Doggerel (album)

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Doggerel
Studio album by
Pixies
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2022 (2022-09-30)
RecordedJanuary–February 2022
StudioGuilford Sound, Guilford, Vermont
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock
Length42:04
LabelBMG
ProducerTom Dalgety
Pixies chronology
Beneath the Eyrie
(2019) 		Doggerel
(2022)
Singles from Doggerel
  1. "There's a Moon On"
    Released: June 8, 2022[1]
  2. "Vault of Heaven"
    Released: August 9, 2022[2]
  3. "Dregs of the Wine"
    Released: September 6, 2022[3]

Doggerel is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band Pixies, released on September 30, 2022, by BMG Rights Management.[1] It was produced by Tom Dalgety and preceded by the singles "There's a Moon On", "Vault of Heaven" and "Dregs of the Wine".[2][3]

It is the band's final album with bass guitarist and backing vocalist Paz Lenchantin, who departed from the band in March 2024 after extensive touring in support of the album.

Background and recording[edit]

The band recorded the album at Guilford Sound, an eco-friendly studio in Guilford, Vermont, with producer Tom Dalgety, with the basis for some tracks being the significant number of demos Black Francis had recorded in the time following the band's previous album, Beneath the Eyrie (2019). The process of making the album was also filmed for a short documentary released in June 2022.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted recording, resulting in the individual band members working on tracks at their homes.[5]

In a press release, Black Francis stated that the band were "trying to do things that are very big and bold and orchestrated" on the album. He elaborated, "The punky stuff, I really like playing it but you just cannot artificially create that shit. There's another way to do this, there's other things we can do with this extra special energy that we're encountering."[6] Guitarist Joey Santiago expressed that the band "have grown. We no longer have under two-minute songs. We have little breaks, more conventional arrangements but still our twists in there".[7]

The album also marks the first time Santiago has received songwriting credits on a Pixies album,[8] having contributed music to "Dregs of the Wine" and lyrics to "Pagan Man".[9][10] Described by Black Francis as "an unfinished bit of music that the producer kept insisting that we try again," "Pagan Man" was the last song recorded for the album. "I was not in the mood to compose a lyric because I was already spent, if you will. So Joey wrote the lyric."[11] Santiago explains that he had never been motivated to write for Pixies, as Black Francis was always competent to perform that role, but the downtime during the recording sessions resulted in the guitarist tinkering with these two songs and him presenting it to his bandmates.[5]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Line of Best Fit8/10[13]
Loud and Quiet6/10[6]
Pitchfork6.5/10[14]
PopMatters5/10[15]
The Skinny[16]
Sonic Seducer6.72/10[17]

Doggerel received a score of 73 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on twelve critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[12] Jamie Wilde of The Skinny wrote that the band "offer fans something new with their material; something more conventional, sophisticated and orchestrated" than their output of the late 1980s. Wilde also felt that "some choruses on tracks like Vault of Heaven do verge on feeling a bit bland" but that Black Francis's "inimitable vocal twangs still remain and he still has plenty to say yet".[16] Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Christopher Hamilton-Peach wrote that Doggerel has an abundance of "riffs and rockabilly nods" and "finds the American alternative mainstays reinstating bittersweet peaks and ironic edge". Hamilton-Peach elaborated that the album "revolves between the erringly melodic and angst-filtered", calling "The Lord Has Come Back Today" an "upbeat ditty" and describing "You're Such a Sadducee" as having "esoteric-themed acerbic punk bite".[13]

Ben Lynch of Loud and Quiet called Doggerel "the best Pixies record since they've reformed", writing that the band "rips through a range of styles, from furious grunge to acoustic pop swoons, often, if not always, with a gusto that on occasions almost gets you feeling excited again".[6] Iain Key of Louder Than War named it "Album of the Week" and found it to be "an instant album which should please fans young and old" that listeners "will want to play loud, with Dave Lovering's drumming as taut and powerful as ever creating the perfect engine room with Paz Lenchantin now established on bass".[18]

Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "Nothing about Doggerel sounds youthful. The band relies on chops instead of accidents to thrill, favoring production that's clean, burly, and without a lick of grit", and concluded that "there's no denying that Pixies are now an outfit built for comfort, not speed—a group that's found its personal sweet spot and is content to linger there".[14]

