Artist bio

See also: Frank Black, The Amps, The Breeders

Arguably the most crucial rock band of their generation, the Pixies formed humbly in Boston in 1987, and disbanded with little fanfare six years later, having offered via five albums and an incendiary live show a bridge between '80s underground rock and '90s "alternative," a blueprint for some of the '90s most groundbreaking artists, and a new approach to the classic 3-minute pop song formula.

Abrasively creative frontman Black Francis (nee Charles Thompson, later Frank Black) and his friend and filipino fireball of a lead guitarist Joey Santiago rounded out the final two pieces of their puzzle via a newspaper ad -- "seeking bassist and drummer who enjoy Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary" -- and thus dependable drummer David Lovering and bubbly bassist Kim Deal were brought into the fold.

Francis' songwriting approach was raw, primitive and instantly approachable all at once. Pop hooks buried themselves in the fuzzy, drum-heavy production of Surfer Rosa, with its muted verses and blast-your-head-off choruses and the manic energy of all four band members imbued the songs with an inimitable charm. Doolittle was the group's White Album, a smorgasbord of song varieties, spawning indie "hits" like "Debaser," "Here Comes Your Man," and "Monkey Gone To Heaven."

By 1990's Bossanova, Francis and the group had enveloped themselves in a cloud of marijuana smoke, but as the production grew crisper and shinier, the guitars and vocals wailed even louder. Still, a muted sense of pop perfection took hold of the group's music like determined ivy burrowing under a tree's bark. Also creeping under the band's skin was the growing tension between the talented songwriter Deal, whose side-band the Breeders recorded its debut album around this time, and Francis, whose indie megalomania (think: an alternative-rock Roger Waters) kept pushing Deal into a "backing-vocals and bass" position in the Pixies.

Trompe Le Monde proved to be the group's swan song, as its subsequent tour and even an opening slot on U2's Zoo TV tour could not pull the by-now indie darlings back into the tight unit they once were. Francis decided a change would do him good, and recorded his debut as Frank Black before breaking the news of the Pixies' demise via a press release. Deal, seemingly unperturbed, was recording another album at the time -- the Breeders' "Last Splash" -- which would wind up out-selling each of the Pixies' albums and Francis' future solo efforts as well.

But six years was enough to leave a legacy few of the Pixies' era can match. Case in point: a little album released two weeks before Trompe Le Monde, called Nevermind, was described by its creator (one Cobain) to have been a collection of "Pixies rip-offs." 'Nuff said.

Albums by this artist

Trompe Le Monde (1991)

Bossanova (1990)

Doolittle (Recommended) (1989)

Surfer Rosa (Recommended) (1988)

Come On Pilgrim (1987)

Features

Pixies: The NATN Pantheon
Published March 1, 2007

Pixies

Trompe Le Monde

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

Pixies Trompe Le Monde 4AD/Elektra, 1991 RiYL: Nirvana's Nevermind, The Beatles' Abbey Road, Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

The Pixies' final album is an emphatic musical statement. The hugely influential alternative band exited the music scene in almost the same way it entered -- loud, weird, primitive and beautiful.

The four-piece band released one album per year after a neutron bomb of a debut full-length, Surfer Rosa, in 1988. By 1990's Bossanova, they had discovered how to polish their initially raw music with a sheen of clear production. While Trompe Le Monde ventures even further in this direction, it is also the Pixies' quirkiest and most racuous record, as dissonant (but crisp) guitars clash against pristine, jumpy bass lines and hectic drums, with Black Francis' famous screams getting louder all the time.

You can tell from the opening song that the band is getting more creative with age -- a shimmering backdrop of furry guitars support Francis, musing over abstract poetry on a girl's tee-shirt ("'Why do cupids and angels continually haunt her dreams like memories of another life?' / is painted on her shirt in capitals"), with so much fury you'd think he was giving invaluable life advice -- and he probably is.

This powerful mood is sustained well into the album. The songs stop on a dime, only for another to pick up the beat and jettison the sound back into the blue sky.

Francis' lyrics explore topics such as wandering aliens picking up Earth's transmission signals, the lifestyles of underappreciated revolutionary architects, and the aesthetics of dinosaur extinction -- that's just in the first four songs. Even filler becomes an artistic excercise: "Space (I Believe In)" starts by lamenting the trials of the recording process ("We needed something to move and fill up the space / we needed something; this always is just the case") but moves into such an inspiring Joey Santiago guitar solo, the listener is left wondering how the band could actually consider this a fill-up track. Then, here's Francis in the bridge, announcing "Now, I'm gonna sing the 'Perry Mason' theme" and doing just that. Why wouldn't ya?

Trompe Le Monde means "Trick The World" in French -- perhaps the trick was releasing an album with such vitality and intensity as the band was on its last legs. Francis would disband the Pixies by way of a press release a year later, as the "alternative revolution" was in full swing. But this was no half-hearted parting shot -- the Pixies remained innovative and essential throughout their short but sweet career.

TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.