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Tracklisting:
1 Selkie Bride
2 I Burn Today
3 Lone Child
4 Another Velvet Nightmare
5 Dark End of the Street
6 Go Find Your Saint
7 Song of the Shrimp
8 Strange Goodbye
9 Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day
10 Honeycomb
11 My Life Is in Storage
12 Atom in My Heart
13 Violet
14 Sing for Joy

Frank Black is going down South. Billboard.com reports that the Pixies frontman is releasing Honeycomb on July 19 through Back Porch Records, a roots, rock, and Americana imprint of EMI. The album was produced by Jon Tiven, who has helmed the boards for B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, and Black on several "Headache" B-sides. Recording took place at Dan Penn's Better Songs and Gardens studio in Nashville in four days last April.

Honeycomb features work from eminent studio musicians such as keyboardist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Steve Cropper, and drummer Billy Block. The album features 11 original songs from Black, including "Atom in My Heart", "Another Velvet Nightmare" (co-written with Reid Paley), "Go Find Your Saint", "Violet", "I Burn Today", and "My Life Is in Storage". The three covers that round out the record are Doug Sahm's "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day", Roy Bennett and Sid Tepper's "Song of the Shrimp"-- which was made popular by Elvis Presley in the film Girls, Girls, Girls-- and Dan Penn and Chips Moman's "Dark End of the Street".

Speaking about the album, Black said, "I can say without a doubt that the Honeycomb session was the most moving and mind-blowing experience I've ever had in my musical career. Steve Cropper co-wrote the first rock'n'roll song that I ever sang in front of an audience ("In The Midnight Hour"). It was a pure pleasure to come full circle with Mr. Cropper." No plans for Black touring behind Honeycomb have been set. He is performing with the reunited Pixies through North America and Europe, with an appearance at the Sasquatch Festival on May 28.

from pitchfork:

Frank Black Announces New Project

Kati Llewellyn reports:
Vagueness-- mysterious or annoying? Often, it seems to lean toward the latter. Sticking with this recent trend in music, Frank Black has commented on his latest project, which is currently not affiliated with a label, and shooting for a release sometime in early 2006. It has already been mixed, but Black plans to redo some vocals and possibly add a few more songs, so it might be a while. Yeah...not too much to work with there. However, this Nashville-recorded follow-up to his still upcoming solo record, Honeycomb (due out July 19) does feature quite a few guest stars, so at least that should fill some space.

According to Billboard report, Black said, "most of [this album] was recorded in one night, like a midnight to 6 p.m. the next day all-nighter kind of thing." Whoa. This Nashville set features names such as Levon Helm (the Band) and Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick), amongst others. Several of the songs were co-written with Reid Paley, who had a hand in Honeycomb's "Another Velvet Nightmare".

Though Black has not yet booked any shows in support of his new records, he claims to be excited to go back on the road as a solo act. His Pixies are, of course, still riding on the reunion circuit.

In the meantime, those crossing their fingers for a new Pixies release...we'll let Black say it in his own words: "We'll see what happens. I predict we'll make a record sometime in the next year," he told Billboard. Good news! Until then, you can hold out for the group's DVD of their 2004 tour chronicles, set for a release, well, later this year...sometime.

* Frank Black: http://www.frankblack.net
* Pixies: http://www.pixiesmusic.com

gorgo99

Cool... I've been mostly bored with Frank's solo stuff after the first 2. This sounds like it could be interesting, though.

I guess I'm more interested in a new Pixies album, but I was unimpressed by "boom thwack" or whatever that new single was.

It would be great if they could return to their original glory... ; )

clckworang

A new Pixies album would be very cool indeed. I didn't realize there was plans for a DVD featuring the 2004 reunion tour. That would be great. I didn't see them last year, but I saw all 4 of their performances in Portland this year. What an unbelievable live act.

Drop

I'm skeptical of a new album. I really thought they went out with a bang, and this new album just would be too different. Still, I quite liked Bam Twok, so we shall see.

Absolut

I liked Bam Thwok but it's not exactly a classic Pixies song. Anyone else hear the cover they did of Warren Zevon's, "Aint' That Pretty At All" for the Zevon tribute album? Now that was a classic style Pixies song. Even though it was a cover they made it their own and it rocked hard.

Gil Jawetz

There's no bad news in that first post!

cdollaz

My personal opinion was that each Pixies album was better than the one before it, so if that were to hold true again, that would be one hell of an album.

NORML54601

Honeycomb has been leaked including a few tracks that didn't make the album. Not very good IMO.

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from NME:

PIXIES TO MAKE FIRST ALBUM IN 14 YEARS

Reformed alt-rock legends PIXIES are planning to record their first album in 14 years.

The band’s frontman Black Francis has confirmed the band, who got back together last year to huge acclaim, are preparing to make their first studio album since 1991’s ’Trompe Le Monde’.

He told The Sun: “It's all hugs and kisses, I'm pleased to report.

"We have been discussing recording a new album lately. As happy as we are with the success of the reunion tour, we really want to make a record for the right reasons, whether it is successful commercially or not."

He added: "We would be satisfied if it played like our other records, never chart-topping but always in print."

Since the band got back together they have recorded two songs - ’Bam Thwok’ - which was rejected for the ’Shrek 2’ soundtrack and then released as a download-only single, and a cover of Warren Zevon’s ’Ain’t That Pretty At All’, which appeared on ’Enjoy Every Sandwich’, a tribute album to the late singer.

Pixies headline this year’s Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals between August 27 and 29.

