Summary:The sixth full-length release for the alternative rock band was produced by Tom Dalgety and is its first with bassist Paz Lenchantin as a full-time member.
Record Label:PIAS
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Pixies’ full acceptance of the shifts in their schema only further solidify their inimitable identity. The exultant result: Head Carrier, a new classic.
There’s not enough adventure to make this truly feel like Pixies; it lacks the sense that the wheels might come off any minute. Lenchantin, for her part, holds her own, especially on All I Think About Now, but her new colleagues need to rediscover the urgency and ambition that defined their best work if they’re ever going to match it.
When not vainly trying to live up to their legacy and instead embracing middle-age, the Pixies end up doing a much better job of not tainting said legacy. Head Carrier's best moments are straightforward, midtempo, guitar-based alt-rock.
The truth is, if Head Carrier had arrived as the umpteenth Frank Black solo album, little about it would seem amiss. But coming from a band whose legacy was built on shock-and-awe transgression, Head Carrier feels overly pleasant and pedestrian.
Musically, there are too many things going on and too few things going on. Every track sounds more or less the same, and every track sounds like a poor heyday tribute.
Its really simple, if you like the Pixies then you will like this album. Forget all the comparisons to their early work, and just take it forIts really simple, if you like the Pixies then you will like this album. Forget all the comparisons to their early work, and just take it for what it is. Indie Cindy was good as well, its the pixies man!…Expand
How do you write new albums against the expectations that come with decades old nostalgia and praise. It's a daunting task, and my guess isHow do you write new albums against the expectations that come with decades old nostalgia and praise. It's a daunting task, and my guess is that Frank, Joey, David, and Paz decided it's impossible so just went with what they do best at THIS juncture. Head Carrier isn't perfect, but it's still got tremendous power, warmth, energy, and Pixies trademark sound. It's also a better album than Indie Cindy...certainly more cohesive. Personally, I find Paz' bass and vocals to be on par with Kim's and in some cases better. Her harmonies are fantastic. If you try to compare this with the Pixies of old you're missing the point. On its own merits, this is a joyous and catchy album and a welcome release from one of the seminal bands of all time.…Expand
It has taken me a while to work out my feelings about Head Carrier; I didn't immediately warm to the tracks that were released ahead of theIt has taken me a while to work out my feelings about Head Carrier; I didn't immediately warm to the tracks that were released ahead of the album, they didn’t grab me by the scruff of the neck, though now I have heard it as a whole I am experiencing the songs differently and enjoying them much more.
There's a lot of variation in terms of style, pace and mood in the album - mixing up elements of their past works with a new vein of experimentation. It seems to me like a series of short stories or fragments giving it a distinctive sketched feeling whilst, in so doing, lessening the deep, evocative landscapes and visual imagery across the whole that characterised the albums of their first period – Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa & Doolittle (visceral and heady), Bossanova (Spacey and heady) and Trompe le Monde (Spacey and comic booky).
I miss the stronger atmospheres but appreciate the playfulness in what they are doing now.
Indie Cindy was much more interesting than reviews suggested - some of the songs didn’t gel for me but Greens and Blues, Magdelena 318, Silver Snail and Another Toe in the Ocean are brilliant, I think, and Andro Queen is a classic in my book.
As with all Pixies releases, Head Carrier grows and morphs with each listen, refusing to be pinned down and defined.…Expand
If from now on the Pixies put out an album of this level once in a while, I would be content. Is Head Carrier a new classic that lives up toIf from now on the Pixies put out an album of this level once in a while, I would be content. Is Head Carrier a new classic that lives up to the likes of Doolittle and Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim? No, it isn't. If you go in demanding an adrenaline rush of the same level you will be disappointed. But it is a very enjoyable record nonetheless, and it is definitely a Pixies record. The best way to describe Head Carrier is "decent": it is cohesive and never really dips in quality, a solid rock album that doesn't fail to entertain. Two highlights are 'Oona' and 'All I think about now'. In this last track, new member Paz Lenchantin is lead singer and proves herself to be no less charming than Kim Deal was. Both Kim Deal's voice and her work on the bass were integral to the Pixies formula, and the fact that Lenchantin does really well (different than Deal, but good) and fits in with an apparent effortlessness is a great win for Pixies fans that cannot be understated. While not offering quite the power rush and same level of originality and playfulness of some of their best work, Head Carrier is in a sense the best that you can expect from a revived classic band: there are no cringe worthy 'mistakes' and the band has not become a parody of itself. Head Carrier does not feel like a 'tryhard' album trying to recreate the old, failing to live up to it. Instead it feels like the work of a group of people that now what they are doing, and above all enjoy it. Head Carrier is definately worth a listen and a must-buy for any real Pixies fan. 7/10 is in my opinion the fairest grade in this scenario.…Expand
Forgettable, by the numbers offering from a once great band. Tenement Song is the only track worth a damn, and that's not exactly great.Forgettable, by the numbers offering from a once great band. Tenement Song is the only track worth a damn, and that's not exactly great.
Some bands really should know when to call it a day and stick with the decision. REM come to mind. When they realised they had nothing left inSome bands really should know when to call it a day and stick with the decision. REM come to mind. When they realised they had nothing left in the tank they quit.
Pixies should have left it at Trompe Le Monde which was not a bad album at all. Indy Cindy was good in places but Head Carrier is just bland. It doesn't even feel like a Pixies album, more of a mediocre at best Black Francis/Frank Black offering.…Expand
