Pixies: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

The Pixies welded Boston art-punk to surf guitar, Spanish-language shouting, Buñuel, and the Book of Revelation, and their loud-quiet-loud dynamic became the structural grammar of 1990s alternative rock. This mix traces the band from a famously odd classified ad through 4AD's Boston pipeline and Steve Albini's live-room aesthetic, out to the successors who admitted they were copying.

The Kynda mix for Pixies

• Key Influence · Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges (1973). Black Francis's shredded, howling delivery and the band's shaved-down primitivism descend directly from Iggy Pop, whom Francis has repeatedly named as the model for the frontman-as-animal. The Stooges' template — two guitars, no ornament, a vocalist screaming at the edge of his range — underwrites Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, and the Pixies later shared bills and mutual admiration with Iggy during their reunion years.
• Influencia Obscura · In the Wind by Peter, Paul and Mary (1963). The same classified ad that summoned Kim Deal asked for a bassist who liked both Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary — a juxtaposition that became the band's running joke and, more usefully, a real description of their music. The folk trio's clean harmony singing and strummed acoustic frames explain the Deal–Francis vocal blend and the ringing, campfire-simple chord beds underneath the screaming.
• Local Roots · House Tornado by Throwing Muses (1988). The Pixies' path to 4AD ran through the Muses: Kristin Hersh's band were the first American act signed to the London label, and their circle's advocacy in Boston helped bring Ivo Watts-Russell to the Pixies' demo. The two groups shared stages, management and a city, and Hersh's lurching time signatures and unnerving imagery are the sibling dialect to Francis's — New England oddness as a regional style.
• Beyond the Medium · Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí (1929). "Debaser," the song that opens Doolittle, is explicitly about this film — Francis built the chorus around the sliced eyeball and the phrase "un chien andalusia," naming Buñuel's surrealism as the aesthetic he wanted for his lyrics. The band's whole method of juxtaposed, dream-logic images that refuse narrative resolution is borrowed from Spanish surrealism rather than from any rock songwriter.
• Peer · Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth (1988). Released months before Doolittle, Sonic Youth's double album is the other great 1988 American art-rock statement, and the two bands circled the same labels, festivals and critical press on both sides of the Atlantic. Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon championed the Pixies early, and both groups taught major-label A&R departments that dissonance could carry pop melody — the opening the 90s boom walked through.
• From the Canon · Surfer Rosa by Pixies (1988). The Albini-engineered debut album is the band's method laid bare: drums recorded in a tiled room, guitars dry and hostile, Spanish-language shouting on "Oh My Golly!," studio chatter left on tape between takes. "Gigantic" hands Kim Deal the lead vocal and shows the two-singer chemistry that defines the group, while "Where Is My Mind?" demonstrates how melodic the noise could be.
• Key Collaborator · Songs About Fucking by Big Black (1987). Albini engineered Surfer Rosa and the Pixies' later Trompe le Monde-era circle, bringing the room-miked drum sound and refusal of overdubs that made the band sound like four people in a hostile space. His own band Big Black is where that aesthetic was forged — metallic guitars, drum machine as blunt instrument, lyrics as reportage — and it shows exactly what he brought to the Pixies' debut album.
• Legacy · Nevermind by Nirvana (1991). Kurt Cobain said bluntly that in writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" he was trying to rip off the Pixies, and he placed Surfer Rosa among his favourite albums; he also hired Albini for In Utero to chase that record's sound. Nevermind took the loud-quiet-loud structure to a global audience, making the Pixies retroactively the most consequential American rock band of the late 1980s.

