Pixies - Head Carrier (2016) (Japan) [FLAC]

  Genre: Rock
  Styles: Alternative, Indie
  Source: Japanese Edition CD with Bonus Tracks (log + cue)
  Codec: FLAC
  Bit rate: ~ 900 kbps 
  Bit depth: 16
  Sample rate: 44.1 kHz

  01 Head Carrier 
  02 Classic Masher 
  03 Baal's Back 
  04 Might as Well Be Gone 
  05 Oona 
  06 Talent 
  07 Tenement Song 
  08 Bel Esprit 
  09 All I Think About Now 
  10 Um Chagga Lagga 
  11 Plaster of Paris 
  12 All the Saints 
  13 Baal's Back (Live)
  14 Um Chagga Lagga (Live)

  Though they crafted a signature -- and endlessly copied -- style, Pixies' music never stayed in the same place for long. During their early years, the band relished change, moving from Come on Pilgrim's scrappy apocalyptic visions to Doolittle's gleaming pop to Trompe Le Monde's riff-rock at a rapid pace. Indeed, it could be argued that part of the reason their 2014 comeback Indie Cindy underwhelmed was because it tried too hard to recapture the past. On Head Carrier, Pixies usher in more than a few changes, the biggest being bassist Paz Lenchantin. Replacing a member may be inconsequential for some bands, but for this one, it's a big deal (pun intended): Founding bassist Kim Deal departed prior to Indie Cindy, and the use of a session player on the album only underscored that a vital part of the group's appeal was missing. Thanks to Lenchantin, Pixies sound like a full -- if slightly different -- band again, whether she's sweetening "Oona"'s crunch with her harmonies or helping shape the album's character in general. The rest of the band's ease at having her in the fold is audible, and Head Carrier is a surprisingly nice album. "Classic Masher" and "Bel Esprit" recall the amiable jangle of "Here Comes Your Man" and the band's cover of "Winterlong," and the easygoing vibe continues on "All the Saints"' slo-mo surf and "Plaster of Paris." However, the niceness turns strange on "All I Think About Now."