To those who watched in horror as '70s punk morphed into '80s pap, discovering the Pixies was like discovering gold.
Come On Pilgrim, the 1987 debut EP from the Boston, Massachusetts guitar band, sent out ripples that soon registered on the seismographs of the disaffected.
Out of nowhere, a band had emerged to re-ignite passions near extinguished by the new wave of synthetic sounds.
While Husker Du had carried the flame for underground rock throughout the decade, a new torchbearer had arrived - lighter and faster on its feet.
By the time the Pixies released first LP Surfer Rosa in 1988, those in the know were already awaiting a further taste of the band's unique loud-quiet-loud approach to structure and sound.
Surfer Rosa isn't a great album in the way that more profound works might hold a listener's attention.
But its mix of mad fun, venomous anger and curious beauty make it irresistible - as does the punch of Dave Lovering's drums, courtesy of producer Steve Albini.
The tone is surreal and often humorous, with lyrics touching on the subjects of mutilation, religion and voyeurism.
Sole single Gigantic, sung by bass player Kim Deal, reportedly details one woman's observation of another making love to a black teenager.
Spanish and Puerto Rican references abound, perhaps inspired by frontman/chief writer Black Francis' aborted trip to Puerto Rico as an exchange student.
Both Oh My Golly and Vamos feature Spanish lyrics, and the album cover features a topless woman posing as a flamenco dancer - a provocative photograph, heavy on Catholic imagery.
Francis' caterwauling vocals, Joey Santiago's chunky guitar riffs and Deal's fat bass lines have inspired such luminaries as Kurt Cobain and PJ Harvey and seem destined to ring on.
Whatever lies beneath, Surfer Rosa bristles with the unrestrained energy of a band at its peak and continues to stand as a high point in indie rock.
-By Jeff Harford
