Up next on the Chopping Block is a band that I would say has been responsible for basically most of those alternative bands from the 90’s. The band in question is Pixies and well let’s take a look………..
Come On Pilgrim- not gonna lie I found this I guess mini album to be kind of weird. And by weird, I mean the way the vocals are and just the overall vibe to it. It’s interesting but again it just got kind of a weird vibe and I guess this was their sort of first actual recording. I’ll go ahead and give it 8/10.
Standouts: Isla de Encanta, I’ve Been Tired, Ed Is Dead
Surfer Rosa- so apparently this one is supposed to be like the fan favorite or I don’t know a very influential album. That said yes it is all true. Listening to this album you can clearly tell where a lot of alternative rock bands got their inspiration from. It’s either this one or the following album. I mean looking into this album. It’s pretty damn dark if you ask me. It talks about things like mutilation, incest, and other kinda dark topics. But musically it’s been such an influential album. I mean, you can clearly tell where Nirvana ripped them off. Like it’s pretty uncanny as to how much of this album Kurt Cobain borrowed. That band decide I mean just listen to any of the alternative rock bands that were big in the 90s and then listen to this album and you clearly see where they got their inspiration from. I have no choice but to give this album 10/10.
Standouts: Bone Machine, River Euphrates, Oh My Golly!
Doolittle- I feel like when it comes to this band there’s two kinds of people there are those that prefer this album and then there are those that prefer the last album. To be honest, I’m not really sure at this point which one I like better they’re both great albums. I feel like with this one it’s sound is a little bit better, but I also like the rawness of the previous album. I don’t know it’s hard to pick. This one I think steps it up a little bit in terms of production quality but again this is just such a great album and much like the last one you can clearly hear where most of the 90s alternative rock bands got their sound from. Like this is one of those albums. Anyway, I have no choice but again to give this album 10/10
Standouts: I Bleed, Tame, Debaser
Bossanova- I would say that this one has more of a grungy sound than the last two records. I mean it does make sense, this did come out in 1990 and that kind of music was the big thing during that decade. I will say I didn’t like this one at first, but it kind of grew on me after a couple of listens. Definitely a very worthy follow up. I personally just don’t think it’s quite as strong as the last two albums. Although it’s hard to follow up two perfect albums. I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Cecilia Ann, Ana, Dig For Fire
Trompe Le Monde- tell me this one sort of feels like a solo album for Black Francis. Like in other albums, you could hear Kim’s backing vocals but here not so much. I do think it is a very good album and it’s got this sort of weirdness to it and does feel like a continuation of the previous record. This would be their last album before their break up and their last album featuring Kim Deal. I’m gonna go ahead and give this 8.5/10.
Standouts: Alec Eiffel, Planet Of Sound, U-Mass
Indie Cindy- now I have read reviews on this album saying that this felt more like another solo album from Black Francis and since I’ve never heard any of those albums, I would assume that it’s probably true. This would be their first album after 13 years and it more or less picks up where the last one left off. I find that when bands come back from a long break they can either make a really great comeback record or it can just be OK. Personally, I found this one to be just OK. It does tend to drag a little bit but overall it’s not bad. I’ll go ahead and give this album 7/10.
Standouts: What Goes Boom, Blue Eyed Hexe, Jaime Bravo
Head Carrier- I would say that this one definitely feels more cohesive and more of a group effort than the previous album. This would also be the first album to have Paz Lenchantin (Zwan, A Perfect Circle) on base and she does sing vocals on the song All I Think About Now which was written about Kim Deal. I actually liked this one a lot more than I would’ve thought and I’ll give it 9/10
Standouts: All I Think About Now, Classic Masher, Bel Esprit
Beneath The Eyrie- I guess for this one the band said that they were more influenced by Gothic elements and it does sort of show. Again, like with some of their other albums, this one did tend to sort of drag but as a whole I enjoyed it more the second time around. I will say it does sort of have almost a punk like tone to it which does complement the Gothic aspect. I’ll go ahead and give this album 7.5/10.
Standouts: Catfish Kate, St. Nazaire, On Graveyard Hill
Doggerel- I don’t know. I really just wanted to enjoy this one more but it’s just kind of boring. It does in a way feel kinda like they’re going in an experimental approach, but just kind of fell flat. The songs tend to drag, and this was one of those albums that I couldn’t wait to be over. That said it’s not a bad album. I just didn’t enjoy it as much and I’ll give this one 5/10
Standouts:
The Night The Zombies Came- alright let me just preface this by saying I think this is actually a really cool record title. This is one of those albums where it starts off pretty cool and then just kinda falls flat. Like it’s not bad, but much like the previous album. The songs tend to drag overall it’s kind of a boring record. It’s certainly one that I wouldn’t revisit anytime soon, but I’ve also heard far worse albums. I don’t know maybe I’ll go back and revisit it again later on but as it stands right now, I didn’t think this one was that great. I’ll go ahead and give this one 5/10.
Standouts:
What I like about this band is that you can absolutely tell that they had such a massive impact on a lot of bands, especially those that came out in the 90s alternative scene. I mean, at least the first three maybe four records you can tell are so influential and for good reason. If you’re going to give this band to listen and you’ve never heard them before (like me) then definitely start with the second and third albums because they’re just so freaking great. What I ever see this band in concert? Maybe, but they are band that are important and I’m glad I gave them a listen.
Final Grade: B+
Album Rankings:
- Doolittle
- Surfer Rosa (to be honest this one is really hard both could easily take the number one spot. This is my current mood at this very moment in time.)
- Bossanova
- Head Carrier
- Trompe Le Monde
- Come On Pilgrim
- Beneath The Eyrie
- Indie Cindy
- Doggerel
- The Night The Zombies Came
Sinister Reviews 