What influenced Pixies

• Fight Club by David Fincher. A Pixies song was used during the climax of Fight Club. ““I heard it in a preview. I went to the movies for something else, and I saw the trailer for it. I was like, ‘Shit! We’re still relevant, and we broke up. That’s too bad.’” (Dazed)
• Zen Arcade by Hüsker Dü (1984). Zen Arcade (Hüsker Dü) — titan for Pixies “Two weeks later, Francis placed an advertisement seeking a bass player who liked both the folk act Peter, Paul and Mary and the alternative rock band Hüsker Dü.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Talking Heads: 77 by Talking Heads (1977). Talking Heads: 77 (Talking Heads) — titan for Pixies “As a child, he listened mainly to 1960s songs, religious music and Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Talking Heads, who he says "weren't punk either".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• In the Wind by Peter, Paul and Mary (1963). In the Wind (Peter, Paul and Mary) — ghost for Pixies “Two weeks later, Francis placed an advertisement seeking a bass player who liked both the folk act Peter, Paul and Mary and the alternative rock band Hüsker Dü.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Only Visiting This Planet by Larry Norman (1972). Only Visiting This Planet (Larry Norman) — ghost for Pixies “Norman also released a live recording of a punk version of "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" Pixies frontman Black Francis described Larry Norman as having been his "total idol" as a teenager, whom he attempted to imitate.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Cars. Santiago explicitly credited the Cars with influencing the Pixies’ guitar sound. “Santiago has also stated that the Cars "had a big influence" on Pixies and that "those chugging guitars [on Cars songs] are what made us chug."” (Wikipedia)
• Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges (1973). Raw Power (Iggy and the Stooges) — titan for Pixies (musicbrainz.org)
• Eraserhead by David Lynch. Eraserhead (David Lynch) — culture for Pixies (themoviedb.org)
• Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí (1929). Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí) — culture for Pixies
• The Book of Revelation (King James Bible) by Anonymous. The Book of Revelation (King James Bible) (Anonymous) — culture for Pixies

Peers and kindred spirits

• Throwing Muses by Throwing Muses. The Pixies toured Europe in support of Throwing Muses. (also via House Tornado) “The Pixies arrived in England to support Throwing Muses on the European "Sex and Death" tour, beginning at the Mean Fiddler in London.” (Wikipedia)
• Head On by The Jesus and Mary Chain. The Pixies included a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain song on Trompe le Monde. “The Pixies’ cover of the Jesus & Mary Chain’s Head On was released as a single in May 1991 – less than a year and a half after the original came out.” (NoiseCrumbs)
• I Can't Forget by Leonard Cohen. The Pixies contributed a cover of Leonard Cohen’s song to a tribute album. “I Can’t Forget Pixies Producer Gil Norton Track 3 on I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen” (Genius)
• Ain't That Pretty at All by Warren Zevon. The Pixies recorded a rendition of a Warren Zevon song. “The reformed Boston heavyweights have recorded a cover of Warren Zevon’s ‘Ain’t That Pretty At All’ for a tribute album to the late star ‘Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs Of Warren Zevon’.” (NME)
• Winterlong by Neil Young. The article identifies the Pixies recording of Winterlong as a Neil Young cover. “This cover of the Neil Young song was originally released as part of The Bridge – A Tribute To Neil Young. It also appeared on the B-side of the Dig for Fire single.” (Genius)
• Steve Albini by Steve Albini. Albini describes his work recording Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” (also via Surfer Rosa) ““It was obvious that Kim’s voice was meant to be a kind of pedal, a tonal center, and Charles’s was more of the personality,” Albini says. “I tried to present them in that way, where Kim’s voice was read less as a person and more as a so…” (Dazed)
• Sonic Youth. Surfer Rosa (Pixies) — peer for Sonic Youth (via Surfer Rosa, Daydream Nation) “The band was slated to perform in the 2004 Lollapalooza tour along with acts such as the Pixies and the Flaming Lips, but the tour was canceled due to lackluster ticket sales.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Colour and the Shape by Foo Fighters (1997). The Colour and the Shape (Foo Fighters) — collaborator for Pixies “== Discography == === As producer === Chain of Command, Some Aspects, Honour Among Thieves (1981) China Crisis, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982) Echo & the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain (1984) The…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ocean Rain by Echo & the Bunnymen (1984). Ocean Rain (Echo & the Bunnymen) — collaborator for Pixies “== Discography == === As producer === Chain of Command, Some Aspects, Honour Among Thieves (1981) China Crisis, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982) Echo & the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain (1984) The…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Mitski (1990). Mitski toured the US as a supporting act for the Pixies. “the Pixies announced U.S. tour dates with her on February 21, as a supporting act starting in October.” (Wikipedia)
• Spoon. Spoon announced a co-headlining tour with Pixies. “The band also announced a tour with Pixies” (Wikipedia)
• House Tornado by Throwing Muses (1988). House Tornado (Throwing Muses) — geography for Pixies “=== Come On Pilgrim (1987) === While the Pixies were playing a concert with Throwing Muses, they were noticed by the producer Gary Smith, the manager of Fort Apache Studios.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth (1988). Daydream Nation (Sonic Youth) — peer for Pixies “The band was slated to perform in the 2004 Lollapalooza tour along with acts such as the Pixies and the Flaming Lips, but the tour was canceled due to lackluster ticket sales.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Songs About Fucking by Big Black (1987). Songs About Fucking (Big Black) — collaborator for Pixies “He also began work as a recording engineer, working with artists such as Slint, the Pixies, the Breeders, Pegboy, Urge Overkill, the Jesus Lizard, the Wedding Present, Superchunk, PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Bush, and Page and Plant.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Born in Chicago by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The Pixies covered the Paul Butterfield Blues Band song. “Also in 1990, the Pixies released a cover of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's "Born in Chicago" on the compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary .” (Wikipedia)
• Nada Surf by Nada Surf. Identifies Nada Surf’s 1999 interpretation of Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” “New York alt-rock band Nada Surf took it in a different direction, recording a drum and bass-influenced interpretation in 1999.” (Dazed)
• David Bowie (1947). Performed live 159 times (2002–2004) per setlist.fm (via Cactus) (YouTube)
• Vs. by Mission of Burma (1982). Vs. (Mission of Burma) — geography for Pixies (musicbrainz.org)
• You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr. (1987). You're Living All Over Me (Dinosaur Jr.) — geography for Pixies “were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-'80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guitar noise." In a BBC review of their reissued albums You'…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Locust Abortion Technician by Butthole Surfers (1987). Locust Abortion Technician (Butthole Surfers) — peer for Pixies (musicbrainz.org)
• Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes (1983). Violent Femmes (Violent Femmes) — peer for Pixies (musicbrainz.org)

