10 Best Alt-Rock Albums Of The 80's

While many people point to grunge as the main antecedent for what became alt-rock, the Pixies are the band that will forever be known as grunge's older siblings. From their start in the early 80's, the band's brand of punk rock sensibilities and quirky approach to songwriting would become the mainstay of alternative music going forward.

Even though most of the band's catalog in this decade is stellar, Doolittle is probably the most alt-rock that the band had sounded at that point in their career. Songs like "Debaser" show the raw aggression that the band could assault you with, while tracks like "Here Comes Your Man" contain some of the most ear-catching melodies the band would ever create.

The band were also groundbreaking in popularizing the soft-loud dynamic, where the band starts quiet in their verses before making the chorus absolutely explode. The final track on here, "Gouge Away," was even the template that Kurt Cobain eventually used to write the alt-rock international anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

The Pixies may not have necessarily been the brightest stars of their time, but the way they pushed the alternative movement has firmly cemented their legacy as one the pioneers of modern rock music.