Surfer Rosa by Pixies (1988)

Wizard Steve Albini, mentioned more than a handful of times in this collection alone, was behind the boards for Pixies remarkably influential first full length — helping the band craft their unique loudquietloud sound that holds abrasion and comfort in equal weight.

The tension goes beyond the sound as deeply uncomfortable material is raised via captured studio chatter (namely death threats and abusive coaches) and the lyrical content (mutilation, incest, voyeurism, a prison inmate requesting his girlfriend's blood smeared dress, a married woman falling in love with a teenager, and famously a scuba diving excursion in the Caribbean).

This is a the first perfect album from a band that only made perfect albums**

**I refuse to recognize any release following the band's first breakup in 1993. It is simply too painful.