Paley & Francis

Recorded in Nashville in just two days (all first takes of course) Paley & Francis is the debut album from sometimes Pixies frontman Frank Black and gravel-voiced Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Reid Paley. According to legend, the longtime friends wrote the opus over three afternoons in New York and there’s definitely a rebellious, devil-may-care spirit to the ten tracks on offer.
A ragged, folk ‘n’ roll record, while the music may feel a little hap-hazard at times, in an era of AutoTune and super-compressed production, their old-school, punk rock approach to creating an LP is a refreshing experience and infuses the material with an air of excitement. Tracks like ‘Magic Cup’ and ‘Curse’ have real charm and character, while Paley’s performance on the ‘50s coffin-rock inspired ‘The Last Song’ is particularly inspired and Black’s backing vocals compliment his croon perfectly.

Aided and abetted by legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios session-men Spooner Oldham and David Hood, the record is a riot of a release that boasts some great sea shanties (‘On The Corner’) and old-fashioned drinking songs (‘Happy Shoes’) and hopefully this slab of wax will be the first of many for the duo.