Pandemonium Cheesecake

In 1982 Rush released Signals , their ninth studio album and a complete reversal in sound from their previous record Moving Pictures . The synthesizers, which had been used for moods and accents on the previous records, came forward to dominate the sound. And I hated it when it came out. I was like 'this is worse than your mom eating a puke sandwich' (hey, I was 12 forgive me). Rush was my first favorite band and this was one of the first albums that I was looking forward to its release. I was hoping for Moving Pictures 2, or something closer to the sound of their previous five studio albums. Something with a thirteen minute song about space, or gods, or trees. What I got was the opposite. Instead of driving arena rock I got fuzzy humming synth/pop. Like their debut, Signals sticks out in their catalog like a cold sore on a prom queen. Have I mentioned that I hated it? My dislike for the record continued for a long time. I was in my mid 30s when I finally redisc...

The second ep in a series of three from one of the most influential bands of the 80s. It's hard to listen to this record and not to hold it up against their previous work. It's unfair to the Pixies because most bands would have trouble following up masterpieces like Doolittle or Surfer Rosa , especially after 20+ years. The four songs that make up EP2 aren't anything exciting, there's no "Gigantic" or "Monkey's Gone to Heaven" and its clear that Pixies 2.2 are still trying to find a sound. They shift back and forth from Trompe Le Monde era to early Frank Black solo work, but never stray too far from the guitar driven, quiet-loud-quiet blueprint that made them so important to the growth of countless alternative bands that followed in their wake. The opening track "Blue Eyed Hexe" is their attempt at an AC/DC song, and its a good one at that. The riff is pure Angus and the chorus is lifted from the Highway to Hell album ...