Customer Reviews

Honeycomb

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Certainly, any fan of the Pixies unfamiliar with Black's solo output may cry out at the apparent sacrilege this album is, yet in further examination anyone would appreciate that Honeycomb is both a sign of musical maturity and, ultimately, -I''m going out on a limb- a quiet, Country-like form of the Pixies' angst-ridden message. I know some will frown at this, so I don't ask to believe me but give this idea a chance.

For those who already enjoy Black's former albums -particularly with the Catholics- this may be a reason to rejoice. Although, to my taste, it may not reach the emotional depths of Dog In The Sand, Honeycomb is a pretty solid album.

The story goes that, on the eve of his first Pixies tour in years, he retreated to Memphis with a bunch of songs he's been wanting to record -most of which are his own compositions- and with the glorious aid of some session-playing legends, proceeded to lay down these tracks.

Speaking of "the band," since these people have a lot to do with the quality of this album, the work of Steve Cropper on guitar, Spooner Oldham on keyboards and Anton Fig on drums, definitely stand out. In addition to them, Buddy Miller's presence must be mantioned although the lack of specific reference makes me unable to say for sure what tunes he's on.

Now on to the songs, there are several great ones here. Specifically: "Selkie Bride" with its great chorus supported by Ellis Hooks' vocals and some of the most honest lines I've heard, in an after-the-breakup song -"if you return again / I'll be the saddest man / my lip will burn your skin / if you return again / please don't return again"- which are likely to stay in your mind for a while.

Besides "Selkie Bride," I'd list Doug Sams's "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day," the country-like Leonard Cohen'ish feel of "My Life Is In Storage," "Violet" and the Southern Soul mood of "Dark End Of The Street."
All in all, this an album to own and appreciate through repeated listenings -particularly in the early morning or late at night- and let yourself be enveloped by the unhurried feel of Black's confessions. This is not mellow but quiet, the restrained passion of personal wisdom, fierce in its own way, willing to let you in on some truths about love and loss.

Some musicians have a magical touch, and Frank Black has put his brilliant touch on everything he has played. From influencing Kurt Cobain of Nirvana while Frank led the Pixies to his incredibly creative solo and Catholics albums, Black has mastered reinventing himself at every turn. Many fans hear a new album and immediately wish for the same sound as the preceding one. But wait just a minute. Spin that thing again and some of the grooves and nuances start to sink in a little. Spin it once more and you find yourself catching the unique chord progression that somehow no-one has ever used in this way before. Pretty soon, you are stuck on this cd and can't shake loose of it, even when it's not playing. That's the thing with his music: it is built for the long haul.

Honeycomb will astound many fans with it's smooth precision. All the performances are spot on, the sound is elegant and cool, and it combines these fantastic musicians of the past several decades with Frank Black's modern creativity. I'm ten listens in and it's getting better and sweeter every time. Buy it now and start your own learning curve. You won't regret it!!

I was excited about this one. Something about the unexpected collaboration of Frank Black and this amazing cast of Memphis/Muscle Shoals session cats (Roger Hawkins, Dan Penn, David Hood, Spooner Oldham, Steve Cropper, etc) just sounded intriguing. And I'm not really a big Pixies/Black fan.

But I was scared when I saw Tiven's name down as producer. I almost put it back on the shelf. Generally, he makes tepid, unabashedly awkwardly retro R&B records in which he imposes his mediocre songwriting and narrow concept of soul all over the proceedings. I've never liked any of his records, except for the Yankees record, which was more of a punk/new-wave thing. I'm happy to say he's strictly hands-off here, allowing Frank and the band (with input from Dan Penn that borders on co-production) to lay back and cut loose.

And it is a surprisingly laid-back record. This is not the high-strung Frank of old. But the grooves suit him well. His songwriting sounds equally off-kilter and startling -- maybe more so -- with this more conventional backdrop. The supporting crew do what they do best, begging the question why don't they do it more often! Penn's touch as adviser and engineer is tangible and brilliant. Frank even gets away with singing "Dark End of the Street" with soul and an endearingly clumsy honesty.

Of the original tunes, "Go Find Your Saint" and "Honey Comb" warrent extended replays. But the whole thing has such a seductive, warm groove to it, it'll lull you into its lair and, just as your taking your shoes of, stick a lyrical barb into your back. Very freakin' cool.

This album is slick. The whole thing, lyrics and music are cool. I think he spent a month in Omaha writing in a hotel, that town can mellow anyone out. Just check the samples to see what you think. If you find yourself listening to less Dinosaur Jr. these days and more Wilco, then get this one as well. Its the first pixies/black album that my mother would enjoy, so it is Frank Black for the whole family.

