Black Francis
Bluefinger

- #frankblackfrancis (1of4). This review marks the beginning of a cycle dedicated to Frank Black/Black Francis (depending on the pseudonym used for the album in question) and (a part of) what he has produced outside of the Pixies that has not yet been reviewed on Debaser (and there's really a lot of it): it will be a cycle of four reviews (if you like), published strictly on #apenedisegugio schedule -

Often (rightfully so) the masterpiece "Teenager of the Year" (or at most the self-titled debut) is cited as his solo peak: the point is that rarely do I see other works considered (many Pixies fans even ignore the already mentioned "Teenager of the Year" or that other masterpiece "Last Splash" by the Breeders, the band of the legendary Pixies bassist, Kim Deal), when many of these deserve much better treatment and consideration.

This "Bluefinger", for example, released in 2007, offers a remarkable showcase of the style the artist has created, developed, and then perfected over the years, undoubtedly resulting in one of his most representative solo works. There are indeed rhythm changes and the schizophrenia that characterize the more 'Pixies style' tracks (at least in its wildest sense) of the album ("Captain Pasty", "Threshold Apprehension", "Tight Black Rubber", "You Can't Break a Heart and Have it"), there are catchy and memorable pop melodies (the delightful "Lolita", "Your Mouth into Mine", "She Took all the Money", the title track), there's the blues ("Test Pilot Blues"), there's the country/rock'n'roll with psychedelic digressions at the end ("Angels Come to Comfort You"): all seasoned with songwriting always of the highest quality and with genuine inspiration absolutely worthy of past peaks, albeit not quite reaching them.

It would really be a shame, then, to stop only at Pixies albums and the already mentioned "Frank Black" and "Teenager of the Year" with him, ignoring, or worse, snubbing, all his subsequent production, which hides true gems like this one.

And then, after all, we are always on a site called "Debaser", aren't we?

" #onceyougo(frank)blackyounevergoback " Kurt Cobain