Which Frank Black do you like? Are you a Pixies-type Black Francis-only person? Do you like rock and roll Frank Black? Cowboy? Teenager? I like them all, but some more than others. There’s sinewy, sinister persona on every side of Frank Black because he’s a guy who can change gears on you without asking and just keep driving. Before you know what’s hit you, he’s done something more original than before. His 2005 release Honeycomb received a great deal of praise, but I wasn’t nearly as hot on it as I am on this one. It’s a doozy, read on.

On his soon-to-be-released double CD Fastman Raiderman he takes on a tongue-in-cheek Van Morrisson cum Traffic cum Elton John-circa Madman Across The Water and Tumbleweed Connection version of Frank Black — and this time it works perfectly. There are definitely Pixie-isms scattered throughout these 27 songs, but more importantly than which Frank Black it is that you get on these songs is the fact that it’s the best Frank Black CD I’ve ever heard. Trying to compare it to the rest of his catalog is pretty pointless because there’s really no comparison. This is an accessible Frank Black that has a wide-ranging appeal. He does a better Van Morrisson than even Van does, and the songwriting is, well, fun. It’s consistent, and from Frank Black that means a truly remarkable collection.

I elected to stream a few different tracks just so you can hear what I’m talking about. Here’s an MP3 of the song “Fast Man” from CD1, and on stream, check out “You Can’t Crucify Yourself”, “Elijah”, and “Highway To Lowdown”.

Listen to “Fast Man” by Frank Black

Advance Orders For Fastman Raiderman will be added when available. For now you can visit Frank Black on MySpace by clicking here.