Trompe le Monde (French for "Fool the World") is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released on September 23, 1991

Tracks like "Planet of Sound," "Trompe le Monde," "Space (I Believe In)," and "Subbacultcha" recall a heavier metal leaning sound. Planet of Sound was composed in Drop D tuning.

Title

The album name comes from the title of the first track, "Trompe le Monde", a French phrase () meaning "Fool the World".

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| rev4score = A−

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| rev6score = 7/10

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| rev7score = 9.4/10

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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".

In a retrospective review, AllMusic writer Heather Phares noted the reduced role of Kim Deal, calling it "essentially Black Francis' solo debut".

Track listing

Personnel

Pixies

  • Black Francis – vocals, rhythm 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

Charts

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!scope="col"| Chart (1991)

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!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

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|+ 2021 chart performance for Trompe le Monde

!scope="col"| Chart (2021)

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Certifications and sales

References

  • Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. Virgin Books, 2005. .
  • [ Allmusic: Trompe le Monde]