Pixies
Doolittle

THE REVIEW

Uh-oh! It has been pointed out to us that this review also appears (in whole or in part) in "The 500 Essential Rock Albums" by Mucchio Extra.

not to be confused with doctor dolittle. . . . . . ah. . ok. . there already was a review, but I didn't think it was up to par. . you decide. . . . If the long shadow of the Pixies still extends today over much of Anglo-American pop-noise, it is because of the extraordinary initial triptych of the group's recording career led by Black Francis (also known today as sexy Frank Black): the mini-album Come On Pilgrim had announced their talent, the subsequent Surfer Rosa had confirmed their uniqueness, while Doolittle is the album that cemented their role as genius manipulators of seemingly contrasting influences. The intrepid musicality of the Pixies remains in history as a supreme example of the enchanting power of music, beyond the obvious surface. Before them, merging hillbilly, hard-rock, and pop with a post-punk perspective was a titanic endeavor. And yet, the fifteen tracks on this album speak clearly: it is possible. . indeed, it is possible. You just need to have the courage and see a spark shine an inch from your nose and grab it, and then turn it into concrete matter. The intuition of this Boston group is epochal but certainly not just instinctive: it is the result, rather, of a very lively intelligence and a prodigious diversity of intents. The four Pixies lay out a white sheet of black, bitter, cynical irony, and build upon it, brick by brick, a beautiful structure even though (or precisely because) it is full of irregular corners and angles. The happy consonance of noise and melody derived from an askew perspective, like through a distorting wide-angle lens, through which rock 'n' roll is misconstrued with a desecrated fervor bordering on hysteria. The schizophrenic guitars support the symbolic visionariness of Francis, who cloaks memorable tracks in a splendid dissonant light, such as "Debaser" (pop 'n' roll for hallucinatory teenagers), "Wave of Mutilation" (with a killer sexyteen chorus), "Here Comes Your Man" (with a sixties scent), "Monkey Gone to Heaven" (the most famous and perhaps my favorite), "Mr. Grieves" (practically Television turned into a grotesque Plutine farce) and "La La Love You". Everything is the opposite of everything, and everything in one album. . . and all this in 1989. . . splendid. . . I would like to dedicate this review to Debaser. . . to all the editors. . . to all the reviewers. . beautiful, ugly, metalheads, punks, gay, bisexual. . . . . thank you. . . Debaser thank you. . .