Indie Cindy
19 April 2014
PIAS
2.5 stars out of 5
For diehard Pixies fans there are no surprises on Indie Cindy, their favourite band’s
first new LP since 1991’s Trompe le Monde.
Why, you ask? Because all of the tracks here have been previously released on
the three EPs Pixies have put out since September of 2013. Nor would anyone be
terribly surprised, having perhaps not heard the aforementioned EPs, that a
band that now lacks the tensions it had during the feuding days (whether real,
or imagined by the press) between Black Francis and Kim Deal would not have any
spark to transform into something resembling the incredible creative spurt it
enjoyed from 1987 to 1991. Deal didn’t join the others for this reunion and
recording, and while she may have contributed only one song per album (if at all)
during the Pixies’ classic period, without Deal’s influence Francis lacks the
focus and sharpness (witness his dull and predictable solo career) that made
this band one of the greatest of all time.
But perhaps we should ignore Pixies’ past and analyse Indie Cindy in a critical and historical
vacuum? Fine. It’s a dull record by anyone’s standards. It’s the kind of
uninspired classic rock and roll you’d expect from some forgotten ‘70s or ‘80s band
hoping for one last hurrah but lacking any sort of inspiration to pull it off.
The only reason I would continue to
listen to this record after the first couple of boring tracks is because it
says “Pixies” on the cover. And, seriously, what
the fuck are they doing trying to sound like AC/DC on “Blue Eyed Hexe”?!?
That shit don’t fly.
While there will likely be plenty of worse records this
year, there won’t be too many records that are more disappointing than Indie Cindy. It lacks all of the
elements—inventive timing, obscure lyrics, in-your-face attitude, epic
nerdiness—that made Pixies the legend that they are. While it’s often dangerous
for any band to try to re-capture the past, it’s more dangerous to lose touch
with the energy and spirit of creativity that made them successful to begin
with. Unfortunately, it appears that Pixies have lost touch with pretty much
everything.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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