Merrick Deneen
Staff Reporter
No band propelled the sound of the 80’s indie scene into the 90’s quite like The Pixies. Their raw, aggressive, and stripped sound laid an unusual blueprint that has not quite been perfected since.
They formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986 with Joey Santiago on guitar and Charles Thompson on vocals. They put out an ad for a bass player that enjoyed the punk band Husker Du and 60’s folk band Peter, Paul, and Mary. This is when they found Kim Deal, who had never played bass before but loved the bands in the ad. Kim recommended the drummer David Lovering. Inspired by Iggy Pop, Thompson adopted the stage name Black Francis. From there The Pixies were formed. They combined surf rock, punk, indie pop, and mellowed out folk music with lyrical themes ranging from aliens to religion to pop culture to create their signature sound. Their second album, Surfer Rosa, brought them commercial success among the alternative rock scene.
Surfer Rosa begins with “Bone Machine”, a cryptic song about the connection between the human anatomy and infidelity. Black Francis is the sole writer behind this album, and he explains that the lyrics will often come after the song has been made, which makes for some improvising in the theme and meaning of the songs. “Something Against You” is a harsh punk song with Francis’ wailing vocals fused with Joey’s hard guitar. “Broken Face” follows a similar formula but with perverted sub stories that help express their true weirdness. “Gigantic” showcases one of the bands most signature sounds with a soft section followed by a blast in guitar. This is a style of music that became synonymous with The Pixies and Kurt Cobain stated that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was an attempt to create a Pixies song. Kim Deal is also on Vocals for this song which brought a new dynamic to the music. “Where Is My Mind” is the bands most recognizable song with lyrics that were easier to digest but the bands uniqueness can be appreciated through their unusual combination of pop, folk, and grunge. “Cactus” can be described as just heavy.
The deep guitar and constant bass mixed with Francis’ high vocals about obsession and love make the song seem stripped down and gothic. “Tony’s Theme” returns the satirical lyrics about superheroes and bicycles. Partway through college Charles Thompson left to study Spanish in Puerto Rico for six months. His knowledge is shown with the two songs, “Oh My Golly!” and “Vamos (Surfer Rosa)” which feature Spanish lyrics. “Oh My Golly!” also features the bands use of studio out-takes, conversations, and sometimes arguments in their music. The last two songs close out the album with energy and the off-kilter strangeness that has come to be expected from the band. Surfer Rosa created a completely new sound not by building on top of previous music, but by stripping it down. Their unique and sometimes perverted lyrics polarized listeners.
This album pushed the band into the eyes of the late 80’s indie scene and would go on to influence bands such as Weezer, Radiohead, and the Strokes.
Image Credit: www.pixiesmusic.com
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