This week I am reviewing the album Head Carrier by Pixies. Head Carrier came out in
2016, following the band’s bassist, Kim Deal leaving. Deal was a massive influence in the band.
The song All I Think About Now on Head Carrier was written as a thank-you letter to Deal,

and even though it wasn’t a single, it turned out to be the biggest hit on this album and one of
their biggest hits period. This album is pretty mellow compared to some of their earlier releases,
while sticking to their indie roots they also seemed to have made their music sound a little more
accessible.
This album is very bass-heavy, creating a mellow listening experience. Along with the
low, euphonious bass they created an album with both twangy guitar and screeching guitar.
Vocalist, Black Francis displays his amazing voice especially well on tracks like Um Chagga
Lagga and Baal’s Back. The backing vocals on this album are kind of distracting in certain
parts, especially when more isolated vocal parts come along. It kind of takes away from certain
tracks. I love the use of cymbals in this album, they give me very light and airy vibes.
One thing I will criticize about this album is that around halfway through, I realized that
it was kind of repetitive, with only a few stand-out tracks. While I found no tracks bad, I did find
a lot of them to sound like filler tracks. This album’s main problem for me is that it’s kind of
boring. I love the tracks, Head Carrier, Oona, and All I Think about Now. Those tracks
feel very authentic and strong on the album. None of the other tracks are anything I would
particularly come back to though.
I enjoy a lot of Pixie’s work, such as their debut album, Come on Pilgrim, their third
album, Doolittle and the one to follow, Bossanova. These albums best display their creative
capabilities and some helped carve the way for early alt-rock and indie music. Head Carrier
wasn’t bad by any means but I would personally rate it 5/10. Sorry, Ethan, I don’t mean to diss
your favorite band but this album is mid at best.