Black Francis releases a new solo album under the name Frank Black next week (July 18). ’Honeycomb’ is the first record he’s done alone since 1996’s ’The Cult Of Ray’.

Gil Jawetz

that's hilarious. Well, I love it.

And this is fantastic news. Also, they're going to do an acoustic set at the Newport Folk Festival. I've preordered a CD of it.

auto

Cool. Do you have the link to where you ordered that?

Gil Jawetz

http://pixiesdiscs.com/ Great stuff. I got the 12/11 show, which is the one I went to and which had a huge photo of the crowd shot by Joey, including yours truly front and center. A really awesome memento.

auto

I remember that being your avatar. Very cool.

conscience

Great news.

I'm ing about the idea of a new Pixies album.

Gil Jawetz

yeah, here it is

speaking of which, I think it's time for a new avatar.

auto

Picked up Honeycomb at lunch and so far I'm liking it. Very mellow.

greydt

The Pixiesdiscs cds are great - I only got into the Pixies this April (I was too busy listening to Def Leppard back then ...better late than never!), but managed to pick up all twelve CDs from last year's shows and have been listening to them pretty much everyday for the last 2 months. The quality is excellent - unlike other concert cds, it's very clear with very minimal crowd noises.

(fyi, 11 CDs from last year's shows are still available at CDBaby - the last one I had to pick up on ebay)

Already have all 20 shows ("Gouge Away" set) pre-ordered, and looking forward to when the European Tour set is available

The one thing I'm hoping is that the Pixies Austin City Limits performance will be released on dvd someday (Austin City Limits are slowly...very slowly, being released, but don't know if the Pixies one will ever be) - seeing the Pixies in HD while flipping channels was what got me into them in the first place (I'm estimating that the Pixies performance will probably be re-shown early next year )

Gil Jawetz - That's you?! It's funny, but I only glanced inside each of the CDs briefly, but I actually remember that pic of you - maybe it's the bigass grin (hell, I was smiling all the way through their Boston show in June )

Gil Jawetz

Haha! You nailed my youth music tastes and gave my pic a shout-out all in the same post. But I have to say, having been so into Def Leppard back then was great because they were an awesome gateway band: Having read interviews with them discussing their influences back then led me to discover Queen, Bowie, T Rex, Iggy Pop, and a whole world of great music.

And, yeah, that picture couldn't have come out any better. Between the placement of the guitar and my expression and everything else I have to say I've gotten so much entertainment out of showing that to people. BTW, if you search for the old Pixies thread I think I posted the photos I took at that show. I obviously had a good angle!

ETA: Listening to Honeycomb now. Beautiful!

greydt

Found the thread - great pics! I really hope they'll be coming back to New York City (not just Jones Beach) again someday: would love to see them in concert again.

Never listened to Frank Black's solo stuff before (well, except for hearing "Headache" years back), but will probably be grabbing a bunch of his CDs. How's his "Frank Black & the Catholics" ones?

ETA: Listening to Gil Jawetz's 12/11 concert

auto

Definitely pick up Teenager of the Year, Dog in the Sand and the S/T.

auto

from pitchforkmedia:

Frank Black
Honeycomb
[SpinArt; 2005]
Rating: 6.0 [out of 10.0]

Frank Black has earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants, and he unfortunately seems to know it. The man who brought you the Pixies and, by extension, the alternative rock boom of the early 90s, took four days out of his busy schedule touring with his triumphantly reunited old band to record in Nashville with such legendary session men as Steve Cropper and Spooner Oldham. The result is Honeycomb, as album that has its inspired moments but ultimately comes off like something of a vanity project, with Black tackling a midpoint between classic country and classic r&b, winding up with a sort of adult contemporary album full of lyrics about shrimp and selkies, those half-seal/half-human creatures of Orkney legend.

To his credit, Black seems genuinely excited to be playing with his heroes, and he's invested in the material, as always, but the backing definitely has the ultra-competent feeling of a session rather than a band really gelling. Likewise, Black's written several great songs, but he may not actually be the best guy to sing them, as his voice has a tendency to die out on some of the more ambitious melodies. For instance, "Strange Goodbye" is a masterfully written duet that could have easily come from the Stax hit factory in the late-60s, but Black and his ex-wife Jean (they were still married at the time) here aren't a compelling pair-- ironic considering it's written about their impending break-up.

The record's two peaks are actually covers of Dan Penn & Chips Moman's "Dark End of the Street" and key Black influence Doug Sahm's "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day". The former finds Black doing a pretty good job with a tricky classic soul melody, while the latter is an exuberant, uptempo country-rock tune that the whole band seems to enjoy playing. The third cover, "Song of the Shrimp", is a bizarre ballad about a shrimp that leaves his parents for New Orleans, not realizing where the shrimp boat is taking him. Black, of course, turns in his own share of odd lyrics, peaking on "Strange Goodbye" and bottoming out these lines from the opening of "Another Velvet Nightmare": "Today I felt my heart slide into my belly/ So I puked it up with liquor/ And I slept right where I lay."

Elsewhere, Cropper livens up "My Life Is in Storage" with richly phrased guitar solo and Black spikes his closing exhortation to "Sing for Joy" with tales of alcoholism and murder. The sum of it all is a bit less than what you might expect from the parts. Black has strangely proven himself an accomplished writer of songs that would sound great in the hands of a soul singer and a house band, but he's also proven that he's not necessarily always the right singer for his songs.

-Joe Tangari, July 20, 2005