“Wave of Mutilation” is just one of those songs that if you hear it once, it’s with you all day. loudQUIETloud will have the same effect. The film follows the band through its first reunion in 2004 and the subsequent larger tour. It’s a by-the-numbers music doc but, for fans of the Pixies, it’s absolutely essential. The anti-glamour of their work—of rock ’n’ roll as a slog that takes you away from your family—is well-illustrated, as is the band members’ dawning realization of their work’s impact: They had no idea they’d be hailed as conquering heroes. But what the film also makes clear is why they didn’t last in the first place. The legacy of substance abuse haunts them, as do communication problems, despite the vital music they made.
This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2011.