"The sound of a man running wild in his own imagination": Frank Black's Teenager Of The Year still sounds brilliant 30 years on

Frank Black - Teenager Of The Year cover art.

That 4AD are releasing this glorious second solo album from the Pixies frontman on gleaming gold-coloured vinyl is only right and proper, as it still stands as his crowning glory in terms of music outside the band.

In fact, it finds him rejuvenated after Pixies' pre-hiatus swansong Trompe Le Monde – the songwriting here is impeccable, madly inventive and overflowing with a sense of freedom and joie de vivre, beautifully at odds with the gloom of the imploding grunge scene of the time. Black has an innate understanding of the power of a tight pop chorus, respect for classic American rock'n'roll, and a sense of punk weirdness to make it all sound brand new.