Trompe Le Monde - Pixies

And so it came to this.....after the early promise of Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, followed by the disappointing Bossanova, what came next sounds like a band hitting their stride rather than a band falling apart. Trompe Le Monde, to these ears at least, is their rock album. The quirkiness of their earlier songs (a trait much missed from Bossanova) is back, but this time they've chucked a distortion pedal into the equation. This is my favourite Pixies album. Where Bossanova dragged, Trompe Le Monde soars. The opening eight song barrage is a real assault to the senses. Classic singles (Planet of Sound, Alec Eiffel) nestle alongside noisy anthems & ...  Read the complete review

Final album from the band, released in 1991 'Trope Le Monde' is virtually a Frank Black solo album in all but name. Often overlooked or said to be weaker than earlier albums, this is actually suprisingly good material from the band if your willing to give it a chance. The album is definately a grower, with songs like 'Bird Dreams of Olympus Mons' slowly becoming one of my favourite songs over a number of years seemingly without me realising it! The album is quite a different beast to the earlier albums, with more emphasis on Frank Black to the point where Kim Deals vocals are hardly there at all. This I feel is probably the albums biggest failing as I have ...  Read the complete review

You've got to be able to handle weirdness with this one. Musically and lyrically it is very strange, at times, but "Trompe le Monde" is ultimately extremely beautiful, in my opinion. Like the earlier Bossanova, there's a science fiction theme - with maybe more emphasis on the 'science' this time around. The title song is an excellent introduction - cascading guitars, and eloquent solos, a great melody, a bit of screaming from Black Francis, frequent changes in tempo - you know you're in Pixieland. I absolutely love "Head on", a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain song - it's an intense, desperate, drug song, which ...  Read the complete review

A welcome return to form for the Pixies -- one of the most influential yet least recognised bands of the 80s/90s -- it might have seemed on its release that Trompe Le Monde marked a reversal of the decline hinted at by its lacklustre predecessor, Bossanova. Sadly it was more like a swansong, being the last album they recorded as a band. Luckily for us fans, it's actually pretty good. There are a few tracks that could almost be polished-up out-takes from the band's earlier sessions -- 'Subbacultcha' and 'Planet of Sound' stand out. The rest of the album is recognisably strange and twisted and although it rarely hits the heights ...  Read the complete review

Trompe le Monde opens with the record’s title track, a short song which demonstrates some of Joey Santiago’s most impressive guitar tricks. The Pixies once said that this album, which was to be their last studio album, was going to be, “a full-on rock record”. The opener sets the vibe for the rest of the album, with the band’s punkish, at times tragic, and less frequently tuneful songs, only three of which last for more than three minutes. Look out for “Motorway to Roswell”, “Subbacultcha”, “Letter to Memphis” – possibly one of the greatest songs of all time – and ...  Read the complete review