Pixies deliver the expansive on new album ‘Doggerel’
Alt-rock legends Pixies have returned with their long-awaited eighth album, Doggerel. It sees the band develop the expansive sound they laid out on 2019’s warmly welcomed Beneath The Eyrie, melding more dynamic shifts and stylistic changes employed than expected.
It seems as if the band is starting to come into their own as much more than the rock band that popularised the quiet/loud form of rock songwriting for Generation X. The album has many different facets, from Cramps-style psychobilly to majestic folk, and longtime fans of the band will certainly be lapping it up.
Let’s be clear, though, Pixies haven’t done anything miraculous here. Whilst the songs are well written and produced, with each band member performing well, there’s nothing on Doggerel that makes you stand back and marvel at its brilliance. The band’s catchy choruses are still here, but it is lacking the stirring excellence of ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’ or ‘Velouria’.
Despite the criticisms that can be fired at Doggerel, it is still a good record. The multifarious nature is enough to stop anyone from turning it off before the climax. Never certain of what’s coming next, the new LP offers a testament to the band’s self-awareness and undoubted musical skill. As well as flecks of The Cramps and the more folkish moments of Swans, there’s ballroom pop and hard rock that comprise the record, reflecting that there is more to Pixies than people think.
When discussing the new work, guitarist Joey Santiago says in the press material: “This time around we have grown. We no longer have under two-minute songs. We have little breaks, more conventional arrangements but still our twists in there.”
Elsewhere, Black Francis adds: “We’re trying to do things that are very big and bold and orchestrated. The punky stuff, I really like playing it but you just cannot artificially create that shit. There’s another way to do this, there’s otherthings we can do with this extra special energy that we’re encountering.”
Doggerel starts very strong, with the catchy ‘Nomatterday’ pulling you in instantly. Lenchantin delivers one hell of a bassline that drives the track along, with Francis chiming in with, “I know that you don’t really hate me”.
There are flecks of the band’s early days here, but they’re just presented in a more mature approach, with the full production augmenting this new sound. The short segment in the middle when Francis and Santiago’s guitars dovetail reflects this perfectly, as do the hues of Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western scores. Added to this brilliance is the chorus line, “Hey, don’t piss in the fountain”, which is by far the most memorable on the record.
The second track, single ‘Vault of Heaven’, is also a total grower. Continuing the Ennio Morricone appreciation, it’s a dark piece of cowboy rock with an ominous undercurrent and one hell of a riff that all the country greats would be proud of. The chorus is another memorable one, and with each listen it grows on you, with its expansive production and dream-like backing vocals making you press play after it finishes. Fans of the band will also be pleasantly surprised to hear that it comes with some of Joey Santiago’s iconic string bends that hit you right in the sweet spot.
Another highlight is the languid ‘The Lord Has Come Back To Day’. An introspective number, it’s infectious and the bit when Francis sings “everyone’s invited” is so spacey that it’s not dissimilar from Ladies and Gentlemen-era Spiritualized. The track is another indication of how Pixies are the masters of blending pop melodies with no-frills rock ‘n’ roll — they were the band that gave Nirvana their formula, after all. Other highlights include ‘Get Simulated’, ‘Pagan Man’ and ‘You’re Such a Sadducee’.
Pixies haven’t created the wheel on Doggerel, but it is a consistent album, and the will to push themselves artistically suggests there is a long road yet ahead for the band.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.