Zer0

Like most listeners my first real encounter with the Pixies was with the album Doolittle. It's almost like a right-of-passage for teenagers to get this album and dive further into the whole indie and alternative rock scene, which is exactly what I did in my last year of school. While all the other misfit kids in school were still wearing their Metallica and Slayer hoodies, a few friends and myself gradually ditched all that and turned more and more towards indie-cool by the time we started college. The album itself still contains some of the off-beat madness and insane lyrics of Surfer Rosa but in place of the raw production is a glossier and better produced sound courtesy of Gil Norton. This rise in production quality could allow the band to live up to their pop potential and perhaps break into the alternative rock big league.

The clarity of the band's sound is evident from the opening track 'Debaser', Kim Deal's throbbing bass having much more presence than before and Joey Santiago's wonderful lead surf-guitar melodies sounding crystal-clear and full of soul and passion. Black Francis however sounds as bonkers as he's ever been, crying out "Got me a movie. Ha ha ha ho. Slicing up eyeballs. Ha ha ha ho" like a man seriously deranged. The inspiration for this song was the insanely surreal short film 'Un Chien Andalou'. This is probably the best opening track on a Pixies album and really showcases the combination of atonal singing and soaring guitar melodies to brilliant effect. Kim Deal's funky bass and David Lovering's ever solid drumming form the backbone to the second track 'Tame'. The most striking and engaging element however is Black Francis' vocals, with switch from a sinister whisper in the verses to a full-on roar in the choruses. Listen to Black Francis roar "Taaaaaaaaaame" with all the power he's got at the end of the song and put any extreme metal vocalist to shame. While the first two tracks on the album contain some pretty harsh and insane vocals from Black Francis that all changes with 'Wave Of Mutilation' which features Black Francis singing, yes actually singing. Backed by some wonderful punk/surf hybrid guitars Black Francis pulls off his melodic vocals brilliantly to create a stunning pop-infused song, the chorus refrains of "Wave of mutilation" lodging themselves deep inside your head. Doolittle offers a bit more variety than it's predecessors and this is evident in the slower-paced 'I Bleed'. The slower-pace and sparser sound allows for the song, and the album itself, to breathe a little. The key to this song is Kim Deal's infectious bassline which lays the foundation for her and Francis' dual lead vocals. These dual vocals work to great effect during the verses but not so much during the chorus where they sound a little bit underwhelming. The choruses do however contain some nice crazy slide-guitar which does make up for it to some extent and adds a nice dynamic to the song. 'Here Comes Your Man' is arguably the most accessible and downright melodic thing the Pixies have ever done. That infectious country guitar line from Joey Santiago is inescapable and instantly recognisable, this sets us up for the most thrilling song on the album. The pop-infused sound is clearly evident from Black Francis more melodic and straight-forward style of singing throughout the song, although the lyrics are still characterised by his surreal style of songwriting; "Outside there's a boxcar waiting. Outside the family stew. Out by the fire breathing. Outside we wait 'till face turns blue". Some marvellous boy-girl vocal exchanges between Francis and Deal put the icing on the cake in this song as well as a stunning mid-section. The ultimate sing-along Pixies tune.

