IN REVIEW: Pixies - "Head Carrier"

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Whereas previous LP Indie Cindy was compiled from three previous EPs, Head Carrier marks Pixies' first full-blown, LP-sized statement since their reformation. It's also overall a friendlier, less noisy collection of songs, with a couple of proper hit contenders if 2016 radio was conducive to bands from the '80s and '90s rather than bands of millennials that sound like they're from the '80s and '90s. To the overly critical, Head Carrier is probably another sullying of the band's Holy Legacy, the go-to whine for those who still can't wrap their heads around the idea of a band's desire to make new music rather than coast on the goodwill of records nearly 30 years old. To me, it's a perfectly serviceable rock record that doesn't even try to stand up to the classics. Like Indie Cindy, it's a record that never stood a chance of being revered like Surfer Rosa or Doolittle, but that doesn't mean it deserves to be dismissed as tripe either.

September 30, 2016 • Pixies/PIAS
Highlights Classic Masher • Might As Well Be Gone • Um Chagga Lagga

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