Pixies

Australia, you disappoint me. One of the greatest bands of all time will be arriving on our shores for the very first time and the festival they’re headlining hasn’t even sold out yet. Who cares if they’re fat and old, the Pixies are just one of those bands that you MUST see. The only explanation for this atrocity is that some of you aren’t aware that the Pixies even exist. Or worse, you do know they exist, like a few of their songs, but have never taken the time to explore the rest of their music and hence fail to appreciate the true extent of their brilliance. Well if you fall under either of these two categories (I refuse to believe a third category of ‘Don’t like them’ exists), pay close attention, because over the next week or so, I’ll be taking a look at why they’re so great. By no means would I consider myself the biggest of Pixies fans, in fact, both my brothers are bigger fans. That’s not to say I don’t love them, just that I don’t listen to them anywhere near as much as I should. So this feature is as much about me preparing myself for their arrival as it is about converting non-believers. So whatever your view of the Pixies, you should find something of interest here; a new favourite band, a warm reminder about an already loved band or a chance to tell me I’m wrong and that you know more. Enjoy!

Band Info
Pixies are an alternate rock band from USA. They existed roughly from 1985 to 1992 and over that period released 5 albums. In 2004 they reunited and have since been touring extensively. The vast majority of Pixies music was written and sung by rhythm guitarist Frank Black (born Charles Thompson, named Black Francis during the Pixies era and now known as Frank Black) who is generally considered the creative centre the band. Occasional songs were done by bassist Kim Deal and the other members include Joey Santiago on lead guitar and Dave Lovering on drums. The Pixies’ influence stretches from Nirvana to Radiohead and while they never did and never will achieve mainstream success, their fans include some of the greatest musicians of the modern era. For me, one of the reasons I love them so much is that while their songs often sound very heavy, containing distortion and screaming, there’s always an underlying melody, melodies that never disappoint and are up there with the greatest ever written.

Their 5 albums are:

Come On Pilgrim (1987)
Surfer Rosa (1988)
Doolittle (1989)
Bossanova (1990)
Trompe le Monde (1991)

I will be talking about one every two days. Here’s a live track to keep you happy until Come on Pilgrim arrives on Wednesday.

Vamos (live) – It’s only fitting that song be offered live. Appearing on both of their first two albums with alternate solos, it is a crowd favourite at their live shows. The song’s appeal lies in its hefty solo in the middle where Santiago puts on an erratic performance so that you never know what to expect.

Pixies - Trompe le Monde

Trompe le Monde was the Pixies' fourth full-length album and it would also turn out to be their last. After its release, tension between band members led them to embark on separate projects, eventually resulting in the band ceasing to exist. The primary reason for the break-up was probably the dissatisfaction felt by Kim Deal. The last two albums had seen an end to her input and while there’s no doubt that it was Frank Black who was driving the Pixies’ success, it would no doubt have been frustrating for Kim, a talented singer/songwriter herself, to just remain idle. On top of this, the hectic pace at which they were operating, releasing album after album and touring fairly non-stop, meant that a break down was almost inevitable. Trompe le Monde sees a continued evolution of Black’s lyrical content. While on the early albums he was fascinated by the violence of early biblical stories, the later albums saw him more focussed on sci-fi and supernatural elements. While personally I couldn’t care less what he sings about, it has been known to turn some people off. The sound of the album is a mix of their various sounds, which is fitting for a finale. While many songs continue the softer sound of Bossanova, others pay homage to louder, rough sounds of Surfer Rosa. Unfortunately however, it bears another similarity to Bossanova in that it too fails to reach the same level of brilliance as the Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. Instead it is just great. Yes, you know you’re dealing with a special band when their lesser records are still considered great. And so the Pixies’ career ended without them releasing a bad album. Their existence may have been brief but in that short time they had an incredible impact that lasts to this day.

U-mass – While Trompe le Monde may not be the best Pixies album, that doesn’t stop it from containing some of their best songs. This song is very similar to their early work and it is one of the first Pixies songs I ever heard.

Distance Equals Rate Times Time – This song isn’t even really a song. It’s an unused chorus from another song turned into a song. And yet despite this, I am always drawn to it.

Pixies - Bossanova

Bossanova, the Pixies’ third album, is similar to Doolittle in that its sound represented a new direction. The term Surf Rock is thrown around quite a bit and I guess it’s pretty valid. That doesn’t mean they sound anything like The Beach Boys, rather the term refers to a heavier blend of such music. Calling it Surf Rock also seems to make sense in relation to the album’s sense of movement, something that really stands out for me. Unlike their previous two albums, Bossanova failed to achieve glowing critical acclaim. In some ways this is a bit unfair. Surfer Rosa and Doolittle were just so brilliant that nothing short of a masterpiece could have lived up to our expectations. If any other band had released it, it would have been revered; but because the Pixies released it, it was seen as a step backwards. This really is a shame because it’s often forgotten how great it is. It contains some of my very favourite songs and listening to it is always a pleasure. However there is some truth in the negative reactions. For one, it contains the occasional unmemorable song, something previous unheard of for them. This may have been due to exhaustion from extensive touring, rushed song writing or simply Black running out of ideas. Another problem with the album is that it largely abandons the formula of soft/loud, slow/fast changes, a formula so integral to their success. But all issues aside, Bossanova is a great record and it’s more Pixies. What’s to complain about that?

