Frank Black: Honeycomb

Frank Black
Honeycomb

by Morgan Clendaniel

The man performing on the new Frank Black album, Honeycomb, is not the Frank Black of the Pixies, nor is it the Frank Black of the Catholics. There are no screams, so screeching guitars, no polyglot non-sequiters. Black, at least for a few brief moments, seems to have suspended almost every aspect of his previous musical ventures as he recorded Honeycomb over four days in Nashville. Backed by a group of legendary session men, including Reggie Young and Spooner Oldham, Black lays down laid-back country soul that is nearly flawless from beginning to end.

The first six songs on Honeycomb are nearly perfect. Many albums pack a strong opening punch, but with Honeycomb, the hits keep on coming and coming. It's a thrilling run that begins slowly and mournfully with "Selkie Song," which, naturally, is a song about failed love with for a seal-woman. Some things about Black, apparently will never change, as surrealism and sea themes abound (though, oddly enough, Black did not write the song about talking shrimp). The brilliant opening sextet includes a cover of the classic "Dark End of the Street," which was written by Honeycomb engineer Dan Penn. The first few times through, it's awkward to hear Black's voice quaver through the memorable tune. But, the delivery gets better with each listening, and the bridge's "they're gonna find us" is delivered with a overwhelming sense of desperation and longing.

The music on Honeycomb sounds almost as if it was coming from the past. The smooth sounds of these experienced musicians shows that some people still understand that you can play passionately without playing loudly. It's something Black clearly knew during his Pixies days, but it may be that these grizzled vets helped him understand it even better. To be sure, the album has some fat around the middle, but none of the filler that one finds on the typical album these days. Other highlights include "My Life is In Storage" and "Strange Goodbye," a touching take on the standard country duet which features Black and his ex-wife singing bitter sweetly about their divorce.

From top to bottom, this is one of the best records of the year. Though it's easy to get annoyed at the embarrassment of riches of people like Black, who toss of records like this in four days, it's best to ignore that feeling. Instead, be content in knowing that a man who already helped revitalize rock and roll has turned around and shown that he will not be sequestered to the reunion tour circuit forever; he still has a lot left to do in music, and an incredible amount of talent to do it with.