The Pixies are a truly incredible band that have made some of this generation’s most memorable and beloved music, with tracks such as ‘Where Is Your Mind’ and ‘Hey’ being hailed as classics for the alt and indie genres. However, like most bands, not everything they produce is world changing. This is the case for the band’s third studio album, Bossanova, which on August 30th celebrated its 30th anniversary. In commemoration of the record’s 30th anniversary the band has released a limited edition red vinyl to celebrate.
Bossanova was written by original front man Black Francis, in the midst of the band’s relocation to Los Angeles in 1990 after years of being located in their hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts.The record has become infamous in the band’s history, as they became frustrated with little rehearsal time as well as having small studio issues – all alongside Francis, who openly admitted to having written lyrics five minutes before recording on nearby napkins. Despite the issues with writing and recording the album, though, Francis considers this his favourite The Pixies release.
Yet despite all the commotion, Bossanova released to the public in 1990 to great success, with critics once again praising the band’s performance. However, critics did point out that the album lacked the specialty of previous efforts and that this release felt like any good rock album. This was reflected as the record didn’t do spectacularly well in America but did do well in the UK, with it going as high as 4th in the charts.
Like most The Pixies’ albums, Bossanova has incredibly smooth production, with each song being spectacularly put together. The loose theme of sci-fi is felt throughout the album, with songs such as ‘The Happening’ inspired by famous Vegas DJ Bill Goodman, who was the man behind 1950’s War of the Worlds prank. Songs such as ‘Velouria’ discuss intergalactic communication, focusing on Francis falling for a creature from a distant land. These songs do have great guitar work and vocals which is nothing from the norm for The Pixies, but the band do attempt to sway their vocal work to match the sci-fi theme.
Although the band does loosely follow the sci-fi theme, the record lacks a structure. Excellently produced songs they may be, but put in a curious order. There seems to be no care in telling a coherent story throughout, but just a small burst of a larger theme, as each song radically changes the mood.
Overall, Bossanova is a decent album from a spectacular band. It has some great songs but as an album fails to live up to the hype set by the band’s previous efforts.
Words by Paul Dawson
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.