The idea of Pixies 2.0, with 2022’s ‘Doggerel’ fully realizing the spark of greatness that was threatened with debate raging through 2016’s ‘Head Carrier’ and 2019’s ‘Beneath the Eyrie’ If we take it firmly, we’ll be like our protagonist, borrow a phrase from our French cousin, and add some variation. “The Night The Zombies Came” is unmistakably Pixies. “Kings of the Prairie,” “Johnny Good Man,” and opener “Primrose” are perhaps the most “them” of them all. From the Lost Ballad “Mercy Me,” which includes the call “…and I prayed to the St. Bernard,” rhyming with “save us,” “hate us,” and “forgive us.” There are several wordplay choices up until the closing song, “The Vegas Sweet.” ” and the title “Vegas.” And of course, there’s the record that features the debut of another new bassist, Emma Richardson of Band of Skulls.
The Night The Zombies Came is at its most exciting when the pattern deviates somewhat from expectations. The ’50s echoes that pepper “Doggerel” remain, but none of the malice remains. If “perky” was a surprising statement last time, now try something bubbly, dreamy (“Hypnotized”), and downright cute (the expansive yet infectious “The Vegas Suite”) Sho. The frenetic blues-punk romp of “Ernest Evans” is as much fun as the ’70s punk of “Oyster Bed,” while “Motorola” treads new/familiar lines with enviable dexterity. Follow along and leave an open-ended question: Can you hear it? Or is everything else borrowed from the Pixies?
