Review of Surfer Rosa by the Pixies

This being the first album that The Pixies released, Surfer Rosa opens up with an impressive track titled "Bone Machine." The lyric, "you're so pretty when you're faithful to me," rings as something anyone who's been in a relationship can relate to. The song is followed by the heavy guitar riff common in grunge music. Kim Deal's and Charles Thompson's voices contrast well with another by sounding so different from each other. "Something Against You" serves well as a third track, sort of bringing out the rawness factor that's signature to every band when they first start out.

After the chaos, you're greeted with more chaos of "Broken Face". The nonsensical lyrics are what The Pixies are most known for and this song is a perfect example of it. I got no lips, I got no tongue
Where there were eyes there's only space," are some of the lyrics where he's simply telling you that his face is indeed broken. The sporadic quality of the album is then broken by "Gigantic" which instead of the female voice backing up the male, it's reversed. With a heavy bassline, it sets a calmer mood and vibe, something you'd want to listen to while on some sort of sedative.

It's then transitioned to "River Euphrates" which isn't quiet calm or chaotic, but repetitious. The trance-like feeling of the guitar adds to the almost journey-like feeling the album gives you on the first listen. The frantic quality of the song is followed by the track which The Pixies are most known for called "Where Is My Mind?" With the song set in the middle of the record, if you're transfixed into the music and solely concentrating on the album for what it is, you begin to wonder exactly what the song is stating. In a sense, this album takes you somewhere, but where? "Cactus" begins to set an even more zoned out feeling, heavy bassline, eerie vocals, deliberate drums. The lyrical sounds like a hint of where Jack White of The White Stripes might have gotten some of his influence.

"Tony's Theme", brings you out of the zone-out realm and back into the chaos of which began in the album. It's followed by "Oh My Golly" which is even faster and harder to understand the lyrics. You begin to hear more of an echo effect and some language changing transitions which sounds like Spanish. "Vamos" has even more Spanish and a fabulous guitar riff. The drums are more obvious and so are other sound effects which are going in within the song. This song seems to be more about the sounds rather than the vocals and lyrics of those vocals. It gives off an experimental vibe which isn't typical for a grunge band.

"I'm Amazed" opens with talking and leads into a fantastic energetic guitar riff, almost like they're getting more comfortable and chaotic as the album goes. It's just a fun and short song that's ended quick. "Brick Is Red," the last track of the album is heavy with guitar and no singing until the last thirty seconds or so. It ends the with a sort of cut off feeling.

Overall, I was very impressed with this album considering it was their very first one. Usually when you listen to a well-established band's first works, it doesn't sound quite like the sound that you've grown to know. It wasn't that way with this album, anyone who has heard of The Pixies would know this was them. It also didn't feel like a typical grunge album which is why I think The Pixies are often set apart from most grunge bands. There was a definitely a lot of more abstract experimental elements that were played into the album. The spine that strung along the songs seemed to be consistent, it didn't make me want to stop listening, but to hear it another time just to see if I missed anything the first time.

I personally really enjoyed this album and would definitely give it to someone to listen to in the future. 5/5 here.