PIXIES - DOOLITTLE
Released: 1989 on Elektra Records
And it is in this Bible frontman and principle songwriter Black Francis tells irresistibly twisted tales of death and mutilation, Gods and Devils, lust and whores, myths of the seas and (a personal favourite of mine) a simple story about a crazed roommate named Crackity Jones.
One of the most striking things about Doolittle is the way it takes such dark and warped subjects and crafts them into upbeat, playful melodies; the majority of which rarely last longer than two and a half minutes. A perfect example of this is 'Here Comes Your Man'; easy to mistake for a 1960s-tinged jangling pop gem, lurking beneath in Francis' lyrics is a simple, sorrowful account of a hearse arriving for a funeral. Similarly, 'Wave Of Mutilation' is on the surface an indie rock anthem for the surfers, awash with laid back distortion and a carefree, coasting tune. But the borderline sadistic nature of the song quickly dawns on the listener, as Black sings breezily of driving his car off a cliff and into a wave of mutilation, so he can kiss mermaids and walk with the crustaceans below.
For me however, the album is at its manic best when the band abandons such calculation in favour of outright deranged and thrashing punk-rock. Album openers 'Debaser' and 'Tame' are perfect examples of this, as is the warped religious tale 'Dead'. Then there's the utterly psychotic 'Crackity Jones'; a ferocious, minute-and-a-half deranged ode to a former roommate of Black's, in which he shrieks and yelps his way through paranoid lyrics of chasing voices and claustrophobic walls, backed by Kim Deal's twisting and turning bass, Joey Santiago's viscous, Spanish-flavoured guitar and David Lovering's relentlessly manic drumming rhythm - all of whom are on reliably top form on Doolittle. Particularly Deal, whose trademark sweetly sinister backing vocals are used to great effect across the album (particularly on 'Tame', 'Hey' and 'I Bleed'), and uses Doolittle to showcase some of her most memorable basslines; with 'Debaser', 'Gouge Away', 'Crackity Jones' and 'Wave of Mutilation' among the highlights.
The only real "lowlights" includes the slightly indulgent and somewhat unnecessary 'La La Love You'; which while is clearly one of the albums weaker moments never impairs the quality or momentum of a truly stellar record - and even then, the song's sarcastic parody of OTT love ballads is still an amusing joke that never wears too thin on repeated listens. Then for such a short song, the penultimate Westernesque 'Silver' tends drag somewhat - and is one that does tend to grate on repeated listens. Again, it's by no means a bad song - it is simply one that does not live up to the sublime quality of the rest of the album.
However, they are two mere blips on an otherwise remarkably consistent record; and one that every bit lives up to its formidable reputation and legacy. Doolittle is surreal yet accessible, melodic yet utterly insane, with pop hooks blended with their own inimitable brand of surf-metal - and as Cobain endeavored to emulate across his career, gloriously loud/quiet/loud.
9/10
TRACKING LISTING (Bold and * indicates album highlights)
- "Debaser" – 2:52 *
- "Tame" – 1:55 *
- "Wave of Mutilation" – 2:04 *
- "I Bleed" – 2:34
- "Here Comes Your Man" – 3:21
- "Dead" – 2:21 *
- "Monkey Gone to Heaven" – 2:56
- "Mr. Grieves" – 2:05
- "Crackity Jones" – 1:24 *
- "La La Love You" – 2:43
- "No. 13 Baby" – 3:51 *
- "There Goes My Gun" – 1:49
- "Hey" – 3:31 *
- "Silver" (Francis/Deal) – 2:25
- "Gouge Away" – 2:45 *
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