The Pixies

[black francis]

And Unicorns

[black francis]

New Black Francis Mini LP "SVN FNGRS" out now. Best track in my not so humble opinion is "Half Human"

Unfortunately "The Seus" is damn near unlistenable but the rest of the album is good shit.

[tonywojo]

You're so pretty when you're unfaithful to me!

Great line.

[black francis]

That's a classic.

I've always liked

"And while we're at it, baby, why don't you tell me one of your
biggest fears?"
I said, "Losing my penis to a whore with disease."

[tonywojo]

That's a classic.

I've always liked

"And while we're at it, baby, why don't you tell me one of your
biggest fears?"
I said, "Losing my penis to a whore with disease."

FB's lyrics make more sense than Shakespeare's sorry Mac's.

[SeanBe]

The first time I heard the Pixies I knew that a corner had been turned musically and the 80's were indeed over. I had never heard anything like this before.

spot on

I would like to wholeheartedly second this motion!

[electrabunny]

I got the new M.I.A. cd for Christmas and on her song 20 Dollar she has lyrics from Where Is My Mind? It was credited in the CD sleeve. Thought it interesting. Great cd by the way.

Here's the song. Couldn't find an official video.


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[Kounelaki]

Nouveau projet pour Frank Black
Frank Black s'associe à sa femme pour un nouveau projet à quatre mains.

Sans doute un moyen de mettre un peu de piment dans une vie conjugale un peu raplaplate, ou peut-être un grand disque à venir : Frank Black s'est associée à sa très inconnue de femme qui chante et joue de la basse et joue du clavier, Violet Clark, pour un nouveau projet nommé Grand Duchy. Un premier album est même d'ores et déjà bouclé et en vue : Petits Fours, c'est son nom, sortira en février en France -pas de détails encore pour la France.

[black francis]

Sorry Kounelaki but I'm unable to read Canadian or is that Mexican?

[Kounelaki]

Tabernacle !

FB to make record with his lady wife, who sings and plays bass and keyboards.

[black francis]

The Grand Duchy project has been in the works for a while as well as the Golem soundtrack so I think I have a lot of BF material to look forward to in 2009. I love all the new Black Francis material but I still miss Frank Black and the Catholics. Cause as Jack knows I'm all about the rock and roll.

[Kounelaki]

Article sez Grand Duchy project to be released in February.

[black francis]

Thanks for posting in American this time. It is much appreciated.

[black francis]

Grand Duchy out February 16 in Europe; April 14 North America. SKINNY review here.
Current mood: curious

"My oldest boy, he likes his tomato sauce with pasta so sometimes I've got to make it really quickly but I don't like using jars of sauces. So the first thing you need is an iron skillet." So said Frank Black when he contributed to our Rock'n'Roll Cook Book last year; proof, if it was needed, that the Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV of 2009 is a domesticated creature.

It makes his latest joint venture, Grand Duchy - a band comprised of Black and his wife, Violet Clark - a little less surprising. It's a move that will no doubt engender nay-saying, most likely from dyed in the wool Pixie-ites, who after 20 years are still hanging onto the coattails of Tame or Monkey Goes To Heaven in the unlikely hope that history might decide to repeat itself. Well hey, it probably won't, and certainly doesn't with Grand Duchy.

Sure, there are shades of Doolittle basslines and Black's trademark sneer makes the odd cameo (opening track Come On Over To My House being a prime example), but let's dispense with nostalgia and focus on the here and now: Petits Fours is an exceptionally tight and accomplished album. But rather than a safe, family outing, we get an exciting blend of 80s synths and enjoyably uncomplicated indie-rock anthems (Fort Wayne). It's fused with a chemistry and sense of playfulness perhaps normally akin to fledgling lovers, rather than the bearers of a five-strong litter.

Crucial to the longevity of marriage and ultimately the success of Grand Duchy is Black's willingness to share the limelight: this is far from a solo record, and on more than one occasion Clark's vocals usurp those of her more illustrious paramour - mischievous, sassy and devilish. Lovesick reveals the frustration that no doubt comes with Black’s jet-set life, the abandoned Clark giggling frivolously at her husband's skittish attempts to instigate phone-sex. Throughout the album, we get glimpses into the alternative lifestyles both lead – with album highlight Fort Wayne offering an account of life onstage in Indiana by contrast.

That the first collaboration between the couple was a Cure cover (A Strange Day - for a tribute album last year) proffers a fair indication as to the stylistic quality of Petit Fours: always hooky, sometimes kooky and unashamedly pop-based. Hell, sometimes they even venture into AM-friendly territory. But ultimately, Petit Fours should appeal to Pixies diehards and indie kids alike. Black & Clark join Ike & Tina, Win & Regine, and Johnny & June in adding another string to the already tuneful bow of matrimonial musical history.

[Kounelaki]

Grand Duchy record streamed here:

http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/41420089