The Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Allow me for a moment, as I know you will, to speak on the subject of Surfer Rosa, and album that I have recently become obsessed with.

I didn't really see it coming. I got it for my birthday, played it once, and liked it well enough, and then put it up. I ended up putting it in my car player, just to give it another chance to really impress me, and it didn't.

But I didn't take it out of my car.

It's a short album, so you can be pretty sure that even if you only really like a couple songs they'll pop up a lot, especially on longer car trips. I just kept thinking, I'll leave it in to hear Where is My Mind again, then change cds. It's the song I knew best before getting the album, and it really stands out. I always thought of it as being perfectly crafted to present the particular lackadasical feeling it delivers, but within the very loose album it becomes clear it is... not accidental but simply a representation of what the album stands for.

Now, I think Oh man, I can't take it out now, Broken Face is up next!

I didn't even like that song at first. A number of elements have won me over though - not just for that song but for all of them.

• Aesthetic - Each song is very loose and raw indie rock, but never dipping into self-indulgent emo. Just up tempo rock. Nothing too heavy, but nothing too light.
• The songs are very elemental. Surfer Rosa preceded like-minded bands such as Weezer or modern indie rockers to the point that the music seems to be the gregorian chanting to their renaissance chamber music. The elemental melodies occur throughout.
  
• Rhythm - There are several instances where I have been particularly struck by an effective juggling of rhythms. I'm just like that.

So yeah, I like the album. I'm glad I gave it a second chance.

I think I learned a valuble lesson kids.