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Come on Pilgrim EP (1992)

Come on Pilgrim EP (1992)

7

Caribou / Vamos / Isla de Encanta / Ed Is Dead / The Holiday Song / Nimrod’s Son / I’ve Been Tired / Levitate Me

Come on Pilgrim Probably the coolest band in the world when I discovered alternative rock, the Pixies may go down in history as the ultimate indie band. It’s not they had to endure mainstream sabotage like loads of underground bands during the previous decade – in fact, they got their taste of moderate success pretty quickly – but they soon became HUGE in Europe and got tagged as “the band that might save rock ‘n roll” (not that it was necessary – although they were certainly refreshing), and their otherworldly approach undoubtedly turned ‘em into the subject of countless long-winded coffee shop-discussions, among hipsters all over college campuses and trendy record stores. Rightly so, because when 4AD signed them after having heard their convincing 17-song demo, they knew they’d found the rarity that might benefit their label profile. As I suggested, the band still sounds unique today; they were the balanced combination of artiness and accessibility, of abrasive and ‘familiar’ ingredients, with the ‘differences’ to be found on every level of their being. Even though Charles Thompson/Black Francis/Frank Black had a gigantic knack for writing strangely uplifting melodies that sounded as if they were invented by a Californian with Martian roots, the band’s albums are more notorious for their quirky noisiness that somehow combined the manic intensity of punk with Pere Ubu’s refusal to conform and the Violent Femmes’ idiosyncratic folk-with-a-few-punk-albums-in-the-closet (of course, that insistent nag also reminds of Gordon Gano’s).

Stylistically, they’re almost impossible to pin down: obviously inspired by punk and the creative thunderstorm of guitar bands that tore through the US in the ‘80’s, but also by instrumental ‘60’s music, especially surf (but with a weird twist - the basic bass/drum repetition in “Vamos” is a pure example of this particular style), seemingly Spanish-tinged folk music and everything else that didn’t fit. On top of the already eclectic mix, you had a singer whose vocals also combined the sugary with the repulsive and whose lyrics seemed to be the result of a toddler’s cut-n-paste approach to a lunatic’s diary, with more suggestions of perversion than the average Rockbitch-release. From the first descending guitar figure of “Caribou” (done over - with a wink - on Teenager of the Year) onwards, the music also sounds wholly inimitable, as the melody introduced is almost irritatingly sweet, but then gets ridiculed by Black’s ‘slaughtered pig’-screeches (“REEE-PEEENT”). Equally remarkable is lead guitarist Joey Santiago’s playing, which you could compare to, say, Jackson’s Pollock’s action painting. Throwing in generous doses of squeals and squalls, randomly jarring and jagged incisions that are treated with honey-sweet bandages and Bob Bogle-styled minimalism, his role in the play is as important as the singer’s. At this point, bass player Kim Deal (or “Mrs. John Murphy,” as she’s called in the liner notes) fulfils a rather minor role, occasionally providing backing vocals and thumping bass lines, but that would change soon enough. In the meantime, David Lovering’s propulsive drumming is what makes tracks like “Vamos” and “Isla de Encanta” more exciting than they basically deserve. While the former gets its out-of-step status from the fucked up idea of adding Spanish nonsense (about going to the beach and jerking off) and Santiago’s retching guitar effects, the latter’s a one-dimensional, but exhilarating burst of manic energy and more “taco & tequila”-banter.

Whereas “Ed Is Dead” is usually pointed out as one of the band’s earliest classics, I’m not considering it a highlight here. Granted, those stretched guitar notes and Deal’s backings would be used to great effect later on, but I’d rather hear “The Holiday Song” again; while the line “Well sit right down my wicked son” and the steady beat already point forward to Bossanova’s “Allison,” the hard-hitting chorus would wind up during several later songs (“Something Against You”?). After this decent mid-section, the EP picks up again toward the end: “Nimrod’s Son” is a theatrical update of the Violent Femmes’ early acoustic punk (and who can forget the classic break “You are the son of a MOTHER…FUCKER”?), while the spooky album closer “Levitate Me” is a minor wonder of minimalism that, like the similarly normal “Caribou,” is a winner. In the meantime, there’s also been the silly high-pitched dialogue in “I’ve Been Tired,” but apart from the new-wavey intro and the funny lyrics (mentioning Lou Reeds and whores with diseases will always get you some credit), it’s more entertaining than really memorable. With the 20 minutes of Come on Pilgrim, the Bostonian band hadn’t made its first masterpiece yet (no one expected them to, as these cuts are basically just demos), but the sound, vision and porcine squeals were already there. It only took more consistent material to arrive properly in the big league of commercial hopelessness.

Reader comments:

Zophael979 (USA):
Perhaps I wouldn't call The Pixies THE indie band because indie rock, especially the 80s stuff, is a bit too vast and covers far too many styles for one band to define it, but The Pixies are definitely one of the best bands to exist in the underground (and probably one of the best to exist period).They'd deliver some of the best pop songs ever written on later albums and set the bar high for many rock bands to follow, but their debut EP, Come On Pilgrim, showcases the band at their most raw and perhaps their most energetic. This is perhaps the closest thing to a punk rock record the Pixies ever recorded. They'd change somewhat with every record, but like R.E.M., they had their sound laid down from the very first.

"Caribou" is just great---slow and churning hard rock based around Joey Santiago's melodic but wonderfully dissonant guitar work, perfectly matching the agony of Black Francis's tortured wails, as well as the sweetly sung verses. Quite the good intro to the music of The Pixies. I consider the version of "Vamos" found here to be superior to one on Surfer Rosa. Less stretched out than that version and delivered with more punkish energy. "Isla de Encanta" is a little slight sounding compared to the rest here, but it's awfully hilarious if only for the lyrics (which, along with "Vamos", are well worth translating if you don't know the language). I agree with you that "Ed Is Dead" isn't the blowaway song of the record, but it's good piece of straight forward rock that's a good sign of the great things to come. I still haven't quite figured out how the "Ed is dead" chant in the chorus has anything to do with the verses though.

"The Holiday Song" is great as well---a sick tale of incest set to great melodic rock and roll. Perhaps my favorite song off the record. "Nimrod's Song" sounds sort of like "Vamos", but with more of a country western bend---as usual, the lyrics are both sick and hilarious, dealing with a man being told he was the product of incest on his deathbed after suffering a motorcycle accident. It's twisted but creative stuff like that which makes Frank Black's song-writing so special. Likewise, "I've Been Tired" rocks hard, is hilarious, and is also strangely resonant. After all, I think we've all been sleepless to the point of complete incoherence (unless you're one of those people with healthy sleeping habits...whatever...) and Black Francis manages to extract complete hilarity from such commonplace situations. Also, any song that name drops Lou Reed is alright by me (unless it sucks, which this one doesn't). "Levitate Me" is also another contender for best song on the album, featuring rumbling bass work by Kim Deal and more contrasting melodic parts AND one of my favorite vocal breaks by Black "If all in all is true/if all in all is true/won't you please run over me?"

Even though they'd get progressively better with their later releases, Come On Pilgrim is an extremely strong first record for the band and one that most new and upcoming bands would kill for. Also, good catch on the Violent Femmes influence. I didn't think about it before, but now it makes perfect sense. A great EP overall. It gets a solid 8.