If you were worried that the album was going to get a little bit too melodic after 'Here Comes Your Man', the aptly-titled 'Dead' stops you in your tracks with some nice off-kilter madness. This song probably has the most bonkers lyrics you will ever come across on a Pixies album, try and make sense of "You crazy babe bathsheba, I wancha. You're suffocating you need a good shed" and of course the unforgettable refrains of "Uriah hit the crapper, the crapper". This song provides a nice moment of off-kilter charm before the next song 'Monkey Gone To Heaven', one of the definitive Pixies songs. For a lot of people, myself included, this is probably the first Pixies song you heard. The song is a classic example of their quiet-loud dynamics and they work to brilliant effect in this song, Black Francis' almost spoken word verses and Kim Deal's stop-start bass giving way to that unforgettable chorus with some excellent lead guitar work from Joey Santiago. The most magical part of the song of course has to be that last verse "If man is 5, if man is 5, if man is 5. Then the devil is 6, then the devil is 6, then the devil is 6, then the devil is 6. And if the devil is 6 then god is 7, then god is 7, then god is 7" with Black Francis switching to a scream for "god is 7". Feel that chill going down your spine. 'Mr. Grieves' opens with a chilled ska intro and Black Francis' giddy, demented cries of "Hope everything is alright", before switching to some straight-ahead country-infused rock. The pace quickens however with the break-neck 'Crackity Jones', which almost sounds like hardcore-punk done with clean, twanging guitars and a Latino edge. From 0.41 seconds to 1.02 contains some stunning blur-speed guitar work which manages to be both impressively quick and impressively melodic at the same time. This is the shortest song on the album at 1 minute 24 seconds and is over in the blink of an eye. 'La La Love You' slows down the pace and allows you to catch your breath. This song is distinctive for being only one of two Pixies songs to feature drummer David Lovering on lead vocals, the other song being b-side 'Make Believe'. 'La La Love You' is another song that shows how diverse the Pixies are on this album compared to their previous releases. One of the most notable strengths of Doolittle is the variety of the songs and how songs sound completely different to the previous song yet it all somehow fits together perfectly. David Lovering's deep baritone croon makes this lament to love all the more romantic while Joey Santiago's sexy-sounding guitar lines provide the perfect backing. Like 'Here Comes Your Man' this song shows the pop potential that the Pixies had.

There is a dark tension in Black Francis' voice on 'No. 13 Baby'. His surrealist lyrics paint all kinds of strange pictures in your head, such as "Chair in the yard in the house next door. Where a grandma bought some songs from the shore. Six foot girl gonna sweat when she dig. Stand close to the fire when they light the pig". This is also the longest track on the album and features a nice extended instrumental section in the latter half of the song, giving lead guitarist Joey Santiago a chance to strut his stuff. 'There Goes My Gun' is a typical Pixies art-rocker with some off-kilter shouted verses and sparse instrumentation before switching to a more pop-orientated chorus with some great backing vocals from Kim Deal. The song is very minimalist as regards lyrics, making great use of repeating a few nonsensical lines such as "Looka me". Kim Deal's groovy bass and David Lovering's hard-hitting drums form the backbone for the brilliant 'Hey', as the album heads into it's last few songs. Black Francis telling us of "whores in my head, whores at my door, whores in my bed" over some gently picked guitar. The restrained verses build in tension before giving way to a brilliantly memorable chorus, definitely one of the best songs on the latter half of the album. You could argue that 'Silver' is a bit of a filler track, and it is the weakest track on the album I do admit. But one of the most interesting things about this song is the way it lets the band's Neil Young influences shine through. You could almost mistake the dual lead vocals of Francis and Deal to be Neil Young's vocals multi-tracked. As a song however it doesn't really seem to go anywhere but it does invoke a dry, sun-scorched desert feel which I find quite interesting and enjoyable. It's debatable as to whether this song ruins the flow of the album somewhat towards the end, as 'Hey' could have fed nicely into 'Gouge Away' to make for a nice double-punch conclusion, but perhaps it does serve as a break before the onslaught of the final track. And what a final track it is, 'Gouge Away' is as good a closing track you can expect from the Pixies and leaves you thinking about what an awesome album you've just listened to. The song is driven on very nicely by David Lovering's steady, solid drum beat and Kim Deal's throbbing bassline, with Black Francis sounding like he's holding himself back from the edge during the verses before letting it all out for the explosive chorus. The quiet-loud formula has worked so well for the band, especially on this album, and with this track the band have absolutely nailed it. A thrilling conclusion to a thrilling album.

While Doolittle does lack the raw energy and some of the frantic, unhinged madness of Surfer Rosa it more than makes up for it with diversity and moments of melodic brilliance, such as 'Here Comes Your Man' and 'La La Love You'. The better quality production and the use of overdubs allowed them to live up to their potential as a band and further evolve their sound. The band would dabble with even glossier production for the follow-up album Bossanova, but on Doolittle they managed to strike the right balance between good clear production and a natural sound. This album would make the band the darlings of the indie media in the UK and Europe but unfortunately the USA would still ignore them. Never the less the band had created an album that every indie/alternative band that followed would try to match and it's inspiration has spread far and wide. They also created one of my all time favourite albums and I'm nearly certain that there's quite a few others here that feel the same way about it.

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