Greek God!
All eyes may currently be on Kim Deal and the return of The Breeders but that’s not the only Pixies related show in town as Frank Black, currently performing under the Black Francis moniker, is back once again with new single ‘The Seus’, which is taken from his latest album ‘Svn Fngrs.’ Perhaps Frank is turning into a text-aholic or maybe his spelling has went down hill rapidly but that’s not really here not there in a music review!
There may be a shock in store for some people as Francis turns all hip-hop at the start of the song but however he chooses to showcase his thoughts on the world, it is impossible to get away from the fact that this is one angry man, no matter if he is playing out a character role or not. The music is pretty eclectic, which isn’t a surprise if you heard his last album as the Captain Beefheart influence was stamped all over it and if this single is anything to go by, the same sound is going to be prevalent on Black’s latest album.
What may be of more interest are the two remixes of the single, with The Infadels turning into a New Rave rewrite that would grace the set-list of any of the current pretenders to the new wave of electro throne. No doubt the sound of Black working with one of the modern electro bands would be a nightmare to some and a positive wet dream to others but if this remix is anything to go by, it could be a collaboration that has some mileage.
The Bloc Party remix of ‘The Seus’ adds a little more subtlety and less of the feel that the song was an off cut from the latest episode of Skins but it still has a few quirks and mechanical whirrs to move it away far enough from the expected sound of Black Francis to make it worthwhile.
Its an intriguing little 3 track bundle but one that has plenty of promise as long as you have a love for the Pixies, Captain Beefheart and New Rave sounds. Then again, that’s pretty much what every great band sounds like these days so what is not to like?