Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Arts and Culture
Music

Pixies Do Nothin'

Alt-rock nostalgia reaches its sorry endgame. Soon in Vancouver.

Alex Hudson 13 Feb 2014TheTyee.ca

Alex Hudson writes for various music publications and runs a blog called Chipped Hip.

If you ask 10 fans what their favourite Pixies song is, you're likely to get 10 different answers, since the band has a legendary catalogue full of classic tracks. Whatever songs people choose, however, there is sure to be one uniting factor: they all came out more than 20 years ago.

This is the disappointing reality of the Pixies: having broken up in 1993 and made a comeback in 2004, the band has now spent a decade on the nostalgia circuit without producing anything of particular value. It's a rather sad fate for a group once renowned for being ahead of the alt-rock curve.

Case in point: the last time the Pixies came to Vancouver was in 2011, when they were performing their beloved 1989 LP Doolittle. At that gig at the Orpheum, they recreated every song almost note for note; I suppose that's the point of playing an album in full, but it was so rote and predictable that I scarcely remember the show at all. I seem to recall having a fairly good time.

After 10 years of playing it safe, however, the Pixies' narrative has gotten messy in the past eight months. First, longtime bassist Kim Deal quit, marking the dissolution of the core four-piece lineup. She was quickly replaced by Kim Shattuck, who was in turn canned in favour of new recruit Paz Lenchantin.

Meanwhile, remaining members Frank Black, Joey Santiago and David Lovering finally delivered some long-awaited new material with EP1 and EP2, which mark their first new releases -- other than the one-off 2004 single "Bam Thwok" -- since the early '90s. Response to the new songs has been mixed, and that's putting it generously; the best thing I can say about "Magdalena" and "What Goes Boom" is that they sound a bit like sub-par Pixies tracks. Others, like "Bagboy," are scarcely recognizable as the same group. If a fan named any of these as their favourite Pixies song, I'd be flabbergasted.

The band will presumably pull out a few of the new cuts when it comes to the Orpheum on Feb. 17, which will give everyone a chance to take a bathroom break and grab another beer before making it back in time to hear favourites like "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Caribou" and "Where Is My Mind?"

By the way, my favourite Pixies song is "Debaser." Even without Deal on backup vocals, it probably still kills live.  [Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll