Bluefinger

Black Francis, Frank Black | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cooking Vinyl
• ASIN: B000OYC1RC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,147 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Musicians gain songwriting stimulus from broken relationships, bad intentions, and pop culture, but leave it to Black Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black) to find inspiration in the works of the late Dutch painter Herman Brood, who was also recognized as a musician fronting His Wild Romance. The Pixies' alter ego alludes to Brood either candidly or implicitly in all 11 songs, veering far from the Nashville-and-Memphis tones of the last two Black albums for a return trip to his raucous roots on loose-knit tracks like "Lolita" and "Tight Black Rubber" or the rapturous "She Took All the Money," a duet with Violet Clarke. "Captain Pasty" brings a perfunctory reminder of how Black's style once aroused a young Kurt Cobain, its chugging bass melodies and burning bark remindful of Nirvana's Incesticide, while "Angels Come to Comfort You" chugs along like a country ode, referencing the Hilton hotel where Brood died in 2001 and calling him "prettier than Brando" and "punker than punk." He even takes to covering Brood’s "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It," its lashing rhythm section and call-and-response vocals a dead ringer for the Bowery circa 1977--and Black Francis and band about 14 years later. --Scott Holter

Product Description

The iconic leader of the Pixies, Frank Black (aka Black Francis) was immersed in the spirit of the eccentric painter/musician Herman Brood, and captured 11 unpublished songs that belong to ''Blue Finger''. Directly or indirectly, all of the 11 songs deal with Brood, known as the Dutch personification of 'Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll'. Black Francis recorded ''Blue Finger'' in September 2006 in Portland, OR. On guitar, harmonica and vocals, Francis was joined by studio drummer Jason Carter (Guards of Metropolis). Violet Clarke also accompanied with vocals, and bass Dan Schmid (The Visible Men). The album was produced by Mark Lemhouse.
In this work we can see Black Francis: dynamic, intense, and with a compositional range hard to find. A real influence on the music of modern times.
A record that shows one of the architects of the "modern rock" at its finest. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black to the Front, Frank to the Back, September 11, 2007

By 

ATeacherFromFlorida (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bluefinger (Audio CD)

Many critics have already heralded this record as a return to the Pixies signature sound. This is not true. Bluefinger bears very little resemblance to any of the Pixies work. Some yelping and corroded chugging guitars does not a Pixies album make. Period.

With that out the way, Bluefinger is a great, fun, and rewarding record---Frank's best in years, by far. He's sounding rejuvenated, but most importantly, he sounds like he's having a blast.

Bluefinger clocks in at just under 40 minutes and there's not a dud in the bunch. Even the slowburners such as the title track are rewarding after repeated listens. Lyrically, the material is playful and cryptic, full of alternatingly direct and oblique references to dutch rock and roll artist Herman Brood.

Standout cuts for me are the more raucous numbers like Tight Black Rubber, Threshold Apprehension, You Can't Break a Heart and Have It, and Captain Pasty. The slower songs such as Lolita and She Took the Money are just as strong, however, stamped with Black's trademark quirky structures and time signatures.

Who needs the Pixies if Black Francis is back and he's going to be making albums this good?

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back, September 18, 2007

By 

Brandon J. Smith (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bluefinger (Audio CD)

Well, someone had his coffee this morning ... That was my first thought when Black Francis's new cd started playing. And that energy is the difference that makes this album worthwhile.

After years of being a huge Pixies fan, followed by years of Frank Black fandom (in truth, I prefer "Teenager of the Year" to any of the Pixies albums, though "Doolittle" is a very close second for me), I had actually given up on the many-named musician. "Fast Man Raider Man" was a debacle of such proportions that I thought it would spell the end of Mr. Charles Thompson.

In a blatant bid to recapture some of the old Pixies magic, Thompson has reclaimed not only his old pseudonym but much of his former band's sound. The good news is: it works. This is surely his strongest album since "Show Me Your Tears," and probably his best since "Dog in the Sand." Pixies fans will undoubtedly prefer this cd to either of those albums, though. There are hints of the western sound Thompson has toyed with (mostly unsuccessfully) in recent years, but most of the cues taken here are from the Pixies via the Stones. It's hardly an instant classic, and one can't help but wonder what the album would have been like had this been a full-blown Pixies effort, but for an artist with this much talent and potential, it's great just to have him back, working in the form he's most suited to.

There's room for growth here, but one thing's for sure: We've got Black Francis back. Hopefully the muse will continue to lead him in this direction in the future.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Black back to Black Francis, September 12, 2007

By 

William P. Holmes "fristis" (Houston, tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bluefinger (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Frank Black form his begining days with the Pixies. His first three solo outings still smacked of his previous band, but a bit looser. After that, he took a different turn........a good turn, but different.....exploring more stripped down recording and even a couple of great releases with a Nashville twist. Blue Finger is a return, not to the first three solo releases, but to the Pixies days. Francis is in great form throughout this release.........his screams in You Can't Break a Heart and Have It, alone are worth the price of this release. If you are a fan of Frank Black (Black Francis) you probably already have Blue Finger. If you are a fan of early Frank Black or any of the Pixies releases, you will love this. Frank's wife dose a great job backing him up on a couple of tracks........very different from Kim Deal, but her voice suites the songs perfectly.
It will be interesting to see the direction that Frank Black or Black Francis takes on his next release......he can always be counted on to entertain....no matter what name he uses.