One of the most compulsively listenable
college rock
albums of the '80s,
the Pixies
' 1988 full-length debut
Surfer Rosa
fulfilled the promise of
Come on Pilgrim
and, thanks to
Steve Albini
's production, added a muscular edge that made their harshest moments seem even more menacing and perverse. On songs like
"Something Against You,"
Black Francis
' cryptic shrieks and non sequiturs are backed by
David Lovering
and
Kim Deal
's punchy rhythms, which are so visceral that they'd overwhelm any guitarist except
Joey Santiago
, who takes the spotlight on the epic
"Vamos."
Albini
's high-contrast dynamics suit
well, especially on the explosive opener
"Bone Machine"
and the kinky,
T. Rex
-inspired
"Cactus."
But, like the black-and-white photo of a flamenco dancer on its cover,
is
' most polarized work. For each blazing piece of
punk
, there are softer, poppier moments such as
"Where Is My Mind?,"
Francis
' strangely poignant song inspired by scuba diving in the Caribbean, and the
-penned
"Gigantic,"
which almost outshines the rest of the album. But even
's less iconic songs reflect how important the album was in the group's development. The "song about a superhero named Tony" (
"Tony's Theme"
) was the most lighthearted song
had recorded, pointing the way to their more overtly playful, whimsical work on
Doolittle
.
' warped sense of humor is evident in lyrics like
's "He bought me a soda and tried to molest me in the parking lot/Yep yep yep!" In a year that included landmark albums from contemporaries like
Throwing Muses
,
Sonic Youth
, and
My Bloody Valentine
managed to turn in one of 1988's most striking, distinctive records.
may not be the group's most accessible work, but it is one of their most compelling. ~ Heather Phares