I must admit i never got into the Frank Black and the Catholics stuff, so after listening to the same pixies songs regurgitated and revised over and over again since surfer rosa came out, this is refreshing. I didnt hear him scream once on this record. Kind of like Beck, hard or soft its good good stuff. It sounds like he has traded in alcohol for xanax, just like a lot of us have.

I have religiously bought every Frank Black Album on the day of release and I play these records a lot.Honeycomb has something that has made me play it over and over again discovering each time something new in every listen,a new guitar sound,a drum fill,or a feeling in the vocal performance.Mr.Black's deeply honest lyrics and wonderful rhymes are truly inspiring.Rich,beautifully inventive and creamy guitar work(ex:My Life Is In Storage) abound in Honeycomb.Selkie Bride,Go Find Your Saint,Dark End Of The Street,I Burn Today are highlights in this musical masterpiece which again shows us Charles Thompson's tears and happiness.God Bless Frank Black,Jon Tiven(producer)and all the talented musicians that have made this gem that will surely top my favourite albums list of 2005.

This album is much more mellow than might be expected if you have followed Frank's career with the Pixies and with his erstwhile band, the Catholics. It has many peaks and very few, if any, troughs. Although the subject matter is dominated by such themes as divorce and mortality, it is never morose, and ends on a definant note with "Sing for Joy" - a very life-affirming song considering the potentially bleak subject matter. The cover versions are impeccably judged, especially Frank's take on Penn and Moman's "Dark End of the Street", arguably Frank's finest vocal performance on the whole record. The players on this record are like a 'Who's Who' of American soul and country music, but the musicianship is never over-indulgent and complements each song. Special mention must go to the brilliant "My Life is in Storage", which features a wonderful solo by Reggie Young, utterly laid back and effortless, but nonetheless very moving. Steve Cropper's guitar work on the title track is also worthy of special praise. The only obvious miss to these ears is Frank's ode to his new love "Violet", which is soon forgotten as the Honeycomb players sign off with the valedictory "Sing for Joy." This album is so smooth and mellow that it is perfect summer listening, but this ultimately does it a huge disservice - it really is timeless.

I learned my lesson many years ago, when Frank Black released his first couple CD's...you have to listen to it for at least 4 times, and once you do - you're hooked. One of the things I like about his music is that it's always changing, which leads to initial disappointment when the next release comes out (sounding a lot different). So when Honeycomb came out I bought it, and of course, I was appalled..."How could he?" Three plays later, and I've had this puppy in my CD player running for several weeks nonstop. Keep on changing Frank!

I wasn't expecting too much when I got this album. As a die-hard Pixies fan, I was always drawn to Frank Black's solo albums, but when he hooked up with the Catholics, things took a turn for the worse, as far as I was concerned. Just found this album online on a whim and was blown away. Frank Black has dropped all the outdated punk pretense and delivers Honeycomb with a raw, organic, acoustic vibe that is uncharacteristic of his previous solo work. It is a more mature sound, but then again, aren't his original greatest fans maturing too???

'Honeycomb' is the most subtle album of Frank Black's career, one that doesn't have any songs that feature heavy distortion, one that's lyrics are far more literal and personal than anything he's done before, and one that is the first to feature him being backed by some of America's finest session musicians.

Nashville residents Steve Cropper, Spooner Oldham, Buddy Miller, Reggie Young, Anton Fig, Billy Block, David Hood and a variety of others all play on this record (google them if you don't know who they are) and bring a certain atmosphere to these songs; a laid back, professional feel (not to say that Black's other albums have felt amateur, but the work here is more polished, for lack of better term). The playing seems at times effortless, but far beyond simple.

However, despite the session musicians and their credentials, the real beauty here is the batch of songs selected for the record. "My Life is in Storage" has some of the best wordplay of Black's career, "Sing for Joy" is an anthem of dealing with life in a positive way, despite the circumstances, "Strange Goodbye" is the most frank song ever written about divorce, and "I Burn Today" features verse after verse of brilliant lyrics and a melody that gets stuck inside one's head.

The production is surprisingly simple and unintrusive, with the vocals way out in front, and at times the brilliance of the musicians are lost in the background, but that is a minor complaint for what is certainly a major artistic statment.

you've heard of the pixies right? we'll this ain't no pixies! mr. black is a songwriter extraordinaire. and if you're one of the many who have gotten on the recent pixies reunion bandwagon, time to get on the frank black bandwagon now cause this ain't no dog and pony show! frank has put out countless exceptional solo albums and albums with his band the "catholics" over the years. honeycomb is another masterpiece as the previous reviewer jop so elaquently put. and if honeycomb doesn't do anything for you on the first few spins- don't despair. mr. black's music is like a fine wine- it get's better with age!! - mike fumanbru