Surfer Rosa review

The first album by the Pixies, the underseen but widely acclaimed American rock band who did the Fight Club theme song. I also saw them live at NOS Alive. They were underwhelming live, but their albums remain a force to be reckoned with.

Tracks:

1. Bone Machine: 7/10 bad lyrics aside, this is a ferocious and unusually snappy burst of heavy rock.

2. Break My Body: 8/10 dark, twisted, loud and utterly insane.

3. Something Against You: 8/10 it's minimalist but wonderfully intense.

4. Broken Face: 8/10 who could have known a song about incest could be such a blast to listen to (If you don't pay too much attention to the lyrics obviously)?

5. Gigantic: 8/10 another weird and wonderful song.

6. River Euphrates: 8/10 a highly unusual and highly fun journey through the Middle East.

7. Where is My Mind?: 9/10 probably their most popular song. Maybe it's just because of Fight Club, but this is a seriously awesome song and while it deviates from the Pixies formula, that means it's more distinguishable as occasionally the band's songs sound too similar.

8. Cactus: 8/10 a quieter one, but the lyrics are utterly brilliant.

9. Tony's Theme: 7/10 an interesting superhero song, though certainly not the album's best.

10. Oh My Golly!: 8/10 obviously the lyrics can't be understood, that doesn't detract from the song at all.

11. Vamos: 8/10 this one stands out with a more arty instrumental compared to the other songs and it justifies its longer length.

12. I'm Amazed: 7/10 the spoken section doesn't quite work, but the musical part is a lot better.

13. Brick is Red: 7/10 who knows what it means, but anyhow it's a good conclusion.

Best song: Where is My Mind?
Worst song: Tony's Theme

Summary: Although they were disappointing live, the Pixies remain a very fine- and underrated for that matter- band. In only half an hour, this leaves a trail of utter aural devastation in its wake. Black Francis' screaming vocals are nuts, the instrumental work is insane and every moment of fast-paced, rough and brutal fury is utterly mind-blowing to listen to. Lyrically, the album is odd and at times really bad, but most of the lyrics are fine. This is a record all about the heavy instrumentals and if you were looking for that, you've come to the right place. An excellent record overall which, despite being utterly insane in every way, is also an artistic and cleverly crafted work as well.



Final rating: 8/10