of which have spoken word mixed with some dazzling riffs.  Francis shows his skill in writing poetry with these songs, and the imagery is just so bizarre that my little kids giggle every time they hear the words.  My personal favorite are the moody "Magdalena 318" and "Snakes".

I will say that I miss Kim Deal's presence on this album - her soft, breathy voice giving contrast to Francis's caterwauls.  But I am happy with the replacement - Paz Lenchantin, whom I have loved since her days with A Perfect Circle.

In 2013, I made the bold claim that Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" was the best album of the year.  I am going to go ahead and state that "Indie Cindy" is the best album of the last year.  If you doubt me, try it out yourself and tell me I'm wrong.  Also, it is my misfortune that I have never seen this band live.  But they are on tour this summer.  Maybe you can catch them.