Pixies TROMPE LE MONDE

The Pixies: Black Francis (vocals, guitar); Kim Deal (vocals, bass); Joey Santiago (guitar); David Lovering (drums).Additional personnel: Eric Drew Feldman (keyboards, synthesizer); Jef Feldman (tabla, dumbek). Recorded at Master Control and Pacifique, Burbank, California, Studio Des Dames, Paris, and Blackwing, London, England.The title might be French for "fool the world," but with Trompe le Monde, the Pixies weren't fooling anyone: this was essentially Black Francis' solo debut. It focuses on Francis' sci-fi fascination and lacks any Kim Deal songs; even her backing vocals are far and few between. Yet the band sounds revitalized on Trompe le Monde, as if it were planned as their last hurrah. The raucous "Distance Equals Rate Times Time" and the explosive cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Head On" are fairly straightforward, but the lyrics remain quirky on "Planet of Sound," a song about a Martian who lands on Earth, and "Palace of the Brine," a tribute to se