Have you ever owned an album that just pefectly epitomizes a certain period of your life?
Trompe is just that, to me. (Long Story)
It has dynamics, power, strong melodic creations, and brilliantly skewed songwriting and arrangements.
(and a few filler tracks)
And most of it JAMS like a f***ing bastard!

From the opening guitar interchanges and dissonances of the title track, all the way down to my favorite -
'The Navajo Know', Trompe Le Monde delivers in an odd, energetic way that no other rock album can.

My attempted description:
A fundamentally 'ne plus ultra' mainstream rock album, planted directly before 100 differently-shaped funhouse mirror-like twisted-configurations of reflection; resulting in a completely off-kilter, oddly tuned, weaving and meandering 'depicted musical object'.

I consider this album as the peak of the Pixies' strange, yet all-too-short career.

The Tracks:
=========

1. Trompe Le Monde - REAL Catchy, quite concise and, like most of these songs: BASS-DRIVEN.
This is one of those tracks that will attach itself permanently to your cerebral cortex.

2. Planet of Sound - Black Francis and his heavily-effected frisson-filled vocals juxtapose a groovy bass line and pounding, furious power-riffs.
A smoothly maniacal schooling.

3. Alec Eiffel - Sputtering beat, chunky chords, off-key lead breaks and a gliding, sublime ending chorus.
You have got to love a song which compares the Eiffel Tower to a penis. I think it looks more like a breast.

4. The Sad Punk - Menacing hardcore gristle suddenly fades off into melancholia. This one sticks to the ribs nicely.

5. Head On - Outdoes the original Jesus and Mary Chain version by far.
(*ducks* to avoid being pelted with Crucifix Jewelry)
No, really! This makes the original sound torpid and uninspired. (*OUCH*)

6. U-Mass - A jammin' East Coast College anthem, Pixies-style. (?)
Another brain-sticker, and can Kim Deal pummel a bass or WHAT?

7. Palace of the Brine - Just OK. Not a real standout. Your mind may not let it go quietly, regardless.

8. Letter To Memphis - The first Pixies song I ever heard. F***ing Brilliant songwriting and execution hooked me for LIFE.
This one sounds best with the woofers MOVIN'.
Why the hell wasn't this more of a hit?

9. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons - huh? or, better yet: "To the Moon, Alice".
Black Francis may very possibly been abducted at some point in his life.

10. Space (I Believe In) - Love the intro: A jumbled mess, smoothing itself out into a classic riff.
Trippy song, too. Lotsa bass.
I have always wondered just who the heck 'Jefrey' is, anyway...

11. Subbacultcha - "There's something about this song..." ...that I don't like. Sorry, man.
This one has some earlier Pixies traits, but falls a bit flat from the gate.

12. Distance = Equals Rate Times Time Not even gonna bother here. It just does not 'add up'.
In other words, a bit of a misfire.

13. Lovely Day - A weirdly inane little number. Never really got this one either.
Do you remember Gene Loves Jezebel?
It reminds me of them. (that is not a good thing)

14. Motorway To Roswell - This one has always bummed me out just a bit.
These last two tracks seem to summon a strange feeling of impending loss,
as though foretelling the departure of the Pixies as a band. Who knows?.
Are the Pixies the ones in the spaceship that crash lands in New Mexico?
At the very least, a silly metaphor in retrospect.
I really love the faint piano ending as this song trickles away.
It could have fittingly ended here, but then:

15. The Navajo Know - The 'Coup de Grace' of 'Trompe Le Monde' and the Pixies.
This is easily my favorite Pixies song.
When I first bought the CD, I barely noticed this thing.
It has since won me over in a big way. It is a dreamy little diversion that concerns walking without touching the ground.
The whole feel of the song itself is similarly free-form.
You mustn't let this one slip by unnoticed.
...And what a touchingly imaginative way to end a (mostly) awesome album and to say farewell to a superbly odd band:

by simply casting it all adrift...


The Pixies consisted of:

Black Francis [now Frank Black] - (vocals, guitar)
Kim Deal - (bass, vocals)
Joey Santiago - (guitar) and
Dave Lovering - (drums)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recommended:
Yes

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out