Music Banter - View Single Post - Steve Albini's bands ~ a chronology reviewed

Engine · 04-22-2010, 08:31 PM

Songs:
1. Steelworker
2. Live in a Hole*
3. Dead Billy
4. I Can Be Killed
5. Crack
6. Rip

Band:
Steve Albini
Roland TR-606
*John Bohnen – sax

In 1982 Steve Albini unleashed Big Black with their first EP, Lungs. Contrary to the ‘hardcore’ tag that Big Black lives with, they were not that. And they were no more Punk than Suicide was. Nor were they an Industrial band, or maybe they were one of the first Industrial bands..I dunno. But I do know that Albini would be pissed off if he heard you call his band New Wave. Naturally, that’s what Lungs got called when it came out for lack of a better term. But enough about what they were not. Big Black was originally an angry, synth-based band that sounded something like The Cure, Joy Division or the early 4AD bands. Big Black was far angrier than any of those drugged up bands were though. Albini’s anger was clear and direct. Lungs may be more a product of Albini’s rage than his imagination or musical abilities. But all three are on display here. It’s a powerful first release.

For whatever reason, Albini recorded this album mainly with nobody but his Roland TR-606 drum machine

He recorded Lungs himself with a borrowed 4-track and played all the instruments (guitar, bass, synth). His friend played some artsy, probably improvised sax on ‘Live in a Hole’ but otherwise Big Black was Albini alone with his analog machines.

Synth beats and melodies are all over the place here – they often dominate the music. But Albini has his guitars plugged in too and he doesn’t let them go unnoticed at all. He had not fully developed his signature sound but you can hear it on Lungs, made when Albini was just another college kid from the American midwest. Everything about his music is truly his own and has been since the early days. It took him a few years to perfect his repetitive, chunky, precise guitar sound but it was always his. He’s always owned it.

If you read about this EP elsewhere, then you will read about the ‘provocative’ or ‘controversial’ subject matter of these 6 songs. To me, his lyrics are not so cut and dry. He writes about some ugly things but always in a beautifully poetic language. He certainly had no particular agenda or belief that he wanted to express on Lungs but he obviously did want (need) to let go of some anger. The lyrics work towards that end. Clear statements are rarely made, though. In most cases you can imagine several different gruesome scenarios when you listen to his words.

My final critical note is on Albini’s vocals. They vary between an almost-spoken, Lou Reed-without-heroin singing style and angry growls. I love Albini’s anger but his angry vocals do make me laugh a little bit. Albini had the same problem as Dave Mustaine. They both wanted to sound threatening but both were cursed with scrawny bodies and soft voices. So their growls came across as more cartoonish than frightening. Over time Albini got control of his voice and, even on Lungs, it was not ever cringe-worthy. Most of the time the vocals are pretty deep in the mix and the anger comes more from his general tone than from his diaphragm.

The first Big Black release is not as developed as a lot of the later material (after this he uses a band of humans, for one thing) but to me it’s just as enjoyable as any of it. Because of how young, inexperienced, and DIY Albini was at the time, Lungs is a glimpse into the essence of Albini and a crucial listen if you’re into this sort of thing

Dead Billy

04-22-2010, 08:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	Big Black - Lungs EP (1982) Songs: 1. Steelworker 2. Live in a Hole* 3. Dead Billy 4. I Can Be Killed 5. Crack 6. Rip Band: Steve Albini Roland TR-606 John Bohnen – sax In 1982 Steve Albini unleashed Big Black with their first EP, Lungs. Contrary to the ‘hardcore’ tag that Big Black lives with, they were not that. And they were no more Punk than Suicide was. Nor were they an Industrial band, or maybe they were one of the first Industrial bands..I dunno. But I do know that Albini would be pissed off if he heard you call his band New Wave. Naturally, that’s what Lungs* got called when it came out for lack of a better term. But enough about what they were not. Big Black was originally an angry, synth-based band that sounded something like The Cure, Joy Division or the early 4AD bands. Big Black was far angrier than any of those drugged up bands were though. Albini’s anger was clear and direct. Lungs may be more a product of Albini’s rage than his imagination or musical abilities. But all three are on display here. It’s a powerful first release. For whatever reason, Albini recorded this album mainly with nobody but his Roland TR-606 drum machine He recorded Lungs himself with a borrowed 4-track and played all the instruments (guitar, bass, synth). His friend played some artsy, probably improvised sax on ‘Live in a Hole’ but otherwise Big Black was Albini alone with his analog machines. Synth beats and melodies are all over the place here – they often dominate the music. But Albini has his guitars plugged in too and he doesn’t let them go unnoticed at all. He had not fully developed his signature sound but you can hear it on Lungs, made when Albini was just another college kid from the American midwest. Everything about his music is truly his own and has been since the early days. It took him a few years to perfect his repetitive, chunky, precise guitar sound but it was always his. He’s always owned it. If you read about this EP elsewhere, then you will read about the ‘provocative’ or ‘controversial’ subject matter of these 6 songs. To me, his lyrics are not so cut and dry. He writes about some ugly things but always in a beautifully poetic language. He certainly had no particular agenda or belief that he wanted to express on Lungs but he obviously did want (need) to let go of some anger. The lyrics work towards that end. Clear statements are rarely made, though. In most cases you can imagine several different gruesome scenarios when you listen to his words. My final critical note is on Albini’s vocals. They vary between an almost-spoken, Lou Reed-without-heroin singing style and angry growls. I love Albini’s anger but his angry vocals do make me laugh a little bit. Albini had the same problem as Dave Mustaine. They both wanted to sound threatening but both were cursed with scrawny bodies and soft voices. So their growls came across as more cartoonish than frightening. Over time Albini got control of his voice and, even on Lungs, it was not ever cringe-worthy. Most of the time the vocals are pretty deep in the mix and the anger comes more from his general tone than from his diaphragm. The first Big Black release is not as developed as a lot of the later material (after this he uses a band of humans, for one thing) but to me it’s just as enjoyable as any of it. Because of how young, inexperienced, and DIY Albini was at the time, Lungs is a glimpse into the essence of Albini and a crucial listen if you’re into this sort of thing *Dead Billy* __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.