Frank Black

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• Genre: Noise Pop
• Hometown: Los Angeles
• Frank Black Website

About

Former head honcho of the influential Pixies, Frank Black has experienced hit-and-miss success since breaking up his old band in 1993. Though prolific in terms of his overall solo output, Black has yet to surpass expectations thrust upon him at the outset of his solo career. That's not to slag the quality of his post-Pixies material, however -- Black has concocted some of the most criminally underappreciated, guitar-spiked alt-rock of the '90s, often lacing his songs with sneaky hooks and odd tempo changes here and there to keep the indie crowd on its toes. Black may not command the same star presence that he did in the Pixies' heydey when he went by the more abrasive moniker "Black Francis," but his solo music is still out there on the edge, taking chances and causing its creator to sweat up more of a storm than ever onstage -- no small feat.

- Charles Hodgkins