Bluefinger is an album by Black Francis[12] (a.k.a. Frank Black). The album was released on 11 September 2007 in the United States and Europe. The project was revealed via several cryptic posts by Black on his unofficial website,[13] which were confirmed as accurate when the album leaked to file-sharing services earlier in the year.

Bluefinger
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 2007
RecordedSeptember 2006
Studio
GenreAlternative rock
Length39:11
LabelCooking Vinyl
ProducerMark Lemhouse
Black Francis chronology
Frank Black 93–03
(2007)
Bluefinger
(2007)
Svn Fngrs
(2008)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB[3]
NME7/10[4]
Mojo[5]
Magnet[6]
Paste[7]
Pitchfork6.6/10[8]
Q[9]
Uncut[10]
Under the Radar[11]
Black Francis pays a tribute to Herman Brood near his statue in Zwolle, Netherlands on February 29, 2008

All of the songs on the album reference Dutch musician and artist Herman Brood (1946-2001), some directly and some indirectly. In addition, "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It" is a Brood cover. The title of the album, Bluefinger, is also a direct reference to the birthplace of Brood, who was born in the Dutch city of Zwolle, of which the citizens are colloquially known as Blauwvingers (Bluefingers).

The song "Threshold Apprehension" was #90 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[14]

"You Can't Break a Heart and Have It" was included in the soundtrack for Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

In 2010, Bluefinger was adapted into a play/rock opera, in collaboration with Jason Nodler, for Houston's acclaimed Catastrophic Theatre.[15]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Black Francis, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Captain Pasty" 2:23
2."Threshold Apprehension" 5:12
3."Test Pilot Blues" 2:55
4."Lolita" 2:59
5."Tight Black Rubber" 4:17
6."Angels Come to Comfort You" 4:25
7."Your Mouth Into Mine" 3:41
8."Discotheque 36" 4:40
9."You Can't Break a Heart and Have It"Herman Brood2:36
10."She Took All the Money" 2:30
11."Bluefinger" 3:29
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Polly's Into Me"4:43
13."Virginia Reel"4:44

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[16]

Musicians
Technical
  • Mark Lemhouse – producer
  • Thaddeus Moore – engineer
  • Jason Carter – engineer, mixing
  • Myles Mangino – mastering, mixing
  • James Jefferson – design
  • Julian Clark - artwork
  • Richard Hermitage – management

References

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  1. ^ "Bluefinger by Black Francis". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  2. ^ Phares, Heather. "Black Francis: Bluefinger". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. ^ Tobias, Scott (11 September 2007). "Black Francis: Bluefinger". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger". NME. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger Review". Mojo: 110. September 2007.
  6. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger Review". Magnet: 96. Fall 2007.
  7. ^ Isaac, Mike (11 September 2007). "Black Francis: Bluefinger". Paste. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  8. ^ Tangari, Joe (5 September 2007). "Black Francis: Bluefinger". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger Review". Q: 94. October 2007.
  10. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger". Uncut: 83. October 2007.
  11. ^ "Black Francis: Bluefinger". Under the Radar: 72. Summer 2007.
  12. ^ Frank Black reveals details of two new albums | News | NME.COM
  13. ^ "FrankBlack.net - What's Going On". Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  14. ^ No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
  15. ^ Black Francis and Catastrophic Theatre Stage a Rock ResurrectionHouston Press. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
  16. ^ Bluefinger (Liner notes). Black Francis. Cooking Vinyl. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)