SURFER ROSA by THE PIXIES
Before There Was Nevermind...
Before the Breeders and Frank Black, there was this Boston quartet,
playing hardcores rush and terseness against the acoustic grit and the
minor-key flourish of Latin pop. Their first full-length album is their starkest,
harsh and trebly, with the drums right in your face, and songs edited to
eliminate any note thats not absolutely necessary. Singer Black Francis
yelping away about destroyed bodies and the river Euphrates, alternately
acting cryptic and crazed. Kim Deal, then calling herself Mrs. John Murphy,
contributes the highlight, Gigantic, a creepy anthem about childhood
voyeurism. The playing is snarly and tricky but unfailingly tuneful, and the
hooks come out of nowhere, hiding behind the noise, and bite down hard.
--Douglas Wolk
Personal Review: SURFER ROSA by THE PIXIES
If you follow rock music at all, look at "essential album" lists, etc, then
surely you must have heard of the Pixies second release "Surfer Rosa"
(1988). Similar to "Nothing Shocking" (1988) the Jane's Addiction album,
"Surfer Rosa" was ahead of its' time--as both albums, in a sense were sort
of the precursors for what was to follow in the early 90s with the (brief)
mass popularity of alternative rock. And while one can certainly see the
similarities to Nirvana, the Pixies were maybe a little more offbeat, left-of-
center and humorous.
Much like with Nirvana's "Nevermind," (1991) with "Surfer Rosa" it's
sometimes hard to separate the hype/mythology from the actual music. If
you've never heard this album, it's probably best to try to forget everything
you have heard about it and just give it an honest, objective listen.

One thing I notice about this album is how spontaneous, live and organic it
sounds. More than anything else it sounds incredibly fresh and timeless.
It's amazing that this album is twenty-years old.
With only one song over four minuets and the pace moving quickly, this
album is sort of an adrenaline rush. And while the contrast between the
raw, intense moments and the quieter ones (often within the same song)
may initially strike the listener as odd, it actually works really well.
While in all honesty "Surfer Rosa" isn't quite as good as "Nevermind" or
some of the Pixie's later music, Frank Black and company still created a
classic album that is certainly essential to any decent CD collection.
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