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Trompe le Monde

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Untitled

Trompe le Monde is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in 1991 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. After the surf-pop of Bossanova, the album saw a return to the abrasive sound of the band's early albums.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Pitchfork Media9.4/10[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Village VoiceA–[9]

The album was described by Michael Bonner, writing in Lime Lizard, as "one of the best albums that you may very well ever hear" and "a strong contender for best album of the 20th century".[10] AllMusic writer Heather Phares noted the reduced role of Kim Deal, calling it "essentially Black Francis' solo debut".[1]

Content

The album name comes from the title of the first track, "Trompe le Monde", a French phrase meaning "Fool the World".[1] Unlike previous albums, the title of the album comes from the name of a song (rather than a song lyric), and is a play on the French phrase "trompe l'oeil"—a painting technique in which the painter fools the viewer into thinking objects presented are real.

"Head On" is a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain track that was released as a single reaching number 6 in the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart.

"U-Mass" is a song about the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Black Francis met Joey Santiago before dropping out to form Pixies. Santiago recalls that the original guitar riff was written while they were still enrolled.[11]

"U-Mass"
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Track listing

All songs written by Black Francis except "Head On", which is written by Jim Reid and William Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain.

  1. "Trompe le Monde" – 1:48
  2. "Planet of Sound" – 2:06
  3. "Alec Eiffel" – 2:50
  4. "The Sad Punk" – 3:00
  5. "Head On" – 2:13
  6. "U-Mass" – 3:01
  7. "Palace of the Brine" – 1:34
  8. "Letter to Memphis" – 2:39
  9. "Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons" – 2:48
  10. "Space (I Believe in)" – 4:18
  11. "Subbacultcha" – 2:09
  12. "Distance Equals Rate Times Time" – 1:24
  13. "Lovely Day" – 2:05
  14. "Motorway to Roswell" – 4:43
  15. "The Navajo Know" – 2:20

Personnel

Pixies
Additional musicians
Production
  • Produced by Gil Norton
  • Engineered by Steve Haigler
  • Recorded at Master Control, Burbank; Pacifique, Burbank; Studio Des Dames, Paris; Blackwing, London
  • Mixed at Master Rock, London
Design

Charts

Album chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 7
Singles
Billboard (North America)
Year Single Chart Position
1991 "Letter to Memphis" Modern Rock Tracks 6
1992 "Head On" Modern Rock Tracks 6
Gallup (United Kingdom)
Year Single Chart Position
1991 "Planet of Sound" Gallup Top 75 27

References

  1. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Trompe le Monde – Pixies". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  2. ^ Dolan, Jon. "Trompe Le Monde". Blender. Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (November 7, 1991). "Pixies Trompe Le Monde (4AD/Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  4. ^ Arnold, Gina (October 11, 1991). "Trompe Le Monde". Entertainment Weekly (87). Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  5. ^ Boehm, Mike (October 13, 1991). "Pixies Transcend the Ordinary". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  6. ^ Powell, Mike (April 25, 2014). "Pixies: Catalog". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  7. ^ "Pixies: Trompe le Monde". Q (61). October 1991.
  8. ^ "Pixies, Trompe Le Monde, 3 Stars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 6, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 3, 1992). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  10. ^ Michael Bonner (October 1991). "The Pixies Trompe Le Monde". Lime Lizard: 50.
  11. ^ Magnet Magazine interview
  12. ^ "Pixies Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

Notes

  • While the album cover names the album Trompe le Monde, the CD disc itself spells the title incorrectly in some versions as Tromp le Monde.
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