Black Francis - NonStopErotik

Listening to Black Francis’ new album ‘NonStopErotik’ is like sneaking a peak at the pages of a secret diary he’s foolishly left lying around, with the revelations contained within both shocking and compelling. The almost unbearable intimacy is heightened by the sensual black and white artwork of a beautiful lady lying in crumpled sheets, compounded by none-too-subtle song titles (‘When I Go Down On You’). As for accompanying the press release – written by the man itself, no less – it clearly sets the tone for what’s to come: “…I am Man Ray and I want you and to be all the way inside you, the cameras whirring as we put some elbow grease into the scene, the audience watching us in the dark.” Not exactly the kind of thing you’d be happy for your gran to catch you doing, eh, Black Francis?

The thing is, Black Francis is a more than willing co-conspirator in this spilling the beans tell all of an album – it’s clear that he has left his diary open, and is actively encouraging you to read it, engage with it and frankly get your rocks off to it. All this should by rights leave you feeling pretty smutty but in fact the end result is a charming album, racing through pleasing extremes of gentle folkish swaying and raw rock outs we’ve come to expect from the erstwhile Pixies frontman and formidable solo artist.

We shouldn’t be too surprised at Black Francis’ fixation on the erotic side of things, though – after all this is the man who once wrote the immortal lines ‘Oh dance with me / Oh don’t be shy / Oh kiss me c**t / Oh kiss me cock’ (Pixies - ‘U-Mass’). It’s good to see that the years haven’t dampened his wicked ardour, or indeed the directness of his lyrics (“I want to be inside / That’s my intention / Inside of you” from the album’s title track), although sometimes you can’t help but think perhaps some of these ideas are best left for the ears of his loved one only.

Putting our squeamishness aside, the music is solid, if not always totally gripping; but as you’d expect there are flashes of musical loveliness scattergunned throughout the album – as when Black Francis’ falsetto blends beautifully and falteringly over the top of barely there acoustic track ‘Rabbits’, juxtaposed with finesse with a rabidly energetic cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ foot stomper ‘Wheels’. Given the intimate tone of the record, you’ve got to ask yourself if ‘Six Legged Man’ could be a euphemism for something salacious? We’re too innocent to know, of course, but what it is, is a fabulous stomp-a-thon designed to raise the roof with its hurricane blast of fuzzed up guitars and blustery drums. ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ is another highlight, proving that he can still deliver crashingly good rock tracks, even if they are a teeny bit more middle of the road than the sparklingly surreal indie pop of his youth.

You never quite lose the initial feeling that this is more like a personal record of an especially passionate relationship than an album for public consumption – and in this sense it veers into the murky territory of that much maligned beast, the concept album – but ultimately ‘NonStopErotik’ contains too many joyful wig outs to take itself too seriously. Black Francis is on a one-way trip straight to the saucier side of love, and he’s just itching to take you along for the ride, too.