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 Easily my favourite Aug 18, 2010
Personally I think that Doolittle is very overrated, but the overwhelming number of 5 star reviews leads me to think that there's no point in arguing with the majority but instead to sell Surfer Rosa for what it is. I absolutely love Surfer Rosa and is near perfect. The drums sound amazing, Santiago's guitaring is so simple but genius and so effective and Frank Black's voice is very amusing and very enjoyable to listen to. I read a review describing the album as 'beautifully brutal' which i think hits the nail on the head. I love the jarring discordancy throughout mixed with the very inventive melodies and couldn't ask for much more. 'Vamos' is my absolute favourite Pixies song and I fell in love with the whole album very quickly.
With Doolittle on the other hand I find 2 minute songs lasting a lifetime with some very dull songs that go nowhere, such as 'There Goes My Gun' and 'I Bleed'. I've only ever managed to sit through it once, I always have to skip. Still, 'Hey' and others are classics.
Surfer Rosa's much more fun too.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Not unlike a block of cheese to the face. Jun 11, 2010
Love it or hate it, there's one thing for sure: Your first listen to "Surfer Rosa" will be a memorable one. Initially, you may feel as though some deranged hobo has broken into your house and proceeded to beat you senseless for 35 minutes. However, within this maelstrom of madness lies a heck of a lot to enjoy.
Perhaps paramount among this is the lovely Kim Deal, whose thick basslines propel each song perfectly, and hold their own well against the thunderous drumming and crashing walls of guitars. Kim's vocals are of note as well, serving as the perfect foil to the psychotic howls of Black Francis. Mostly she serves as a background vocalist, but she contributes some killer lead vocals as well, such as on "Gigantic" or the infectious "River Euphrates".
For its short length, the album is full of surprises, from the raucous, explosive rock of "Oh My Golly" and "Broken Face", to the haunting melodies of "Where Is My Mind". "Vamos" and "Tony's Theme" are fast and frantic, but still very catchy. "Bone Machine" is more mid-paced, but still raw and aggressive (I believe Kurt Cobain actually admitted to ripping off this song with "Smells Like Teen Spirit"). The album ends strong with the bluesy "Brick Is Red".
Simply put, this album is a classic. May take a few spins to really sink in, but definitely don't pass this up.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Their masterpiece album !!!! Apr 02, 2010
Surfer Rosa is without any question my personal favourite Pixies album - it's raw , loud , fast , agressive and brilliant !! no other Pixies album has the same sound as this masterpiece - classic songs from start to finish - if i was stuck on a remote Island with one album in my hands this is what i'd have with me. 10/10 a classic!!!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
This Is What Indie Rock Used To Sound Like Oct 31, 2009
Indie Rock has turned soft. Groups like Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab, Jenny Lewis and her crew, Davendra etc are talented musicians but they don't rock (at least not in my opinion)
When I listen to Surfer Rosa I hear the sounds of an uprising againt the commercial (hair metal, new wave) garbage that passed in the mid to late 80's as rock and I fondly remember bands like Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. that were the vanguard of the indie movement at the time.
Surfer Rosa is a classic. It has been a part of my weekly rotation for over 20 years now and it still sounds as exciting as theh first time I played it.
It has two of the Pixies most famous (rightly so) songs in Gigantic and Where is my Mind and also features two of their more underrated gems in River Euphrates and Cactus.
This album effectively bridged the gap between the abrasive aggressiveness of punk and the unique do it yourself wierdness of the indie scene.
A very important record and a very entertaining one.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
One of THE essential Indie albums Oct 29, 2009
I was introduced to the Pixies via my love for Nirvana - I read a number of interviews in which Kurt Cobain praised them, and the fact that he sited "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as him trying to recreate a Pixies song was reason enough for me to check them out. After listening to the musical experience that is "Surfer Rosa", I am very glad I did. Now, keep in mind, there is a reason that the Pixies are strictly an underground phenomenon - their very unique combination of melody, bizarre lyrics and abrasive, guitar-driven sound is not something that will appeal to the mass majority of people. However, if you are able to get past how "weird" the Pixies are, their genius becomes apparent.
They seem to have a knack for bringing hooks into their songs seemingly out of nowhere - "Broken Face" starts out with a high pitched squeal of the line "I've got a broken FACE", but then, in a matter of seconds, the chorus hits and the song becomes irresistable. The fact that the Pixies could leap from the abstract and bizarre (the previously mentioned track, "Tony's Theme", "River Euphrates") to brief excursions of pop-infused bliss ("Gigantic", "Where is my Mind?") serves as a testament to the undeniable talent of these 4 individuals. There is no doubt that the Pixies are a hugely influential band, but that is not the reason why this album is held in such high esteem. The fact is this album, from beginning to end, is fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anybody who considers themselves the least bit interested in the whole "Indie" scene.
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