With
the Pixies and as
Frank Black,
Black Francis often tucked away some of his best songs as B-sides, and the collection
Abbabubba reveals that this is still the case. In sharp contrast to the high-concept albums like the
Herman Brood homage
Bluefinger, the exploration of sexuality that was
NonStopErotik, and the score to the 1920 silent film The Golem, these songs are mostly short and direct, sometimes rudimentary, and almost always refreshing.
Francis mixes demos of songs that made it onto full-fledged albums, like the especially raw takes on
NonStopErotik's “Rabbits” and “Dead Man’s Curve,” with sketches like “Il Cuchaiao” and “The Water,” both of which were only available previously from
Francis’ official website.
Abbabubba delivers the real goods with more fleshed-out tracks like “Serious Curious,” which echoes “Monkey Gone to Heaven” with its spoken word verses, the playful “Polly’s into Me,” and “Alabaster,” another website exclusive that pays tribute to another of
Francis’ sci-fi girls. Meanwhile, “Get Away Oil,” a rocker originally on the Threshold Apprehension EP, shows that
Francis still has the ability to inject the most innocuous words with crazed tension with the way he snarls “mouse!” Three remixes of the 2008 single “The Seus” add to the quirky, hodgepodge feel here, with
Infadels cutting and pasting the track almost beyond recognition, Charles Normal adding synth strings to the song that make it sound like it came from
Frank Black or
Teenager of the Year, and
Bloc Party transforming it into a serrated dancefloor workout. While there are a few rarities missing here,
Abbabubba still works as a goodie bag for
Black Francis fans who need these previously far-flung tracks. ~ Heather Phares