Frank Black and the Catholics

by Frank Black and the Catholics, Frank Black

Overview

Never trust an artist's opinion on his own recordings. Frank Black calls Frank Black and the Catholics the "best recording [he] ever made," ignoring a decade worth of great, innovative indie rock. A better assessment may be: Frank Black and the Catholics is the most direct record he's ever made. If you just want garage punk, stripped of all the odd time signatures, subverted chord progressions, cryptic lyrics, and sonic experimentation that marked his first two albums, as well as his work with the Pixies, this album may satisfy your needs. Then again, all those "frills" were part of the reason Black was such a respected and influential artist, and without them he sounds disturbingly conventional. Fortunately, The Catholics doesn't trade in the sub-metal cliches that plagued The Cult of Ray, concentrating on straight-ahead garage punk. There are some good hooks on the songs and the performances have some real energy, but all the songs wind up blending into each other by the end of the record. On the whole, it's a step forward from The Cult of Ray, but it still feels like a retreat from his entire body of work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/19/2024
Label:	Demon Records / Edsel
UPC:	5014797910218
Rank:	31316

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Frank Black and the Catholics   Primary Artist
Frank Black   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar
Dave McCaffrey   Vocals (Background),Guitar (Bass)
Scott Boutier   Drums
Lyle Workman   Guitar

Technical Credits

Frank Black and the Catholics   Producer,Performer
Frank Black   Producer,Composer,Performer,Liner Notes
Eddy Schreyer   Mastering
Nick Raskulinecz   Assistant Engineer
Larry Norman   Composer
Billy Bowers   Engineer