Reunions of sacred bands can be hugely exciting. Yes, there will always be those who say it could ruin their legacy, but for fans who maybe didn't get to see the band the first time around, new shows can be essential to attend so you can finally witness your heroes live. New material is a different thing entirely. Reform for some big gigs without any intention to record and you'll be accused of selling-out. But record new songs and you run the risk of them not matching past glories. It's a tough one. Any new material from Pixies won't have had the two decades of cultural impact that their prime albums did, so will perhaps take time to judge in the grand scheme of things. Personally I thought comeback single 'Bagboy' was great, as did the bulk of fans, but there are those who weren't impressed. Fair enough.
With the departure of Kim Deal from the band (Black has now said this was difficult) there are some big shoes to fill, but they won't find a better candidate than Kim Shattuck, formerly of The Muffs. Again, time will be the ultimate judge, but the music the band are releasing is, in my opinion at least, pretty darn good. 'Andro Queen' shows the band at their less frantic and indicates that they won't simply be slightly altering their hits for a quick and easy album of "classic" Pixies songs. They're here to make great music, and they've done that with 'Andro Queen', those vocals that bit more intimate and open, and the music a welcome break from the proto-grunge of many of their biggest tracks. In short (and many will disagree) this is the band at their best, not with their defining sound maybe, but in terms of quality and cosmic otherworldliness, it's surely up there.
Pixies' website
Buy the EP
Catch them live:
JANUARY
15 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON - CANADA (w. Fidler)
16 Metropolis, Montreal, QC - CANADA (w. Fidler)
18 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA (w. Fidler)
19 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (w. Fidler)
21 New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ (w. Fidler)
22 Shubert Theatre, New Haven, CT (w. Fidler)
24 Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA (w. Fidler)
25 Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA (w. Fidler)
26 Strathmore, Washington, DC (w. Fidler)
29 National Theatre, Richmond, VA (w. Fidler)
31 Durham PAC, Durham, NC (w. Cults)
FEBRUARY
1 Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC (w. Cults)
2 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN (w. Cults)
4 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA (w. Cults)
6 Peabody Opera House, St. Louis, MO (w. Cults)
7 LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH (w. Cults)
8 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI (w. Cults)
9 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL (w. Cults)
11 Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO (w. Cults)
13 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO (w. Best Coast)
14 Belly Up Tavern, Aspen, CO (w. Best Coast)
15 The Great Salt Air, Salt Lake City, UT (w. Best Coast)
17 Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, BC - CANADA (w. Best Coast)
18 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA (w. Best Coast)
19 Schnitzer Auditorium, Portland, OR (w. Best Coast)
21 Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA (w. Best Coast)
22 Civic Theatre, San Jose, CA (w. Best Coast)
23 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV (w. Best Coast)
24 Comerica Theatre, Phoenix, AZ (w. Best Coast)
25 Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM (w. Best Coast)
27 Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX (w. Best Coast)
28 South Side Ballroom, Dallas, TX (w. Best Coast)ub
MARCH
01 Music Hall, Austin, TX (w. Best Coast)
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