I came in on that Rough Trade edition of Surfer Rosa / Come On Pilgrim, the US branch of the UK label having put out the two 4AD albums on one CD for the American market. I can remember buying it in the spring-time of 1988 at Tower Records in D.C., when the import section and indie stuff was downstairs. So given how much I played that disc, is it any surprise when I say that Bossanova and Trompe le Monde were letdowns? I bought Bossanova at the record store where this site's own Stan Cierlitsky worked in 1990. I was no longer working for any record store after August 1990, and I was sort of aimless, and waiting for college to start up after the summer. I didn't even buy Trompe le Monde when it came out and finally heard it months later in late 1991. Neither record set my mind on fire like Surfer Rosa did, but each had songs that were fantastic.
This week 4AD dropped remastered versions of Bossanova (1990) and Trompe Le Monde (1991) and it's time to give these another chance. The addition of four previously-unreleased Pixies songs recorded with the late Steve Albini only sweetens the proposition. Let's dive in and dig for fire, right?
Even in its remastered form, Bossanova still sounds less like an album and more a collection of tracks. I mean, if you'd told me in 1990 that this was Pixies' Odds and Sods, I'd have believed you. And that's not an insult because that Who comp. remains pretty kickass. We get "Velouria" here, all majestic and weird, the catchy "Is She Weird?", the tight "Dig for Fire", and "Ana", one of the loveliest songs this lot ever put forward. This record only disappoints if you compare it to Doolittle and Surfer Rosa from the prior two years. On its own, this album has a lot of good stuff on it, and, frankly, producer Gil Norton kind of helped Pixies create an enduring sound absent Steve Albini. This 2026 edition adds two Albini-produced cuts, of which a very early run at "Dig for Fire" is the clear highlight.
In 1991, I found Trompe le Monde a pleasant surprise. Look, it's nowhere near as good as Surfer Rosa or Doolittle but it's a remarkably solid and cohesive record. The title cut and "Planet of Sound" make for a great one-two-punch of an opener, while "Letter to Memphis" still ranks in my favorite Pixies songs. And given how quickly Frank Black's solo career progressed shortly after this record's release, songs like "Alex Eiffel" and "Palace of the Brine" sound more like test-runs for what he'd do on his own. They're not bad or anything, but just not "Caribou", of course. But the goreous twang of "Motorway to Roswell" almost is, you know? Despite all my nitpicky bullshit, "Head On" and "U-Mass" still roar like beasts, don't they? Producer Gil Norton managed to make an album which sounds very clean but also loud as hell in spots. Of the two Albini-produced cuts here on this 2026 remaster of Trompe le Monde, "Punk Loop" is more interesting, mainly because it doesn't sound too much like what we hear in our heads when thinking of earlier Steve Albini-produced work from Pixies.
Sounding better than they ever have, these 2026 remasters of Bossanova (1990) and Trompe le Monde (1991) by Pixies are out now via 4AD. They're still odd records, and not in the way Come on Pilgrim was odd in 1987. They are both accessible and a little strange in spots, but Pixies were always like that, weren't they? These two albums deserve more love from me, and hearing these remastered versions was what made them click a little more for me here in 2026.
[Photo: Renaud Monfourny]