Frank Black - 93-03

Solo careers generally highlight that great bands are worth more than the sum of their respective parts. That law holds true for Pixies frontman, Frank Black, whose 14 year solo-output would still be over-shadowed if put next to Pixies debut Surfer Rosa alone. If there is an underlying arc to these selections, as Black himself claims, then it could be thus: an auspicious opening run that, at times, buckles under the weight of past glories, before hitting an effortless pop stride, losing it in a mire of forgettable, by-numbers rock, finally clawing it back with some caterwauling, skewed punk. Furthermore, the inclusion of 'obligatory new track' Threshold Apprehension, gives a sense that the recent Pixies formation has brought back the 'shouty' Black Francis of old. Like the man himself, there's plenty of flab here, but as an introduction to a nine-album solo career so far, it feels relatively honed. [Darren Carle]