The Pixies: Good News For People Who Smell Like Teen Spirit (YSMY... W/O)
Written: May 08 '05 (Updated May 29 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Definitely an interesting template, set the template for many rock acts that followed.
Cons: Gets a bit repetitive towards the end of the album.
The Bottom Line: Wanna know who influenced bands like Nirvana? With off-kilter vocals, lyrics and musicianship, The Pixies' "Surfer Rosa" is an interesting document of late-80's modern rock.
|
|
|
| speeddemon531's Full Review: |
It's funny how things work out.
I'd recently developed a crush on someone who was a huge Pixies fan. He practically wet himself when he scored tickets to their comeback shows in NYC. As generally happens with my crushes (requited or not), I try to co-opt little parts of their personality so I can become closer to them. Sounds stalker-ish, huh? Anyway, after working retail for over a decade and having SOLD tons of Pixies records but having also never having made a concerted effort to hear the band, I figured now was a good time to start.
Then along came the "I'll Show You Mine/You Show Me Yours" write-off, hosted by the lovely and talented matta75), who manages to come up with nifty ideas like this while acting as the Archie Bunker of this here website. I was paired with grandpa_riot, who, I was shocked to discover, is NOT a Grandpa or an actual rioter (riotist?), but rather, a cool kid from L.A. Jon gave me a couple of titles to choose from, and I almost slapped myself when I realized one of the titles he mentioned was a Pixies title. I immediately requested the Pixies title, then decided that slapping myself wouldn't be a good idea. So I slapped the cat instead.
A week later, "Surfer Rosa" was in my mailbox, and shortly thereafter I gave it a spin on ye olde CD player. What I discovered was fairly in line with what I expected. "Surfer Rosa" is "120 Minutes"-era modern rock. The album, clocking in at an amazing 34 minutes, is chock full of alt-rock singalongs, bolstered by the intriguing vocal combination of Frank Black (was he Black Francis back then?) and Kim Deal (didn't she write "Cannonball?" I love that song!). Their influences are easy to spot. Take some Talking Heads, some early R.E.M. and some B-52's, shake 'em up in a cup, and you've got The Pixies. Frank's vocals are a bit off-center. I'd compare 'em to Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Kim sounds like every rock-chick that showed up in the early 90's, which brings me to yet another point.
THESE GUYS WERE FRIGGIN' INFLUENTIAL!!
"Surfer Rosa", if I'm not mistaken, was made in 1988, which predates the grunge revolution by three years. It is VERY easy to hear The Pixies' sound in bands like Nirvana. The loud-soft dynamic that Nirvana used on-well, just about every song-is there, and there are plenty of production and instrumental elements that the bands share. Even the chorus for "Break My Body" sounds almost exactly like some other Nirvana song that I can't place right now. No coincidence then, that "Surfer Rosa" was helmed on the production tip by Steve Albini, who'd later go on to produce "In Utero" for Nirvana.
The songs don't necessarily heed pop single tradition here. It would've been hard to imagine any Top 40 station playing any of these songs back in '88. The most accessible songs (and that is to say the majority of the songs with any semblance of verse/chorus/verse structure and/or melody) are helmed or co-helmed by Deal. "Cactus" sounds like a love song, albeit a love song where the vocals are buried under the mix so you can barely make out what's being said. This could easily pass for a "Live Through This"-ear Hole song, to name another band that was obviously influenced by The Pixies.
"Tony's Theme" is a frenetic raveup of a song about some superhero guy named Tony, while "Gigantic" finds Deal's "grrrrl"-ish vocals meshed with the most viable chorus and melody of the album. It's also one of the few songs where you can actually understand what's being said/sung without the aid of headphones.
Some of the songs are pretty much rants and chants. "Broken Face" features a bit of a traditional (for them, anyway) rock melody with a jarring, squealed-falsetto chorus. "Something Against You" finds the band ranting at almost speed-metal tempo while something unintelligible is shouted out. "Bone Machine" features some serious screaming, Black's vocals (which were definitely influenced by David Byrne of The Talking Heads) and a sudden shift in sound, during which Black and Deal harmonize: "your bone's got a little machine". Um, OK. It's a little offbeat, but it's to the band's credit that they can make something this offbeat still sound appealing...
...At least for a while. By track 10, "Oh My Golly", you're telling yourself that you're tired of the breakneck tempos and the wordless moaning and cooing. Songs like that and "Vamos" are saved by the skin of their teeth by the band's serious instrumental chops. Most of the thrills on these songs is provided by wacked-out guitarist Joey Santiago, who plays delightfully cartoonish guitar all over "Vamos".
"Surfer Rosa" is definitely an intriguing album. On it's own, it's definitely an adventurous piece of modern rock, back when "alternative" actually meant something and wasn't being used to describe the latest development in nu-metal. As a historical document, it's even more interesting, because listening to the album is a great deal like playing "let's spot who this song influenced". It's very easy to hear what would become the big grunge explosion stamped all over this album. Thanks, Jon, for not only forcing me to listen to a band I'd long ignored, but also for letting me impress my crush with my Pixies knowledge. Too bad he already has a boyfriend.
"Surfer Rosa" by The Pixies
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
REWIND: "Gigantic", "Bone Machine", "Broken Face"
FAST-FORWARD: The two meaningless interludes towards the end of the album, "Oh, My Golly!"
Great Music To Play While: Mentioning The Breeders' "Cannonball" in your review and not being able to get that riff out of your head.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
speeddemon531
|
 in Music |
 in Music |
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: Somewhere On The East Coast
Reviews written: 951
Trusted by: 302 members
About Me:
I let y'all play with it for a little while. Now Daddy's back.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.