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Its always with baited breath I await an album from past heroes who have since reformed. Too often the results are like some bizarre waking dream where your heroes are suddenly peddling some bizarre psuedo-memory of their better days.
Pixies' return, without Kim Deal on bass, had all the potential of living up to this waking nightmare. Thankfully Indie Cindy escapes this fate. True, the content is not a radical departure from usual form, which, for the uninitiated, is frequently bonkers melodic indie rock. One listen to 'Blue Eyed Hexe' with its octave over top chorus and dirging chord progression and you realise you are once again in safe hands.
Perhaps over the years there has been a mellowing effect on the band.. If anything this has only resulted in a more anthemic return in comparison to the manic hits of old. 'Another Toe In The Ocean' crosses between their previous calmer moments and a Weezer track but remains deliciously addictive. 'Greens And Blues' equally takes a classic Pixies sound in one of their calmer moments and delivers a fantastically zany song.
With that said there are a few curve balls that show Pixies are still as innovative now as they were when they first broke. 'Bagboy' for example plays to an uncharacteristically heavy laden drum beat; with Frank Black's spoken vocals over the top somehow this tune feels more like a Beastie Boys track than traditional Pixies track. Meanwhile 'Andro Queen' too takes something of a departure, more akin to a Pet Shop Boys number than Pixies traditional stomping ground.
Needless to say, Pixies' return is far from a disappointment. Perhaps energy has been rolled down from 11 to maybe...9. But this is still far and away a better indie record than a band of this age needs to necessarily put out. The fact they've made the effort shows they're still in love with the music they make. And damned if I don't love it as well.
