Product Description:
Personnel: Black Francis (guitar); Violet Clark (vocals); Dan Schmid (bass guitar); Jason Carter (drums); Mark Lemhouse (background vocals).
After nearly 15 years of recording as Frank Black, alternative-rock icon Charles Thompson returned to his Pixies-fronting moniker, Black Francis, with 2007's BLUEFINGER. Despite the apparent step back towards Pixies territory, none of Francis's former bandmates are found on the album, which largely steers clear of the country/jazz leanings of latter-day Black outings. Instead, BLUEFINGER sticks to the no-frills approach of early solo releases such as TEENAGER OF THE YEAR, as evinced on the rumbling "Captain Pasty" and the gently melodic "Lolita." Although many fans may be bewildered (and, in some cases, frustrated) by the return of "Francis" without a new Pixies record in sight, BLUEFINGER reinforces Thompson's remarkably consistent and prolific vision, no matter what name he is operating under.
Entertainment Reviews:
Rolling Stone - p.92
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t sounds like the Pixies' fantastic reunion shows have allowed Black to finally shed his ambivalence about rocking out. So he does."
Spin - p.96
3 stars out of 5 -- "The outer-space-fixated 'Captain Pasty' opens behind a rumbling surf guitar, then plows forward at a breakneck pace."
Q - p.94
3 stars out of 5 -- "'Threshold Apprehension' features his best screaming since the PIxies' heyday..."
Magnet - p.96
"BLUEFINGER is the most intriguing set of new songs he's released in the '00s. Like much of Francis most compelling work, the album is a meditation on a muse."
No Depression - p.100
"[A] return to noisy form....the face of Frank Black is behind the Black Francis mask, but his soul is on his sleeve."
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Tracks:
