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## <center>Pixies - *Cactus*</center>
## The Pixies are, without a doubt,
<div class="pull-right">https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/grapthar/nonPg5on-the-pixies-surfer-rosa-1988-30th.jpg</div><div class="text-justify">one of the greatest rock bands of all time, whose sound helped usher in the era of alt. rock into the mainstream, and influenced countless artists and musicians that followed. They were formed in 1986 in Boston, MA by singer/guitarist Black Francis, singer/bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago, and drummer David Lovering. Their sound combined elements of punk and surf rock, though they were influenced by lots of other styles of rock and roll, and many other genres, which helped them to create an original sound that was entirely their own, and really still is to this day. Their recordings are often simple, with little to no overdubbing, and a very live, raw feeling, which, combined with the highly emotional and dynamic nature of their songs, makes their albums really powerful listening experiences. The band did break up in 1993, but reuinited in 2004. Kim Deal left the group a little bit after the reunion and was replaced by Kim Shattuck for a tour or two, though eventually Paz Lenchantin joined the group, becoming a permanent member.</div>
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## <center>[Listen to *Cactus* by **Pixies** here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TphAhmJ0zS8)</center>
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## This song comes from the band's debut album, <i>Surfer Rosa</i>,
<div class="pull-left">https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/grapthar/mj8Ekezq-716voHp6zOL._SL1050_.jpg <center><b>The Pixies</b> - <i>Surfer Rosa</i> (4AD Records, 1988)</center></div><div class="text-justify">released in 1988. This album is often cited as one of the best from the band, and includes a lot of the elements that defined their early music, including huge dynamics shifts within tracks, lyrics in Spanish, and strangely dark, voyeuristic and sometimes violent lyrics. This track is based around a very simple, palm-muted guitar line, which has a bit of a bluesy-surfy element, over which Francis sings some of their strangest lyrics, and some of my favorites. The song tells the story of a man who is perhaps in a prison (<i>"Sitting on a cement floor..."</i>), writing letters to his lover. This alone is not particularly strange, but his requests within these letters are: he asks her to put on a dress, run around in the sun so it is covered and sweat, and send it to him, then to cut her hands on a cactus tree, and rub the blood on the dress, and then, again, send it to him. The song also begins at a very quiet place, and builds up in intensity, handling the aforementioned dynamic shifts the group is known for.</div>
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## Enjoy today's song! Thanks for checking out my blog, and Steem On!
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