Surfer Rosa
by Pixies

From doombringer 01/17/2026 12:52 | #312678

Four good songs out of 13 don`t make a great album . (IMHO)

Listening to the Pixies' 'Surfer Rosa' is like being swept into a whirlwind of energy and unexpected sounds. The album's mix of loud guitars and unique vocals, with some songs feeling calm and others full of shouting, creates a really interesting contrast. It's not like most music I've heard; it has a raw, almost unpolished feel that makes it stand out.

From pedro1976 05/17/2023 21:35 | #297050

Solid album, wonderful production - band sounds great and terrific drum sound in particular - let down (for me) by Black Francis' vocals - too whiney to my ears!! = Highlights: Gigantic, Where Is My Mind?

This is such a high energy album that would go on to influence the majority of music that came out in the 90's, alongside Doolittle, making it a hugely important release. This isn't all there is too this album however as there is so much quality across this release. The two obvious examples are Gigantic and Where Is My Mind? as they both sound so incredibly unique yet are also extremely infectious. They then strengthen the release with songs like River Euphrates, Cactus and Bone Machine which help to bulk up the record. However, there is quite a significant amount of filler on this release especially for the short run time that it has. Most of the skippable songs arrive near the conclusion of the release as well which can make this 33 minute listen feel unnecessarily elongated. Overall, a hugely important album in the history of music that might not be the groups best record but it is a lot of fun to experience time and time again.

Quite influential and revolutionary album, there is some great material on this album like Break My Body, River Euphrates and Bone Machine all of this songs rip and deliver this raw punk energy that clearly influenced grunge and 90s alt rock. Of course we have masterpiece Where Is My Mind? on this record and this song is great both lyrically and sonically. I love it. The biggest problem for me are half-baked tracks and sometimes annoying vocals (on Broken Face and Vamos especially). Overall it is really a solid record with some minor flaws.

While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Doolittle, it brings its own unique sense of relentless aggression and utter weirdness. Less cerebral, more impulsive. Surfer Rosa is an unhinged thrill ride from start to end, and I can definitely see how some would prefer it to its successor. Albini's production, with its pummeling bass and brittle guitars, adds to the blistering experience. "River Euphrates" may just be my single favorite Pixies song. Exhilarating, and addicting; I reach for this album a lot.

The sound is so much impactful than on Doolitle, but the song-writting is not as immediate for sure.

Don't really "get" this band, but I still enjoyed Doolittle and some of this album. Where is my mind and Gigantic are the highlights, and I like the first two tracks too. It's okay, but as for top 100 albums ever... I just don't see it. Maybe I'm missing something.

Even the comments between songs are great. Raging songs played with punk aggression and virtuoso skill. Contains possibly the greatest alt-rock song ever. Kim and Frank at their interplay best.

Why are the Pixies so good? Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are two of the most influential albums of all time. So many artists have tried to emulate this sound.