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Avg: 4.5 (829 ratings)
- Date Released: May 15, 2003
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Alternative
- Label: 4AD
On their masterpiece, the Pixies merge the psychopathic and the sweet.
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We Say...
Doolittle is the Pixies album that endures — virtually as harsh and radical as their earlier Surfer Rosa, but balanced with production and melodies to match; proof that leader Black Francis cared as much about Brian Wilson as Charles Manson. Titles along the lines of "Debaser," "Waves of Mutilation," "Gouge Away" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven" don't exactly evoke a party in the woods, but Francis, like another of his favorites, David Lynch, had a knack for draping the psychopathic and sexually repressed in overlit sweetness. Only "Here Comes Your Man" arguably tries a little too hard, coming off as an attempt at R.E.M.-style jangle pop. So many elements went into the Pixies' desert flower sound: the roll of Kim Deal's bass, Francis' Spanish-tinged vocals, the guitar attack choking off cold. Deal doesn't really have a standout lead vocal this time, but she and Francis use their harmonies (more back-and-forths) to evoke an eternal war between the sexes: the passion sounds they turn into a bridge on "Tame" are rote, robotic, numbed — anything but sexy. Does "Hey" sum up Black Francis' view of romance? "Uh/Said the man to the lady/Uh/Said the lady to the man she adored, and the whores like a choir/Go uh all night." A foul worldview, but here, at the height of postmodernism, it made for sublime pop.
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They Say...
After 1988's brilliant but abrasive Surfer Rosa, the Pixies' sound couldn't get much more extreme. Their Elektra debut, Doolittle, reins in the noise in favor of pop songcraft and accessibility. Producer Gil Norton's sonic sheen adds some polish, but Black Francis' tighter songwriting focuses the group's attack. Doolittle's most ferocious moments, like "Dead," a visceral retelling of David and Bathsheba's affair -- are more stylized than the group's past outbursts. Meanwhile, their poppy side surfaces on the irresistible single "Here Comes Your Man" and the sweetly surreal love song "La La Love You." The Pixies' arty, noisy weirdness mix with just enough hooks to produce gleefully demented singles like "Debaser," -- inspired by Bunuel's classic surrealist short Un Chien Andalou -- and "Wave of Mutilation," their surfy ode to driving a car into the sea. Though Doolittle's sound is cleaner and smoother than the Pixies' earlier albums, there are still plenty of weird, abrasive vignettes: the blankly psychotic "There Goes My Gun," "Crackity Jones," a song about a crazy roommate Francis had in Puerto Rico, and the nihilistic finale "Gouge Away." Meanwhile, "Tame," and "I Bleed" continue the Pixies' penchant for cryptic kink. But the album doesn't just refine the Pixies' sound; they also expand their range on the brooding, wannabe spaghetti western theme "Silver" and the strangely theatrical "Mr. Grieves." "Hey" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven," on the other hand, stretch Francis' lyrical horizons: "Monkey"'s elliptical environmentalism and "Hey"'s twisted longing are the Pixies' versions of message songs and romantic ballads. Their most accessible album, Doolittle's wide-ranging moods and sounds make it one of their most eclectic and ambitious. A fun, freaky alternative to most other late-'80s college rock, it's easy to see why the album made the Pixies into underground rock stars.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Debaser |
2:53 |  |
| 02. | |
Tame |
1:55 | |
| 03. | |
Wave of Mutilation |
2:04 | |
| 04. | |
I Bleed |
2:34 | |
| 05. | |
Here Comes Your Man |
3:21 | |
| 06. | |
Dead |
2:21 | |
| 07. | |
Monkey Gone to Heaven |
2:57 | |
| 08. | |
Mr. Grieves |
2:05 | |
| 09. | |
Crackity Jones |
1:24 | |
| 10. | |
La La Love You |
2:43 | |
| 11. | |
No. 13 Baby |
3:51 | |
| 12. | |
There Goes My Gun |
1:49 | |
| 13. | |
Hey |
3:31 | |
| 14. | |
Silver |
2:25 | |
| 15. | |
Gouge Away |
2:45 | |
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Credits
- Pixies - Main Performer // Kim Deal - Bass // Kim Deal - Guitar (Bass) // Kim Deal - Slide Guitar // Black Francis - Guitar // Black Francis - Vocals // Steve Haigler - Mixing // Karen Karlsrud - Violin // David Lovering - Bass // David Lovering - Drums // David Lovering - Guitar (Bass) // David Lovering - Vocals // Gil Norton - Producer // Gil Norton - Engineer // Joey Santiago - Guitar // Joey Santiago - Vocals (Background) // Matt Lane - Assistant Engineer // Arthur Fiacco - Cello // Corine Metter - Violin // Ann Rorich - Cello // Ann Rorich - Viola // Vaughan Oliver - Art Direction // Vaughan Oliver - Design // Simon Larbalestier - Photography // Dave Snider - Assistant Engineer // Rob LoVerde - Mastering
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