Who Pixies influenced

• Kurt Cobain. The Pixies’ success encouraged Cobain’s songwriting. (also via Surfer Rosa) “The Pixies' subsequent popularity encouraged Cobain to follow his instincts as a songwriter.” (Wikipedia)
• Nirvana. The article names Nirvana among acts influenced by the Pixies. (also via Surfer Rosa, Nevermind, Smells Like Teen Spirit) “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana , Radiohead , Modest Mouse , the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer .” (Wikipedia)
• Cage the Elephant (2006). Second album Thank You, Happy Birthday was influenced by Pixies. (also via Surfer Rosa) “heavily influenced by punk rock as well as bands such as Pixies and Nirvana” (Wikipedia)
• Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Cobain identified the Pixies as an influence on Smells Like Teen Spirit. ““I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies … When I heard The Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily, I should have been in that band — or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, bei…” (American Songwriter)
• Weezer. The article names Weezer among acts influenced by the Pixies. (also via Weezer (The Blue Album)) “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana , Radiohead , Modest Mouse , the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer .” (Wikipedia)
• Radiohead (1985). The Pixies is listed among Radiohead's earliest influences. “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana , Radiohead , Modest Mouse , the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer .” (Wikipedia)
• Matt Shultz. Shultz names Pixies as vocal style influence. “Lead singer Matt Shultz cites bands such as the Pixies as influential on his vocal style.” (Wikipedia)
• Telephono. Critics compared Telephono's sound to Pixies. “The album was met with mixed reviews, with critics comparing their sound to Pavement , Pixies and Wire” (Wikipedia)
• They Want My Soul. Pitchfork critic Dombal describes Spoon's early sound as Pixies-worshipping. “eons ahead of their Pixies-worshipping beginnings and a far cry from the relatively small-scale charm of their early-2000s touchstones Girls Can Tell and Kill the Moonlight” (Wikipedia)
• Nevermind by Nirvana (1991). Nevermind (Nirvana) — legacy for Pixies “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Pablo Honey. Pablo Honey (Radiohead) — legacy for Pixies “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Modest Mouse. The article names Modest Mouse among acts influenced by the Pixies. “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana , Radiohead , Modest Mouse , the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer .” (Wikipedia)
• The Smashing Pumpkins. The article names the Smashing Pumpkins among acts influenced by the Pixies. “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana , Radiohead , Modest Mouse , the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer .” (Wikipedia)
• Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer (1994). Weezer (The Blue Album) (Weezer) — legacy for Pixies “Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer.” (en.wikipedia.org)