Pixies’ Black Francis on ‘The Night the Zombies Came,’ 35 years of ‘Doolittle’ and Steve Albini

AP Music Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The undead, Medieval-themed suburban restaurants, the mall. Druidism, decapitated chickens, rebirth. Church, sheep slaughter, science fiction. These are a few, not all, of the topics touched upon on the Pixies’ 10th studio album, “The Night the Zombies Came.” It’s a 13-track kaleidoscopic collection of songs that veer from folk to punk to psychedelia and back again. Frontman Black Francis says there is no unifying theme or genre across the album. That’s not too dissimilar to “Doolittle,” their 1989 album that turned 35 this year. It followed 1988’s breakout “Surfer Rosa,” produced by the late Steve Albini. Francis says Albini reminded the band not to take themselves too seriously.