For a few years after their 2004 reformation, it looked like Pixies were going to be more than happy as a heritage act, churning out the highlights of their Eighties magnificence to enthusiastic audiences around the world. In truth, when they finally did get it together to put out their 2014 comeback album, Indie Cindy, what we got was a compilation of three EPs that was solid but not really what many had hoped for. So, it is with a great relief that their first album with new bassist Paz Leachantine, Head Carrier, sees the band finally get back in their stride and inject some serious heart into their much imitated sound.
In fact, with Leachantine firmly entrenched in the crew, there is considerably more of a feeling of hearing a real band playing together and seriously enjoying themselves, where Indie Cindy had felt all a bit too tentative. This is only emphasised by her lead vocal turn on “All I Think About Now” – a song with echoes of their whoozy classic “Where Is My Mind” – and her duet with main man Black Francis, “Bel Esprit”. Paz Leachantine clearly has no intention of sitting back and letting the old boys grab all the attention.
This has clearly galvanised Black Francis, who also seems to have regained his mojo and even lets rip with his infamous scream on the fiery “Baal’s Back”. Elsewhere, “Classic Masher” and “Tenement Song” bring waves of sunny power pop, which rubs up against the up-tempo Americana of “Plaster of Paris” and their signature loud-quiet-loud-quiet sound on the likes of “Ooria”. However, it is the demented Tex-Mex take on The Fall’s garage racket, “Um Chugga Lagga”, that emphatically makes it clear Pixies aren’t just here for the ride, but are still more than capable of knocking out classic tunes that they’ll be playing live for a good many years to come.