Hearing conservation is an important part of workplace safety to protect employees from noise-induced hearing loss. This week, EHS Daily Advisor wrote about the importance of having a hearing conservation program in place. In that vein, the Song of the Week is a noisy indie rock ripper from the Pixies, “Planet of Sound.”
The song is on the band’s 1991 album Trompe le Monde, which was the last release from the band before they broke up in 1993. “Planet of Sound” was the first single off the album, featuring the band playing at full throttle.
Frontman Black Francis wrote a lot of songs about science fiction and aliens, and indeed, “Planet of Sound” is about an alien who picks up transmissions from Earth and goes to investigate the “planet of sound.” But the alien makes a mistake and goes to Mars, where he’s told he’s in the wrong place.
“I met a guy in a rover/He said, ‘It’s one more over/It’s there where you’re bound’/This ain’t the planet of sound.”
After he broke up the band, Francis went on to a solo career under the name Frank Black and bassist Kim Deal started her own band the Breeders, which was actually more successful commercially than the Pixies or Frank Black. The Pixies reunited in 2004, playing shows but not releasing new albums. Deal left in 2013 and after that, the Pixies released four studio albums, with another expected in October.