The Night the Zombies Came

ピクシーズ10枚目、2022年発表『Doggerel』以来の新作

13曲の新曲を収録。ソングライター、ボーカリスト、ギタリストのBlack Francisは「他の曲の他の断片と関連し、並置させている断片、そしていわゆるアルバムのたちは、一種の映画を作ることになる」と説明。
ニュー・アルバムのレコーディング・セッションでは、バンドはプロデューサーのTom Dalgetyと再びタッグを組んだ。ドラマーのDaved Loveringは『Head Carrier』『Beneath the Eyrie』『Doggerel』をプロデュースした彼を"5人目のピクシー"と呼んでいる。

With Beneath the Eyrie and Doggerel, Pixies carried on their tradition of sharply drawn weirdness in a gentler vein that felt true to who they were three decades after forming. Its a mood they continue on The Night the Zombies Came, a set of songs spooky and surreal enough to live up to its title. As on their previous two albums, Pixies cleverly remake classic pop, country, and folk in their own image; on the early highlight "Primrose," they pair bucolic strumming with an encroaching "darkness over the land." By uncovering shadowy and strange doings in unlikely places, Charles Thompson delivers some of his most engaging storytelling in some time. "Youre So Impatient"s surging punk spins a yarn about medieval restaurants and other suburban dystopias, while "Johnny Good Man" offers a Twilight Zone-worthy tale of a gunslinger reborn in a cornfield. Joey Santiagos solos remain the soul of the bands music, and his needling playing gives an extra kick to "Oyster Beds" cryptic, shouty, quintessentially Pixies punk and to "Motoroller," a barreling meditation on mortality that makes the most of new bassist Emma Richardsons harmonies. Considering that Richardson added her parts after the band recorded most of the album, she fits in remarkably well, going toe to toe with Thompson on the X-ish stomp of "Ernest Evans" and chiming in on "Kings of the Prairie," a fine example of the sweetness thats been more apparent in Pixies later years. Nevertheless, The Night the Zombies Came is at its best when the band leans into the drama that has always made them stand out from the crowd. "Chicken" is one such moment, a sidewinding mood piece that swings between pride and desperation as wildly as Santiagos twanging, squalling fretwork. However, the albums brightest gem is "Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)." The tale of a disappearing man and a woman whos equal parts femme fatale and final girl, its cloaked in glorious Wall of Sound production that makes it a queasily thrilling stunner. Songs like these uphold Pixies brash, eccentric, oddly moving legacy brilliantly, and as a whole, The Night the Zombies Came ranks among their finest post-reunion music. ~ Heather Phares

With Beneath the Eyrie and Doggerel, Pixies carried on their tradition of sharply drawn weirdness in a gentler vein that felt true to who they were three decades after forming. Its a mood they continue on The Night the Zombies Came, a set of songs spooky and surreal enough to live up to its title. As on their previous two albums, Pixies cleverly remake classic pop, country, and folk in their own image; on the early highlight "Primrose," they pair bucolic strumming with an encroaching "darkness over the land." By uncovering shadowy and strange doings in unlikely places, Charles Thompson delivers some of his most engaging storytelling in some time. "Youre So Impatient"s surging punk spins a yarn about medieval restaurants and other suburban dystopias, while "Johnny Good Man" offers a Twilight Zone-worthy tale of a gunslinger reborn in a cornfield. The sophisticated tempo shifts on songs such as "Hypnotised" heighten the albums playful mood, but every now and then, unimaginative production and arrangement choices threaten to snuff out Zombies spark. On "I Hear You Mary," an 80s hard rock sheen steamrolls over its imagery of runaway gargoyles and daffodils blooming among tombs. Fortunately, the overly slick sonics dont dampen Joey Santiagos solos, which remain the soul of the bands music. His needling playing gives an extra kick to "Oyster Beds"s cryptic, shouty, quintessentially Pixies punk and to "Motoroller," a barreling meditation on mortality that makes the most of new bassist Emma Richardsons harmonies. Considering that Richardson added her parts after the band recorded most of the album, she fits in remarkably well, going toe to toe with Thompson on the X-ish stomp of "Ernest Evans" and chiming in on "Kings of the Prairie," a fine example of the sweetness thats been more apparent in Pixies later years. Nevertheless, The Night the Zombies Came is at its best when the band leans into the drama that has always made them stand out from the crowd. "Chicken" is one such moment, a sidewinding mood piece that swings between pride and desperation as wildly as Santiagos twanging, squalling fretwork. However, the albums brightest gem is "Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)." The tale of a disappearing man and a woman whos equal parts femme fatale and final girl, its cloaked in glorious Wall of Sound production that makes it a queasily thrilling stunner. Songs like these uphold Pixies brash, eccentric, oddly moving legacy brilliantly, and as a whole, The Night the Zombies Came ranks among their finest post-reunion music. ~ Heather Phares

40年近いキャリアの円熟味がリラックスした曲調に現れた10作目。『Trompe le Monde』の頃のテンションも今は昔。ブラック・フランシス一流のロマンティシズムをじっくりと味わいたい。新加入したエマ・リチャードソン(ベース/ヴォーカル)のハーモニーも聴きどころ。"Jane(The Night The Zombies Came)"ではピクシーズ流にスペクター・サウンドを再現している。
bounce (C)山口智男