A little over a week ago, the Pixies kicked off their European mini-tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Doolittle, their second studio album. The band’s seminal 1989 release resulted in huge exposure (“Here Comes Your Man” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven” were both top five Billboard Modern Rock hits), and today Doolittle regularly secures a slot on many “Best Albums Ever” tallies.

Having visited Dublin, Glascow, and London, tonight the Pixies take the stage in Frankfurt, where again they’ll perform Doolittle in its entirety, along with B-sides from the same era (and, if the audience is lucky, a few additional classic tunes). After stops in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris later this week, they’ll pack up and head back to the States for a series of Doolittle shows in November. But if you can’t wait, can’t get tickets, or are just plain obsessive (ahem, Minotaur), the Pixies are releasing a series of concert recordings from the European run, limited to 1000 CDs and 500 USB wristbands, all available ten minutes after each show (there’s also a digital download option).

The aforementioned “Here Comes Your Man” is definitely a Doolittle high point, a totally accessible tune that practically begs the listener to sing along (whether you wish to be Black Francis, Kim Deal, or both). Though the Pixies released “Here Comes Your Man” as a single (accompanied by a classic open-mouthed video), the band appeared to have some disdain for their “hit,” rarely playing it in concert and even refusing an invitation to perform the song on The Arsenio Hall Show (hard to fathom now, but the late-night talk show was big-time popular then).

After a wait so long that it took 20 years, British electronic duo Relation have fully realized the Pixies’ fear of pop, grabbing “Here Comes Your Man” by the shoulders and marching it directly into drum-machine-and-sequencers territory. A bonus track on the iTunes’ version of Relation’s recently released debut, Fear Of Night, this sparkling synth take on “Here Comes Your Man” would sound right at home on a John Hughes film soundtrack from the ’80s, a mix of New Order, OMD, and Pet Shop Boys. Gliding along, Relation’s hope-filled cover must not be missed. Hear here:

Grab a free download of Relation – “Here Comes Your Man.” (A tip of my pop hat to Arjan Writes for the heads up.)