Frank Black Teenager of the Year

Dissolving one of alt-rock's most critically lauded pioneering bands in 1993 to pursue a solo career, Pixies mainstay Black Francis became Frank Black - and quickly discovered there were no guarantees in the fickle rock world, no matter what the quality of your pedigree or music. This 1994 follow-up to Frank Black dropped off the charts barely a month after its release, but has since become a cult favorite of Pixies and Black fans alike. While double-album length collections are often a challenge, Black mostly uses the extra time wisely, traversing territory that ranges from the almost giddy (the opening "Whatever Happened to Pong?" and "Thalassocracy"), the introspective ("Sir Rockaby") , the familiar pop smarts of "Headache" and the "Vanishing Spies" ), an unlikely tributes to L.A.'s historical water baron ("Ole Mulholland"), and even The Three Stooges ("Two Reelers").