Black Francis

★★★ 07-11

EDSEL. CD

Nine-CD box of chief Pixie’s last splurge of solo recordings.

After Pixies reformed, Charles Thompson ditched his second alias, Frank Black, and reverted to Black Francis for five solo studio albums, rarities collection

Abbabubba and two live albums. 2007’s Bluefinger and

2008 mini-album Sv n F ng rs are wiry garage rock, more stripped back than Pixies’ mini-album debut Come On

Pilgrim. His subsequent soundtrack to 1920 horror The

Golem gave Francis licence to venture beyond raucous rock to dreamy psych, piano ballads and saxophone squawk; likewise, 2010’s gripping NonStopErotik. Of the two live sets, 2008’s Utah show – just voice and electric guitar – stirred in seven crowd-pleasing Pixies songs. Bypass 2011’s relatively underwhelming collaboration with frequent co-writer Reid Paley, Paley & Francis, and 07-11 affirms that noughties Francis was a more potent force than his reputation suggests. And as he’s only written for Pixies since, it’s also a fitting epitaph for the man in Black.