Frank Black And The Catholics: Pistolero

The first track on Frank Black's fifth solo album picks up pretty much where the last one—the self-titled debut of his band The Catholics—left off, and that's not a bad thing at all. An uneven but generally satisfying collection of fast, tight songs assembled in record time, Frank Black And The Catholics found Black directing his energy into the most powerful music since his solo debut. Even the scream came back. Unfortunately, Black's bad habits sneak back into the mix on the new Pistolero. Did anyone ask for those wanky guitar solos, or for the dumb "I Love Your Brain" It makes Black's cry of "I want rock 'n' roll" sound less like a demand than a desperate plea. It doesn't help that "Billy Radcliffe," one of Pistolero's most likable songs, sounds like a retread of The Pixies' "Alec Eiffel," or that the no-frills production which helped Frank Black And The Catholics works against Black's ambitions here. He clearly still has something to offer—there's a reason beyond fondness for The Pixies that keeps people coming back for these oft-frustrating solo albums—but the half-baked Pistolero doesn't showcase those gifts particularly well.