Frank Black And The Catholics
Show Me Your Tears (SpinArt)
by Scott Deckman
With the beginning strum-n-thump of “Nadine” on Show Me Your Tears, his ninth solo record since leaving the incredible Pixies (and sixth billed with The Catholics), Frank Black evinces two things: 1) he’s plugging on with his live-to-two-track (and supposedly no-edit) formula which has probably lost him more fans than it has gained, and 2) he can still write kickass songs no matter the style or lyrical content.
And like the last few records, The Rolling Stones still chart highly in the influence brigade; just check out the blues licks and honky-tonk feel of “Jaina Blues.” “Everything Is New” weaves a tale of woe equally pretty and allegorical, while the piano-laden “New House of the Pope” finds him so despondent, he naturally wonders “When Will Happiness Find Me Again?” I’ll tell ya where: “Massif Centrale,” where Black faces down his demons in another of his intricate sub-rock operas. Gravitating to Central France, he finds inspiration in change of scenery, a chick, and introspection. “It sure is cold here in the summer, I haven’t got her number/But the sky is very bright, and the sun is very clear” he sings, before switching gears, eventually building into a cathartic wail that’s familiar to the epiphany in all of us. Yes, space is gonna do him good.
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