Dig For Fire - In a very un-Pixies manner, this song is surprisingly calm. Instead of relying on pure energy, it uses a soothing melody to win you over. Again, it’s an example of their incredible diversity.

Allison – Nearly all of the Pixies’ material is short and sweet. Well this song is one the shortest and in my opinion, also one of the sweetest.

Pixies - Doolittle

Doolittle is easily the Pixies’ most accessible album. With its more polished sound and pop influences, it is much better suited to the mainstream audiences. It’s no surprise then that it is also their most successful album. But don’t be fooled into thinking that the Pixies sold out. None of their flair was sacrificed and Doolittle is as dark and weird as any of their other material. It just shows the depth and variety of their talent, especially highlighting Black’s creative genius. You’ll still find him screaming, going off on tangents and recounting utterly obscure stories, but there’s a certain simplicity in most of the songs that make them far more inviting than the norm. In stark contrast to Surfer Rosa, Doolittle feels more like a collection of individual songs than a complete package. But the album doesn’t suffer from this in the slightest because the songs are just so brilliant. While I love all their work, I would definitely rate Doolittle as my favourite. It’s so great that I find it near impossible to pick just two songs (honourable mentions go to Hey, Gouge Away and Monkey Gone To Heaven). If you’re new to the Pixies, this is the ideal place to start.

Debaser – This song would have to be up there in amongst my all time favourite Pixies songs. It’s just so well-rounded and incorporates so many of their varying styles that it’s the perfect song with which to introduce someone to this fantastic band.

Here Comes Your Man – This song is so seductively simple that it could have been written by a 15 year-old. Well as matter of fact, it was. Black pulled it out of his pre-Pixies archive and it turned out to be one of their most popular songs. Being so catchy, this is hardly surprising.

Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Surfer Rosa marked the Pixies’ first full-length album (coming in at a massive 33 minutes) and the first time their music was easily available in their own country. Despite being an American band, the Pixies were signed to UK label 4AD and so had nobody to distribute their albums in the USA. This changed shortly after the release of this album when Surfer Rosa and Come on Pilgrim were combined and offered to American audiences. This was rather fitting as the two are quite similar in sound. While each of their future albums would see a different approach taken, these first two are remarkably similar. Surfer Rosa continues the hard and fast garage rock sound of Come On Pilgrim, whilst building on it in a number of ways. For me, this album is much more about the overall package than individual songs. With the exception of ‘Where Is My Mind?’ and ‘Gigantic’ (one of the few songs written and performed by bassist Kim Deal), all of the songs seem to be working for the good of the album rather than trying to stand out. Testimony to this is the inclusion of various spoken word segments and instrumental numbers, which help to increase the flowing nature of the album. It’s an interesting album that jumps, jerks and juxtaposes (look it up), pushing the conventions of rock music. Fans of Nirvana should definitely find something they like as Kurt Cobain has admitted that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was his attempt to copy this album. It’s home to some killer songs and definitely worth a listen.

Where Is My Mind? – What a song. If you close your eyes and eliminate all other distractions, it can have quite an impact. It’s an impact that’s perfectly captured by the movie, Fight Club. The dystopic, “world’s gonna end” feeling. Who cares if it’s actually about scuba diving; it’s brilliant.

Bone Machine – I like this song because it’s just so unorganised. It’s a barrage of weird and wonderful sounds that often don’t seem to fit. But despite this, it’s got plenty of personality, enough to make it more than enjoyable to listen to.

Pixies - Come On Pilgrim

While it is features only 8 tracks and goes for just 20 minutes, Come On Pilgrim is generally considered an album rather than an EP. It was the Pixies' first and it set the tone for the greatness that would follow. Song after song comes on with its own hard-hitting sound and there isn’t a dud in sight. It’s a trend lasted throughout their career and they continue to amaze me with their success ratio that’s up there with likes of The Beatles. It’s testimony to their brilliance but it also makes it annoyingly hard to choose just two songs for sampling. Unlike many bands, their first album doesn’t under-produced, though this is because the rough edge you hear is signature to the Pixies’ sound. If you don’t love it yet, you soon will. The album sees Frank Black flex his creative muscle and show us what he’s capable of. The sound ranges from loud screaming to softer, heartfelt crooning, often within the same song, as well as so much more. On top of all the familiar Pixies sounds, it’s also filled with wacky lyrics and irregular changes; both staples of their later work. These 8 songs are all terrific in their own right and as a package they form an incredibly formidable debut effort. It was a warning to the world that something very big was on the horizon.

Caribou – This song really highlights the depth of Black’s vocal work. One moment he’s reaching the higher notes with ease and the next he’s yelling with every last breath. For such an unlikely mix, it works surprisingly well.

The Holiday Song – I am in love with this riff. Every time it comes on, I become that little bit happier. I’m even more favourable to it because I had a live copy on my computer (which unfortunately has disappeared) that sounds even better. Fingers crossed they’ll play it when I see them.