[Half a heart and half a mind]
Listening to Pixies' newest release 'Head Carrier' is what, I imagine, life after accidentally
killing your best friend would feel like. Clocking in at a meager, but merciful thirty-three
minutes, the album seems utterly incomplete. While elements that initially made me fall in love
with Pixies still remain intact, most of the songs are so simplistic and bare bones in their
delivery that I couldn't help but place my focus, not on new ground covered, but on the massive
void that was created after Kim Deal parted ways with the project. The melodies 'Head Carrier' has
to offer, in essence, do rekindle some of the magic of the band's triumphant early work, though
they lack the bizarre, outlandish lyrics and infectious hooks that made 'Surfer Rosa' and
'Doolittle' such classics. One track that I did not find burdened with these hindrances was the
first single, "Um Chagga Lagga." This track, to me, was a true return to form and was the reason I
even gave this album a chance at all. Paz Lenchantin, the newest addition to the band, does give a
solid performance, yet can't do much to match the charisma and alter the direction of Pixies the
way Kim had. 'Talent' and 'Tenement Song' are undeniably catchy, but do little to reinvigorate the
otherwise mundane, self-defeating nature of 'Head Carrier.' Nostalgia was certainly stirred with
Pixies' latest soir�e, but ultimately left me feeling more mournful for lost greatness than
enamored with fresh material.
2.5/5 |
