Song of the Day 10/18: Pixies, “Gigantic”
I admit it, I miss the ’90s. Yeah, I know this song came out in 1988 on the first Pixies album, “Surfer Rosa,” but the post-Replacements sound they helped pioneer, with its distorted guitars and quiet-loud-quiet dynamics, came to dominate the indie-rock music of the early ’90s, so I mentally file it there.
This was the first song Kim Deal wrote for the band (Black Francis added the chorus), and she was still pretty primitive on the bass — she just repeats the riff that starts the song throughout. The lyrics were inspired by the Beth Henley play “Crimes of the Heart,” in which Sissy Spacek’s married character carries on an affair with a teenager, but Francis said the title was his description of the chord progression, which he called “very Lou Reed-influenced.”
The song was released as a single and got the Pixies some attention on college stations, which was how indie bands promoted themselves in the CD era. My favorite part is the way Deal, an Ohio native, sings “gigantic” in that flat Midwestern accent.
Ska revivalists Reel Big Fish recorded the tune for a Pixies tribute album, but did it in an electro-pop style that was atypical of their style while also sounding nothing like the original.
The Pixies weren’t on my radar until the 2001 album by Frank Black and the Catholics “Dog In The Sand.” Like so much 90s music, I first heard it in the 2000s on the car radio, probably WXPN. I was blown away by “The Swimmer” which has that loud/soft dynamic and Wall Of Sound texture, almost prog, but more polished and without the Pixies garage-rock, punkish DIY edge (which is appealing in its own way).
The Swimmer, Frank Black and the Catholics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52jrKUxEBCI
On the same album “Hermaphroditos” is also a standout, a raucous Stones-ish shouter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HceyH1Xxx8k
Both songs of course with great vocals and lyrics by Frank. I’ve been meaning to check out the rest of the Pixies back catalog.
Thanks for the links.
Just like the 70’s began in 1968, the 90’s began in 1988. The only difference is that the 70’s also extended into 1981 making the decade encompass 14 years.