Preorder now, slated for release Sept. 10!

Track Listing

1. Captain Pasty
2. Thresehold Apprehension
3. Test Pilot Blues
4. Lolita
5. Tight Black Rubber
6. Angels Come To Comfort You
7. Your Mouth Into Mine
8. Descoteque 36
9. You Can't Break a Heart And Have It
10. She Took All the Money
11. Bluefinger

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61541 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Musicians gain songwriting stimulus from broken relationships, bad intentions, and pop culture, but leave it to Black Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black) to find inspiration in the works of the late Dutch painter Herman Brood, who was also recognized as a musician fronting His Wild Romance. The Pixies' alter ego alludes to Brood either candidly or implicitly in all 11 songs, veering far from the Nashville-and-Memphis tones of the last two Black albums for a return trip to his raucous roots on loose-knit tracks like "Lolita" and "Tight Black Rubber" or the rapturous "She Took All the Money," a duet with Violet Clarke. "Captain Pasty" brings a perfunctory reminder of how Black's style once aroused a young Kurt Cobain, its chugging bass melodies and burning bark remindful of Nirvana's Incesticide, while "Angels Come to Comfort You" chugs along like a country ode, referencing the Hilton hotel where Brood died in 2001 and calling him "prettier than Brando" and "punker than punk." He even takes to covering Brood's "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It," its lashing rhythm section and call-and-response vocals a dead ringer for the Bowery circa 1977--and Black Francis and band about 14 years later. --Scott Holter

Album Description
The Pixies' iconic lead singer Frank Black dons his decades-old moniker - Black Francis - and, imbued by the spirit of eccentric Dutch painter/musician Herman Brood, recorded a brand new set of 11 songs, collectively titled Bluefinger. Black Francis recorded Bluefinger in September 2006 in Portland, OR. Appearing on guitars, harmonica and vocals, Francis was joined in the studio by drummer Jason Carter (Guards of Metropolis), Violet Clarke on vocals, and bassist Dan Schmid (The Visible Men). Mark Lemhouse produced the album. Bluefinger showcases a Herman Brood cover, You Can't Break a Heart and Have It, and ten Black Francis originals: Captain Pasty, Test Pilot Blues, Lolita, Tight Black Rubber, Angels Come to Comfort You, Your Mouth Into Mine, Discotheque 36, She Took All the Money, Blue Finger, and Threshold Apprehension.

---

Customer Reviews

All you ever wanted to know about Hermann Brood
Charles' return to the Black Francis moniker and his rocking roots. A great collection of songs about the Dutch Elvis. Each song stands on it's own.

A new direction for Mr. Black
This album finds Black Francis, né Frank Black, né Charles Thompson, in a familiar yet refined musical place. This feels more assertive and produced and less bluegrassy than his last few. Every song references Herman Brood, a Dutch artist, with a Brood cover ("You Can't Break a Heart and Have It"). Diggin' the male/female vocals, one of the things that made the Pixies such a good listen (although I'm a bigger fan overall of his solo stuff, blasphemous as that is). Perfect driving music.

The Rock Opera is Back (and Black)
I've been a fan of Charles Thompson (Frank Black/Black Francis) since his Pixies days and have been waiting for this kind of release for a long time. The great thing about being a BF fan is that his stuff is always interesting and never disappoints, in terms of quality.

I'd have to say Bluefinger is his strongest release since Teenager of the Year. Every song on here is a knockout. It is very much a rock opera, in a casual kind of way, and stars Herman Brood, mentioned above in Amazon's product description. The interesting thing is, it's also a little about Mr. Thompson. When Thompson started recording this, he was close to Herman's age when he passed. Sometimes music can act as a catalyst for an artist, and I believe this is the case with Bluefinger. A recharge, reboot, whatever you want to call it ... a fun new phase has begun with Thompson's music (yes, it's always been fun, but now it's fun once again in a charged up, rockin kind of way). Black felt enough of a connection with Brood on some level to write an album revolving around him.

The cd starts with some great rockers and keeps on rocking into "Angels come to Comfort You", one of the highlights. As the angels escort Herman Brood into Heaven, he is "resurrected" in the next tune ... as Black Francis! Incredible energy and songwriting on this cd and the best thing I have heard come out this year .. in several years, actually. And where did he find that drummer ...? The drumming by Jason Carter is amazing. Ok, obviously I'm a big fan and if you've read this far you know you want to check it out. Highlights are "Angels", "Threshold Apprehension", "Test Pilot Blues" and "Bluefinger" but again, all the songs are great.

I suggest going on to the Black Francis official website (which is a lot of fun), listening to a couple of songs, and making your own decision from there.