At the risk of severe understatement, I think we can all agree that the quality of Frank Black's solo work is uneven at best. At fourteen albums and counting, his solo catalog dwarfs that of the Pixies, yet all but the most die-hard fans can't help but feel that his best years are behind him. That said, the man is one of the masters of indie rock songwritng, and there are moments on his solo albums that rival anything he accomplished with his distinguished band.
Teenager of the Year has always been my favorite of his solo albums, and though it's somewhat bloated at 22 tracks, there are great moments spread throughout the disc. "Headache" is one of them; a perfect piece of jangle-pop with vivid imagery and an oddly optimistic sound considering the subject matter. It's also noteworty for being prescient about the Myspace phenomenon at least a decade before it emerged ("I thought about my space, and it really got me down...").
This one's for Audrey Le, who introduced me to the song and was a huge factor in broadening the musical horizons of a hip-hop obsessed teenager. Thanks, Aud.
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