Pixies

Sparking a revolution with their jagged guitars, stop-start dynamics, intertwining male-female harmonies and evocative lyrics, Pixies are one of alternative rock's most influential bands. On albums such as 1988's Surfer Rosa and 1989's Doolittle, they upended conventions, melding punk and indie rock, classic pop, surf rock, and stadium-sized riffs with singer/guitarist Black Francis' fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture. His words may have been cryptic, but the music was forceful, laying the groundwork for the alternative explosion of the e...