In a mixed review for PopMatters, Jay Honeycomb wrote "Black is bitter and irreverent one moment, sincere and sagely the next. These moods are sequenced together without much thread, and it’s hard to know what mindset you need to be in to connect with this album fully. You can hear the talent, but it’s muted chiefly under a comfortable blanket of ennui."[15]

The German magazine Sonic Seducer published the reviews of nine staff writers. The result was also mixed with some authors calling the album "fresh" and "a great collection of songs" and others dubbing it dull and monotonous. Reviewer Kym Gnuch complained about "too many songs sounding like CCR, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and other 1970s blues rock legends." Stephan Wolf wondered whether Jello Biafra had influenced the songwriting, whereas Breda Massmann and Thomas Thyssen praised the "catchy melodies" and the overall arrangement.[17]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Black Francis, except where noted

Doggerel track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nomatterday" 4:10
2."Vault of Heaven" 4:00
3."Dregs of the Wine"Francis, Joey Santiago3:30
4."Haunted House" 3:30
5."Get Simulated" 3:18
6."The Lord Has Come Back Today" 2:40
7."Thunder and Lightning" 3:20
8."There's a Moon On" 2:50
9."Pagan Man"Francis, Santiago3:00
10."Who's More Sorry Now?" 3:14
11."You're Such a Sadducee" 3:54
12."Doggerel" 4:38
Total length:42:04

Personnel[edit]

Pixies

Technical personnel

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Doggerel
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 73
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 55
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 98
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 23
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 18
Irish Albums (OCC)[26] 34
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[27] 33
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[29] 36
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 33
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 13
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[32] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[33] 43
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[34] 16

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (June 8, 2022). "Pixies Announce New Album Doggerel, Share New Song "There's a Moon On": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Pixies Share Latest Doggerel Single 'Vault Of Heaven'". Spin. August 9, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Bouza, Kat (September 6, 2022). "Pixies Explore the Surreal on Explosive Single 'Dregs Of The Wine'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Blistein, Jon (June 6, 2022). "Pixies Shack Up in Snowy Vermont to Record Their New Album 'Doggerel' in Short Documentary". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Prato, Greg (February 6, 2023). "Pixies' Joey Santiago Talks Tour, Recording With Steve Albini, Alt-Rock's Early '90s Explosion". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Lynch, Ben (September 26, 2022). "Pixies – Doggerel – Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Krol, Charlotte (June 8, 2022). "Pixies confirm new album 'Doggerel' with single 'There's A Moon On'". NME. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Patton, Alli (September 29, 2022). "Guitarist Joey Santiago Talks Pixies' New Album 'Doggerel' – "This is the Grown-Up Version of 'Doolittle'"". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. ^ Paul, George A. (October 3, 2022). "Pixies Lead Guitarist Joey Santiago Discusses the Making of the Band's New Album, 'Doggerel' (Out Now)". Rockcellar Magazine. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  10. ^ Daly, Andrew (September 19, 2022). "An Interview with Joey Santiago of the Pixies". VWMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Griffiths, Mike (June 9, 2022). "Pixies unveil new album 'Doggerel' and describe it as 'Doolittle Senior'". ITV. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Doggerel by Pixies Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Hamilton-Peach, Christopher (September 27, 2022). "Doggerel finds Pixies with an abundance of riffs and rockabilly nods". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 4, 2022). "Pixies: Doggerel Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Honeycomb, Jay (September 28, 2022). "Pixies' 'Doggerel' Is Solid Folk Rock Out of Step with Modern Trends". PopMatters. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Wilde, Jamie (September 26, 2022). "Pixies album review: Doggerel". The Skinny. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Soundcheck". Sonic Seducer (in German). Vol. 30, no. 10. 2022. pp. 72–73.
  18. ^ Key, Iain (September 25, 2022). "Pixies: Doggerel – review – Album of the Week!". Louder Than War. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 10 October 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1701. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 10, 2022. p. 6.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Pixies – Doggerel" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Pixies – Doggerel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Pixies – Doggerel" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pixies – Doggerel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Pixies – Doggerel". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pixies – Doggerel" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  27. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Pixies – Doggerel". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Pixies – Doggerel". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pixies – Doggerel". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  33. ^ "Pixies Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  34. ^ "Pixies Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
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