Paley & Francis – Paley & Francis

Ugly Life

For an album created in about three days, you’d think there wouldn’t be much to talk about. However, Reid Paley and Black Francis (aka Pixies frontman Frank Black) have managed to provide us with some talking points with their self-titled album Paley & Francis.

Paley & Francis have comprised a simple-sounding, no-bullshit, raw as hell album. It’s a man’s man album that induces smoking and whiskey drinking. “Magic Cup” will likely produce these results, if the first two tracks on the album didn’t do that already, especially “On the Corner” with Paley’s old man grizzly vocals.

Paley & Francis alternate tracks and sing the songs they wrote the lyrics to and their songs become ballads with the help from bassist David Hood and pianist Spooner Oldham (both of The Swampers). Francis does a great job of balancing out Paley’s absolutely rugged voice (example: “Crescent Moon”), while “Ugly Life” and “Deconstructed” still exist to give us nothing but straight up gloomed-out Paley.

While it’s impressive the album was compiled in just a few short days, these two have collaborated and worked together for years, so it is no surprise Paley & Francis has had such a delightful outcome. Definitely one to keep handy for hot summer days spent on your porch or cold winter nights spent with a bottle.