PIXIES
THE NIGHT THE ZOMBIES CAME
BMG
Even over 20 years into their second act, on The Night The Zombies Came, the Pixies show no signs of being ready for a musical rapture.
The album corkscrews around as expected. Thereโs awesome predictability in the likes of โYouโre So Impatientโ and โJohnny Good Manโ, which are the type of crowd-pleasers that the Pixies have traditionally been so good at, but their talent for showing off their dark, cold macabre-loving side is still on display through songs like โJane (The Night The Zombies Came)โ and the bizarre โChickenโ, which is so strange it could be picked out as a Black Francis song as far away as from space.
Francisโs pen, therefore, remains as sharp as ever, but Joey Santiagoโs guitar and David Loveringโs drums are also as strong as theyโve ever been in the mix. They are well backed by new bassist, Emma Richardson, who gives the album a welcome shot in the arm with her angelic backing vocals.
The unexpected part, though, is the way that theyโve been able to add a smoky, blues bar-esque maturity to some of the albumโs quieter moments. Itโs this folksiness that The Night The Zombies Came benefits hugely from, especially on the closer โVegas Suiteโ.
Overall, The Night The Zombies Came is the sound of a band not resting on their laurels. Itโs an excellently rounded-out album, and once again adds another interesting chapter to the Pixies post-reunion body of work. The maturation of their music is impressive, and theyโre still finding new things to say.
Artistย Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PIXIES – THE NIGHT THE ZOMBIES CAME
John Porter