Following their remarkable debut EP "Come On Pilgrim," Pixies teamed with the great Steve Albini for their debut LP, "Surfer Rosa," which itself became a touchstone of independent, "alternative" music, cited by Kurt Cobain as one of his favorite albums and a significant influence on Nirvana's music.
From the bombastic drum intro of "Bone Machine," to the strange beauty of Gigantic, and the punk intensity of "Something Against You," to the snaking bass line and lyrical genius of "Cactus," this album is as huge in its span as it is in its sound.
Never again would the Pixies so much as attempt to match the grit and grime of this album, and that's probably for the best. But for all the nice production values of Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde, they never sounded better, and they surely never had a better album cover.