Description:
From the album's title, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is just more of the same from Frank Black. The Devil's Workshop, a book by Stephen J Cannell, involved scientific ethnic cleansing, white supremacists, massive corruption, traumatised soldiers, hobos and movie moguls--perfect source material for a man famously obsessed with conspiracy theories and alien abductions. Yet Devil's Workshop the album (recorded immediately after Frank's Black Letter Days and released at the same time) sees the former Black Francis dealing with more mundane and far more moving subjects. Of course, there are flashes of the old Pixies weirdness;
From the album's title, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is just more of the same from Frank Black. The Devil's Workshop, a book by Stephen J Cannell, involved scientific ethnic cleansing, white supremacists, massive corruption, traumatised soldiers, hobos and movie moguls--perfect source material for a man famously obsessed with conspiracy theories and alien abductions. Yet Devil's Workshop the album (recorded immediately after Frank's Black Letter Days and released at the same time) sees the former Black Francis dealing with more mundane and far more moving subjects. Of course, there are flashes of the old Pixies weirdness; the opening "Velvety" contains the classic Frank line "I like that lemur, I lick it". But mostly the songs deal with the loneliness, lost loves and happy encounters of the life-long itinerant. "Out of State", in particular, is an absolute heartbreaker, matching the very best of Bob Mould. Elsewhere, as with "Heloise" and "The Scene", Frank comes on like a malevolent Tom Petty, all dirty Southern rock and poisonous barbs. Featuring both Stan Ridgeway and ex-Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago, Devil's Workshop is skewed enough to appease long-time Pixies fans, yet stylish and melodically strong enough to appeal to the mainstream. It's an above-average addition to Black's extraordinary canon. --Dominic Wills
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Manufacturer: Spin Art
Release date: 20 August 2002
EAN: 0750078011223 UPC: 750078011223
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