Trompe le Monde

"Head On" is a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain track. It was released as a single and reached number 6 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U.S.

"U-Mass" is a song about the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Black Francis met Joey Santiago before dropping out to form Pixies. In a 2001 interview, Santiago recalled that the original guitar riff was written while they were still enrolled at the school.[http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2001/04/15/frank-black-odd-ball/ Magnet Magazine interview]

The album name comes from the title of the first track, "Trompe le Monde", a French phrase ({{IPA|fr|tʁɔ̃p lə mɔ̃d|pron}}) meaning "Fool the World". Unlike previous albums, the title of the album comes from the name of a song (rather than a song lyric), and is a play on the French phrase "Trompe-l'œil", a painting technique in which the painter fools the viewer into thinking objects presented are real, and also "trompe la mort", which means "daredevil" in French. On some versions of the CD, the title is erroneously printed as Tromp le Monde on the disc itself.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/trompe-le-monde-mw0000267861 |title=Trompe le Monde – Pixies |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=October 28, 2024 |last=Phares |first=Heather}}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55357/trompe-le-monde.html |title=Pixies: Trompe Le Monde |magazine=Blender |volume=7 |issue=11 |date=December 2008 – January 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2015 |last=Dolan |first=Jon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220211946/http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55357/trompe-le-monde.html |archive-date=December 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}}

| rev3 = Chicago Tribune

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-11-07-9104100131-story.html |title=Pixies: Trompe Le Monde (4AD/Elektra) |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 7, 1991 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = A−{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/10/11/trompe-le-monde/ |title=Trompe Le Monde |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |issue=87 |date=October 11, 1991 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Arnold |first=Gina |author-link=Gina Arnold}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-13-ca-796-story.html |title=Pixies Transcend the Ordinary |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 13, 1991 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |last=Boehm |first=Mike |author-link=Mike Boehm}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = 7/10{{cite magazine |url=https://eyesore.no/pdf/Pixies.TrompeLeMonde.Review.NME.19910921.pdf |title=Kick Asteroid!!! |magazine=NME |date=September 21, 1991 |access-date=May 26, 2016 |last=Brown |first=James |author-link=James Brown (editor) |page=32}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 9.4/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19282-pixies-catalogue/ |title=Pixies: Catalog |website=Pitchfork |date=April 25, 2014 |access-date=April 25, 2014 |last=Powell |first=Mike}}

| rev8 = Q

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Pixies: Trompe le Monde |magazine=Q |issue=61 |date=October 1991 |last=Cooper |first=Mark}}

| rev9 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book |chapter=The Pixies |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/639 639–640]}}

| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10score = A−{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv292-92.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=March 3, 1992 |access-date=October 17, 2015 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}

}}

Michael Bonner of Lime Lizard described Trompe le Monde as "one of the best albums that you may very well ever hear" and "a strong contender for best album of the 20th century".{{cite journal |author=Michael Bonner |date=October 1991 |title=The Pixies Trompe Le Monde |journal=Lime Lizard |page=50}}

In a retrospective review, AllMusic writer Heather Phares noted the reduced role of Kim Deal, calling it "essentially Black Francis' solo debut". Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger named Trompe le Monde his ninth favorite album of the 1990s, describing it as "clean-lined sci-fi popmetal, perpetually underrated."{{cite web |last1=Ewing |first1=Tom |title=10 Years, 100 Albums, 1000 Words |url=http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/bestlps.html |website=Freaky Trigger |access-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000416222621/http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/bestlps.html |archive-date=April 16, 2000 |date=1999}}

{{Track listing

|headline=Trompe le Monde track listing

|all_writing = Black Francis, except where noted

|title1 = Trompe le Monde

|length1 = 1:48

|title2 = Planet of Sound

|length2 = 2:06

|title3 = Alec Eiffel

|length3 = 2:50

|title4 = The Sad Punk

|length4 = 3:00

|title5 = Head On

|note5 = The Jesus and Mary Chain cover

|writer5 = Jim Reid, William Reid

|length5 = 2:13

|title6 = U-Mass

|length6 = 3:01

|title7 = Palace of the Brine

|length7 = 1:34

|title8 = Letter to Memphis

|length8 = 2:39

|title9 = Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons

|length9 = 2:48

|title10 = Space (I Believe In)

|length10 = 4:18

|title11 = Subbacultcha

|length11 = 2:09

|title12 = Distance Equals Rate Times Time

|length12 = 1:24

|title13 = Lovely Day

|length13 = 2:05

|title14 = Motorway to Roswell

|length14 = 4:43

|title15= The Navajo Know

|length15 = 2:20

}}

{{listen

| filename = PixiesUMass.ogg

| title = "U-Mass"

| description = is the sixth track from Trompe le Monde. This sample contains the end of the first verse and the chorus.

}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

Pixies

• Black Francis – vocals, guitar
• Kim Deal – bass guitar, vocals
• David Lovering – drums
• Joey Santiago – lead guitar

Additional musicians

• Eric Drew Feldman – keyboards, synthetics
• Jef Feldman – tabla, doumbek ("Space (I Believe in)", "Lovely Day")

Technical

• Gil Norton – producer
• Steven Haigler – engineer
• Andrew Ballard – assistant engineer
• John McDonnell – assistant engineer
• Ken Gardner – assistant engineer
• Scott Blockland – assistant engineer
• Philipe Tousche – assistant engineer
• Vaughan Oliver / v23 – art direction, design
• Chris Bigg – design assistance
• Paul McMenamin – design assistance
• Simon Larbalestier – photography
• Steven Appleby – artwork (rockets)
• TPP Ltd. London – typesetting

{{div col end}}

{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for Trompe le Monde}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=trompe Le Monde|type=album|artist=The Pixies|relyear=1991|certyear=2000|region=France|award=Gold|source=infodisc}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Trompe le Monde|type=album|artist=Pixies|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|region=United Kingdom|award=Silver|id=7760-1060-2}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|nocert=true|salesamount=359,000|salesref={{cite web|url=http://www.capradio.org/music/eclectic/2015/02/03/the-record-unfinished-business/|publisher=Capital Public Radio|title=The Record: Unfinished Business|date=3 February 2015|access-date=16 April 2019}}}}

{{certification Table Bottom}}

{{reflist}}

• Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. Virgin Books, 2005. {{ISBN|0-312-34007-9}}.

• [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r15335|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic: Trompe le Monde]

{{Pixies}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1991 albums

Category:4AD albums

Category:Albums produced by Gil Norton

Category:Elektra Records albums

Category:Pixies (band) albums