Pixies
Indie Cindy
(Pixiesmusic/PIAS)
⋆⋆⋆⋆
Watching many survivors of the late 1980s/early 1990s alternative rock boom stumble around the modern musical landscape is a rather distressing experience – it’s akin to viewing time-travelling cavemen in a world that has long since moved on.
But the Pixies, who re-formed in 2003 to tour the world after acrimoniously splitting a decade earlier, were always more than another set of scruffy alt rockers.
The multimillion-selling, trailblazing Boston quartet were a rare example where the epithet “influential” fit. They were so beloved by Kurt Cobain, indeed, that the late Nirvana leader credited the writing process behind Smells Like Teen Spirit as his attempt to “rip off the Pixies”.
This first studio album in more than 20 years – a collation of new material all previously released as three comeback EPs over the past seven months – is somewhat significant in certain circles, then. What Goes Boom lays the groundwork for what follows, with its insistent hook imploring us to “make some room” over a tub-thumping three-and-a-half minutes, while Blue Eyed Hexe opens with an almost ZZ Top swagger.
It’s the lead track from EP3, Bagboy, that will send fans nostalgically dashing back to previous cult classics tracks such as Debaser, however.
Their lead singer Frank “Black Francis” Black’s typically eccentric non-sequiturs, the chanted, elliptical repetitions of “cover your breath” and an almost-angelic chorus conspire to mark it vintage Pixies. Granted, the band are poorer for the loss of their original bassist Kim Deal, whose off-kilter harmonies and lead-vocal cameos defined several of their finest moments (see Gigantic).
But despite filling his interim years with a dizzying total of solo projects, Black sounds far from the bottom of his lyrical well, flitting from yelps to half-spoken verses in signature style. And Joey Santiago’s trebly guitar lines still appealingly arrow through the air.
Perhaps it’s because the Pixies haven’t attempted to fix what was never musically broken, or that they have have maintained their lineage of tuneful discordance that masks often-troubling subject matter, or the fact that they’ve reunited with their favoured producer Gil Norton, that Indie Cindy feels more of a continuation than a comeback.
While it doesn’t quite hit the perfection of the Pixies’ past, after two decades-plus in the recording wilderness, that is no mean feat in itself.
aworkman@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Look%20Both%20Ways
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
INDIA%20SQUAD
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Naga
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
FORSPOKEN
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Baldur's%20Gate%203
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Marvel's%20Spider-Man%202
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Assassin's%20Creed%20Mirage
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Starfield
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Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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Company%20profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions