- Straight off the bat, the new Pixies record is a return to form for the veteran Boston alternative rock group. The reunion flop Indie Cindy sparked fears of the distinctive group ultimately calling it a day, from the loss of Kim Deal to the line-up catastrophes that have lined their press with scandal. When this reviewer was a wee teenager queueing up the soundtrack to his future on a cheap mp3 player, a mate had said that Black Francis had a vocal range that even Tibetan throat-singing monks were jealous of and, apparently, that bit of spiritual something-else lives on in the man to this day. Despite the troubles of recent years, the Pixies current line-up is almost indistinguishable in sound and appearance from the time of their formation in 1986, with the notable absence of Kim Deal. After the divestment of Deal and the subsequent shafting of her replacement Shattuck, fellow Pixies originals Francis, Lovering and Santiago have settled upon the enchanting Paz Lenchantin as bass player and female vocalist. Bully for her, Lenchantin sounds in voice and walking bass almost exactly like Deal back in the day and tracks like the charming Oona and its plea: “Please / Can I wanna be in your band” set about welcoming her into the Pixies fold without skipping a beat. Speaking of tracks, let’s get this straight, Head Carrier is a mixed platter of Pixies flavours, from the heavy Baal’s Back to the boring on purpose indie whistler The Tenement Song. The Pixies pretty much use Head Carrier as a vehicle for the reboot of their eclectic legacy of surf, pop, noise and indie rock peppered with veiled religious references, absurd personal scenarios and downright nonsense. This should excite all you true believers and H&M t-shirt collectors alike. Though it may sound like enough of a perfect imitation of their past work to make a Liam Lynch impersonator proud, I can guarantee the average punter that this album bodes well for a band that just hit thirty and, most especially, if you’ve bought tickets to their upcoming tour.

- Matt Rathaus.