Bungled Xmas

Christmas/Chanukah/Solstice songs abound. And so many good folks are making excellent seasonal mixtapes. I really can't compete. And besides, I'm in a period of deep concentration with my own stuff. So, before I split for the year, here's a crazy one that's (in)appropriate for any season. A warning – don't be in mid-coffee sip at 1:18. And do listen all the way through; you want to earn those presents.

I'm fixing to have another year-end roundup mix around New Years. New posts will recommence on Jan 2. Happy happiness!

Mr. Bungle - Merry Go Bye Bye

Man in the funhouse mirror

I suppose it doesn't flatter Frank Black's solo career to say that his best album is the one where he radically revisits his old Pixies classics. Sorry, but that's Songblague's position on the matter. Be honest all you Black Francis lovers, don't you think the weird Pixies magic just seemed to abandon him when he turned his name around? He's been prolific alright, but there's just something very workaday, lunch pail about it.

 

That's what's so nice about the Frank Black Francis record, and I don't know why everyone didn't adore it when it came out. Think about the risks involved in re-imagining songs that are gospel to your dedicated multitudes. I think he pulls it off beautifully, with a surrealism that's totally different from the madcap variety of his youth. If it's 'mature,' then it's a pleasingly warped adult we're dealing with.

"Monkey Gone to Heaven" was the first Pixies song I ever heard, which puts it on the Top 5 list by default. This version sounds like a psychedelic funeral, all twisted sadness and garbled warnings.

Frank Black Francis - Monkey Gone To Heaven