I have to say that this Pixies album is disappointing. It doesn't live up to the beauty of Surfer Rosa and Doolittle..
1.) Cecilia Ann: An instrumental opening to a mediocre album isn't the way to go. If this song had a little more depth to it besides a guitar riff and a drum beat.. Mabye it would have been a better intro. 3/5
2.) Rock Music: After an alright intro comes a great song. Rock Music is the loudest song on the album because it is all shouting. Plus, the guitar riffs are all heavy. But other than that, there isn't much to say about this song except that it's a great song. 4/5
3.) Velouria: This album is pretty mediocre, but this song may be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in all my days! It starts off with a calm, lightly distorted intro with a calm solo, beautiful in every way possible. Then in the verse, you hear quiet guitar chords in the background and Black Francis singing a pretty melody along with them. The chorus takes you away with the blend of the guitars, and drums and Black's singing. The lyrics in this song are just beautiful. Lyrics such as, "We will wade in the shine of the ever" and "Even I'll adore you, my Velouria" just stick with you forever. The last chorus ends with "Even I'll adore yah, my Velouria" and the song finishes up with Kim Deal in the background singing "V. e. l. o. u. r. i. a.". The beauty of this song earns it a definite 5 out of 5. And I spelled that out because it would seem like a disgrace not to.
4.) Allison: After Velouria comes another nice song. This song is short and sweet, but doesn't live up to Velouria. Being about a minute long it starts off with a drum beat and guitars. The lyrics basically consist of "Allllison! Alllllllisooon!". Still a nice song though.. 3.5/5
5.) Is She Weird: This song is cool. It starts off with drums and bass. Then Black comes in and sings along with the drums and bass, then in the chorus the palm muted guitars kick in. The lyrics in the Chorus can easily get stuck in your head, "Is she weird? Is she white? Is she promised to the night? And her head has no room!". All in all, this song is fun to listen to and one of the better tracks on the album. 4/5
6.) Ana: This song is also beautiful. The chords all flow together with the bass, and the drums and the lyrics. It's quite a short right though.. But that doesn't stop this song from earning a hearty 4/5.
7.) All Over the World: This is really where the album starts to become.. Mediocre. Being the longest song on the album, it is also the most boring. It also seems kind of random. The only thing I really like about this song is the guitar riffs. I give it a 3/5.
8.) Dig for Fire: This song was a big hit with a lot of people.. But I don't like it too much. It seems too poppy for a Pixies song and just isn't my type. It also seems out of place on this album too. 2.5/5
9.) Down to the Well: The album starts to redeem itself a bit with this song. The guitars combined with the background vocals are just so cool. And when Black goes "I can hardly wait 'till we go DOOOOOWWNN to the well!!" it's just soo awesome. This song gets a 4/5.
10.) The Happening: An overlooked gem is what this song can be described as. The drum beat in the beginning is a little boring, but the song quickly picks up when Black screams "They got a ranch they call number 51!". The chorus is a little bit annoying though, but the end of the song is awesome. I give it a 3.5/5.
11.) Blown Away: This song starts off pretty tight with the roaring guitars and drums, but quickly goes downhill with the verses. Black's singing in the vocals just doesn't go right with the music. And the song feels quite repetitive too. 2.5/5
12.) Hang Wire: Awesome song, right here. From start to finish. The beginning guitars just shook me, and then the vocals and palm muted guitars in the middle of the song took me away. The one line where Black says "Every morning and everyday, I'll Bossanova with you" is my favorite part of the song. This one get's a well earned 5/5.
13.) Stormy Weather: What can be said here? The drum beat is kind of cool, but this song basically feels like filler. Quite repitive and a little boring. This one gets a 2.5/5.
14.) Havalina: An ok closing to a mediocre album. The guitars in the beginning are nice and cosy. But when Black starts to say "Havalinaaa" the song feels cheesey. It earns a 3/5.
Bottom Line: Go for this album after you have bought Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. It isn't the best Pixies album, but isn't the worst.
Album Score: 3.5 out of 5
4.4/5, perhaps?
