Review Summary: The little engine that couldn't.
The newest incarnation of the Pixies seems to attract more criticism than praise from practically everyone. That’s not to say there aren’t ardent supporters to defend their honor (as there always is), but the consensus is in: they just aren’t as good as they used to be. What’s to blame for this? Was it Kim Deal’s departure? Was it the remaining members insistence on continuing without her? Was it one of the replacement bassists holding them back? At this point, it doesn’t really matter. The dream of an ideal Pixies comeback was smashed into a million tiny pieces back in 2014 with the release of Indie Cindy. Even when they tried to fix their mistakes with their follow-up, Head Carrier, it only seemed to prove that it was an uphill battle.
But here they are again, still trying to glue those pieces back together.
Their third attempt comes in the form of Beneath the Eyrie, and with it comes yet another shift in style. Indie Cindy saw them delve deep into alternative rock territory, arguably more so than they’ve ever done before. Head Carrier was a bit of a regression back to their noisier roots, albeit a failed one in the eyes of many. Here, the Pixies try their hand at a gothic rock and alt-country sound. And to the band’s credit, I think they pull this off well for the most part. It should come as no surprise; the band has always had some goth in their sound and lead singer Black Francis has done quite a bit of country-influenced work with his old project, Frank Black and the Catholics.
The goth rock undertones are most apparent on the album’s two first tracks, “In the Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain” and “On Graveyard Hill.” “On Graveyard Hill” especially plays with this new sound, with some great bass work (courtesy of Paz Lenchantin) that accentuates Black’s deeper vocal register. It’s a sad fact of life that people’s voices can’t stay young and spry forever, and with the amount of yelping the man has done, I’m sure he’s feeling that pain tenfold. It was a good idea to find a style that builds off that limitation, rather than try and undermine it. However, the more country-ish tracks are a bit hit-and-miss. There are some good moments, like the spoken word stylings on “Bird of Prey,” but then they dive too far in with songs like “This Is My Fate.” Here, aside from some bits of thematically-appropriate percussion, the country influence overtakes them to an exhausting degree.
But the Pixies are an alternative rock band first and foremost. And surprisingly, it’s these songs that really weigh the album down. Having “Ready for Love,” “Silver Bullet,” and “Long Rider” paired together just makes the sub-par lyrics and guitar work stand out all the more. I suppose I should mention that the album was produced by Tom Dalgety, who has done work with Band of Skulls, Royal Blood, and a few other alternative bands. And while I won’t say that his work here is all too offensive, I can’t help but feel that the production causes a lot more issues than it should. The most noticeable of these issues is the bass often being overshadowed by a wall of screeching guitars and drums. I have the same issue with some songs on earlier Pixies albums as well, but it’s near constant here.
And yes, the lyrics throughout Beneath the Eyrie are not very good. In fact, I might say that it’s the weakest part of the album. In a lot of ways, the worst lyrics are the ones that you cannot remember at all after listening. While not awful by any stretch, the lyrics here are forgettable at best. It’s genuinely depressing to see a band that excelled at writing strange, infectious, ear-catching lyrics barely get through a single tune without it being immediately forgotten by the next track. You can talk all day about how lyrics don’t matter, and in some cases that may be the case. But for the Pixies, it was part of their main draw. What good is having the Pixies back if their voice is all but gone?
It’s a shame that an album with so much potential by a band that had all the potential in the world just turns out “alright.” The band has been operating at “alright” for three albums now and it’s safe to say people are sick of it. Earlier, I said that the Pixies were fighting an uphill battle, but just how long do we have to wait for the little engine that could to reach the top of the mountain again? I’m starting to question if they ever will.
