Search - Frank Black & Catholics :: Frank Black and the Catholics

Nice!!!

Matthew MacDonald | Portland, Maine USA | 09/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album, I'd say better than The Cult of Ray, which preceeded it, but different sounding all the way. The live recording to a two track and the addition of full band instead of just guests on Black's solo albums, gives this album a spontaneous feel to it that just causes the energy infused in each song to jump out to your ears.And this album does rock, make no mistake. The guitars have that right note of "twang" that just sounds good on your ears, nothing sounds muddled or muddied with distortion or other effects. The Man Who Was Too Loud is a great song, and although it doesn't meet the excellence of Black's recording with Teenage Fanclub in my opinion, it is still a powerful version with smart, intelligent lyrics.Yet even the slower songs groove with an understated urgency, like Dog Gone and Do You Feel Bad About It, that almost makes you feel the pangs of emotion that stems from their sad tinges. This record gives Frank Black a fresh new start after the comparitive flatness and dullness that was The Cult of Ray, and it continues with Pistolero that follows. Excellent recommendation."

The Artistic Peak of his Post-Pixies Career

Boobatz Mumble | Bean Town | 04/20/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Something happened when the Pixies broke up that rendered Frank Black half the musical genius he once was...his first few solo albums got decent critical reception for their abundance of satisfying pop hooks, but they had none of the raw force and restraint that made his earlier work so damn influential. It's doubtful he'll ever reach the peaks of the past, but he's starting to at least get on a comfortable creative plain...starting with Frank Black & The Catholics. No, he's not as inventively quirky as he was on, say, Surfer Rosa, but at least he's not as artificially quirky as he was on his solo debut. I think the thing that makes his music enjoyable again is the fact that he's not alone anymore: he's now got an actual band rather than studio and road "guests". This means he has friendly musicians keeping him from over-indulging himself, a tendency that ruined his solo records for me. Sure, Kim Deal was probably a better influence to have on him - being a punky pop prodigy herself - but this band does nicely. The production is awesome, too. Very clear and raw. Frank's voice has entered a new era...it's now quite gritty and he's not hiding it. I like it, gives the music something that's been lacking since he lost his youthful yelp. All in all, if you're gonna get a Frank Black album, this is the one to get so far."