The song that proved Kim Deal was much more than Pixies
For many fans, Kim Deal was what made Pixies, and it is no surprise that since she left, their output hasn’t packed as much of a punch as their earlier material. The band’s bassist and backing vocalist, she was the foil to frontman Black Francis, with their melodies dovetailing to create a sound that could be as visceral as enchanting. The classic lineup of the Boston band produced many moments of greatness, such as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, with their place in rock history unquestioned by fans and scholars alike.
However, the band’s first chapter ended abruptly in early 1993, with Francis announcing the news on BBC Radio 5 without forewarning the other band members and offering no immediate explanation. Whilst guitarist Joey Santiago was eventually told by phone, Deal and drummer David Lovering were notified by fax, which understandably caused some issues.
For Deal, the breakup of Pixies meant one thing; she could concentrate on her other project, The Breeders, which had been running concurrently since 1989. The band originated with Deal and then-Throwing Muses member Tanya Donnelly, who had the idea of playing together when at a loose end due to an impasse with both their respective outfits.
“Both of our bands were not doing anything for a while,” Deal told The Guardian in 2017. “Kristin [Hersh] was pregnant at the time; I think Charles [Pixies’ Black Francis] was driving to LA or on a solo tour or something.” They had initially intended to make a disco song, but that idea quickly faded.
Later, English musician Josephine Wiggs was recruited on bass after her band The Perfect Disaster supported Pixies in Europe. At first, Wiggs was confused that she was asked to play bass by an esteemed bassist, asking Deal why she didn’t fancy it.
“I’m a guitar player!” Kim explained to the publication. “I’ve played guitar since I was 13. I don’t have anything against playing bass, but if I was gonna play something or write something, I’d play guitar, cos that’s what I play.”
With Wiggs joining on bass, it allowed Deal to refine her craft and become more comfortable in the limelight, making a long overdue segue from her supporting role in Pixies. The band released their debut album – Pod – in 1990, which became an instant classic in the alternative scene. They then released the Safari EP in 1992, with Kim’s twin, Kelley, joining on guitar.
Pod was so revered that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain – a longtime fan of Pixies – listed it as one of the records that changed his life. In a 1992 issue of Melody Maker, he showered praise on Deal’s musical ability: “The main reason I like them is for their songs, for the way they structure them, which is totally unique, very atmospheric. I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies because ‘Gigantic’ is the best Pixies song, and Kim wrote it”.
Cobain was accurate in his assertions about the nature of Deal’s art, with the best still to come for her and The Breeders. Following a couple of lineup changes, with Donnelly leaving after the EP in 1993, they released what is widely considered their masterpiece, Last Splash. Boasting cuts such as ‘Do You Love Me Now?’, ‘Divine Hammer’, and ‘No Aloha’, it remains one of the highlights of 1990s alt-rock, demonstrating to everyone who wasn’t already aware; that Kim Deal was much more than the Pixies.
Despite the aforementioned tracks’ quality, the album’s highlight is undoubtedly the lead single ‘Cannonball’. Kicking off with Kim Deal’s vocal feedback and drummer Jim MacPherson’s nifty tapping, Wiggs’s bassline then cuts through, and the piece gradually morphs into a raucous affair, with Deal’s emphatic vocal performance one of her best.
Interestingly, it was originally titled ‘Grunggae’ because Deal thought it sounded like a combination of grunge and reggae due to the beat. Eventually settling on the name ‘Cannonball’, it became a sonic symbol of Deal shrugging off the spectre of the Pixes and resoundingly placing herself as a great songwriter in the category that Kurt Cobain had ascribed her the year earlier.
Strangely though, when asked by Mojo in 2013 if she thought the track would be a hit, she replied: “Did we record a song that opened with me saying, ‘Check 1-2,’ and then loads of vocal feedback from my brother’s harmonica mike, and think, ‘This is destined for radio?’ That was the sort of thing that didn’t get you played on the radio then. We thought no one would play it.”
