Suddenly, from out of nowhere, it feels like 1993 again. Why's that? Oh, only 'cause tribute albums are back in the biggest possible way. It's strange, really. Tribute albums, by definition, are hit- or- miss. Maybe there's a good track or two, but usually, you get a whole lot of half- assed, tounge- in- cheek covers by mediocre bands. Not so in the case of Where is My Mind: A Tribute to the Pixies-- this is one of the very rare instances where a tribute just comes together.

I think the general goodness of this disc is owed entirely to the quality of the songwriting. You can't deny the absolute genius that poured forth from Black Francis and Co. It just can't be touched. And when a song is really, really good to its core, it's nearly impossible to fuck it up.

The proof's in the pudding, though, people. And check it out: the Get-Up Kids' upbeat cover of "Alec Eiffel" sounds as current as the original sounded over ten years ago, and when their emo trademarks collide with that quirky and brilliant Pixies pop, the result is just damned blissful. Weezer's take on "Velouria" is great, though Rivers Cuomo's vocals are a little uninspired. Superdrag's rendition of "Wave of Mutilation" is one of the record's highlights-- aside from a slight tempo increase, the track is complete verbatim, right down to John Davis' highly Black Francis- influenced vocals.

Nada Surf, strangely, appear to have added some nice, remarkably original electronic effects to their sound for their beautiful cover of the album's title track-- definitely one of the most perfect pop songs ever penned. Weston's terrific version of "La, La Love You" is not only executed with precision, but its humor is genuinely funny. And the disc closes with Sense Field doing their best high school slow- dance cover of "Caribou."

Not everything pays off, though. On "Monkey Gone to Heaven," Far vocalist Jonah Sonz Matranga speaks the verses through some kind of generic, distorted effects pedal (or, more likely, a cheap handheld tape recorder), for an effect that's just generally tasteless and moronic-- in fact, I might even call it a ruthless slaughtering of its original counterpart. Local H's version of "Tame" is, even for "Tame," overly screamy. The band's vocalist comes off sounding like-- and sorry about this-- Courtney Love during the choruses. Reel Big Fish's techno take on "Gigantic" is funny the first time around (especially the singer's awesome Kim Deal impression), but quickly loses its appeal.

But all told, Where is My Mind fares shockingly well for a tribute record. The production is top- notch on pretty much all of the songs, the bands are in it just for the fun of it, and they care about all the songs they recorded. Granted, none of these songs can touch their original versions, but that's not what this album's about-- it's about having fun with some of the greatest pop songs on the planet.

-Ryan Schreiber