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

Come On Pilgrim

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

Pixies Come On Pilgrim 4AD, 1987 RiYL: Velvet Underground, Fugazi, Ween

The conventional wisdom on this decidedly unconventional band is that proper debut LP Surfer Rosa is the Pixies' crowning moment. But this initial blast of song, plucked directly from the group's 17-track demo, proves just as groundbreaking in its introduction of the Pixies, the modest co-ed quartet that would go on to become arguably the most prescient and influential band of its era.

The eight songs here (check out spinART's July 2002 archival issue of Pixies for the remaining nine songs on the group's demo tape) were recorded at Boston's Fort Apache studios on financing by frontman Black Francis' father. But though the group was still in its infancy, an undeniable chemistry had already taken roost in the four-member collaboration. Francis was clearly at the forefront of the group's sound, with his unique songwriting talents and vocals alternating between haunting whine, abrasive scream, and engaging mulilingual talk-sing storytelling. But just as essential were guitarist Joey Santiago's liberating guitar histrionics, drummer David Lovering's excited shuffle and thick stomp, and bassist Kim Deal's agreeable low-end accompaniment and breathy harmony vocals.

Francis' songs sounded like few that came before them. Yes, they were pop/rock tunes, generally two to three minutes long, but rather than climaxing in some tender chorus or radio hook, they were primarily built toward a musical catharsis of some sort. The protagonist of opening track "Caribou," for instance, seems to be pining for the life of a forest-wandering animal. "This human form, where I was born / I now repent." Francis spends the chorus shouting "Ree-pent! Ree-ah-peaaant!!" at the top of his lungs.

"Vamos" is one of the best examples of the soft verse/loud chorus dynamic that would subsequently be adapted by Cobain and then almost everyone in early '90s rock. Sung in a mish-mash of English and Spanish, the cut veers from singsongy verses ("we'll keep well bred / we'll stay well fed / we'll have our sons / they will be all well hung!") to a series of fiery instrumental bridges punctuated by Santiago's sonic stabs.

"Nimrod's Son" batters away at a persistent melody before dropping down to a capella for the immortal couplet "My sister held me close and whispered to my bleeding head / you are the son of a motherfucker" (and later, for emphasis, "you are the son of incestuous union"). The stream-of-consciousness narrative "I've Been Tired" highlights the sexual frustration that would become one of Francis' early favorite lyrical themes, the narrator describing an awkward encounter with a prostitute. Minimal closer "Levitate Me" shows the kind of heavy groove and catchy hook the band would become most proficient at recreating during its six-year career.

Come On Pilgrim may lack the expansiveness and overall vision that blossomed on future full-length efforts like Doolittle. But for a demo released to the public as is, this 20-minute EP is a deserved classic, a fitting launch point for the group's catalog, and required listening for any modern rock fan.

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.