12 '90s Hard Rock Albums Everyone Should Own
5. Pixies - Trompe La Monde
As Pixies began to unravel, their sound similarly became jagged at the edges. The previous year’s Bossanova was gentler than their earlier works, with a pervasive dreaminess and world music influences.
On Trompe La Monde, they got back to their dynamic roots, only with the volume cranked way up. Bassist Kim Deal was on her way out at this point, and the record is very much dominated by Frank Black, who snarls and screams his way through 40 minutes of full steam ahead rock.
One of alternative music’s great frontmen, Black ditches his usual creepy verse/screamed chorus approach in favour of all out aural war. On “Planet Of Sound” he nearly shouts himself sick, and the bitter “U-Mass” drips with venom. The sound is far thicker than they’d previously utilised, with the anthemic "Letter to Memphis" a particular standout.
The final album for Pixies purists, there’s an unmistakable anger at the heart of this record made by a band who were not getting along, but as was their wont, they channel that into an often underappreciated album. The reunion was a mistake, but we’ll always have the back catalogue.