21 March 2013

21st March - Pixies' Surfer Rosa

Artist – Album: Pixies – Surfer Rosa
Released:  21st March 1988         
Sounds Like: the start of alternative 90's rock

Can you imagine what it would’ve been like to be around the Pixies during their formative years, before Frank Black being grew too big for his boots and before Grunge swooped in to steal their essence? It must have been exhilarating to have seen them when they were fresh, where their highly energetic bursts of music and mix of screamed and crooned vocals would have had you panting for more; where they headlined Netherlands (officially the coolest country in the world) despite being relatively unknown worldwide and they played with their set lists by playing through in alphabetical order or whatever. Or being the first amongst your friends to have taken a chance on buying the album, sharing it with every friend of halfway decent taste and scalding anyone who hasn’t heard it yet because it’s THE FUTURE!

I can’t fathom how cool it would’ve been to have worked at the studio where they teamed up with Steve Albini to record Surfer Rosa, laying down perfect pop rock tracks such as ‘Gigantic’ and ‘Where Is My Mind?’, alongside insane garage rock punk slices like ‘Bone Machine’ and ‘Tony’s Theme’.

And, wow, what it was like for Frank Black, Kim Deal, David Leavering  and Joey Santiago we’ll never know. They sound like they’re having the time of their lives, gleefully discussing mutilation, scuba diving and love tokens for prison inmates. Apart from the bit towards the end of ‘Oh My Golly!’ where Black seems pretty irate and yells “you fucking die” to one of his bandmates.

It might be difficult for us to imagine what it would’ve been like to have been there, but this album provides a thrilling glimpse at what a riot it must have been like.  

Albumaday... rating: 9/10

1.       Bone Machine – 3:02
2.       Break My Body – 2:05
3.       Something Against You – 1:47
4.       Broken Face – 1:30
5.       Gigantic – 3:55
6.       River Euphrates – 2:33
7.       Where Is my Mind? – 3:53
8.       Cactus – 2:16
9.       Tony’s Theme – 1:52
10.   Oh My Golly! – 1:48
11.   Vamos – 4:18
12.   I’m Amazed – 1:42
13.   Brick Is Red – 2:00

Listen to ‘Gigantic’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIu_b_fG_2g






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