The Power of Independent Polling – A Selection of Steve Albini'ed LPs

voted Ocean Songs, maybe not my #1 favorite Dirty Three record but it's a good one and the record sounds fantastic.

no Silkworm?

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, May 27, 2019 11:31 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

To my great shame, I've never heard them. Is Firewater a solid starting point?

yes. only issue with firewater is it's pretty long, but i love it

Noted, thanks.

My only addition would be Labradford - Fixed:Context.

I mean he did record The Stooges - The Weirdness, but no-one would vote for that.

Songs About Fucking by a country mile

Maybe I need to get my ears checked but I feel like almost every song on Pod has a much better-sounding version that's not on Pod: whether on the demos or through live version scattered here or there

― think the toledo mud hens but for twitter (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, May 28, 2019 12:29 AM (eight hours ago)

shortly after posting last night re: Pod I looked up a few Albini interviews re: his own recording career and in two he claimed Pod as his best engineering work.

He loves Britt and he loves Kim. He may be grading on a curve.

Forgot he did ‘Fixed:Context’!

American Don over In Utero

Considering a write in for Tar - Jackson

Don't think I can not vote for In Utero but I re-listened to Goat for the first time in ages recently and that really is a fantastic record.

american don

I’m not really a fan of Albini’s work as “recorder” or however he bills himself. That said his style works well on KEN Mode’s Success.

Songs About Fucking by a country mile

― specific goats my way (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, May 28, 2019 10:51 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Aka I haven't heard most of the list

Lifestyle is another good entry point for Silkworm

Sunn O))) Life Metal would be a good 2019 addition to this list

I considered it, but it struck me as premature. Besides, write-ins count too.

What no STNNNG?!

I'd probably pick "Run To Ruin" or "Ocean Songs" or "Griller" or "Times of Grace" or...

The amazing thing to me about "Rid of Me" is Harvey using the Slint record no one likes as a sonic template, though bless her for doing it

A few years ago, I realized that 30% of my all time fav albums were recorded by Albini, though I don't really care about his core style of Big Black/Jesus Lizard/Don Cab anymore. I'm incredibly fond of his engineering though - Surfer Rosa, Pod, Rid of Me might not be those artists' best writing, but they're my favorite recordings of them, by a good bit. Nina Nastasia is all time for me, and On Leaving is my favorite, also recorded by Albini. Blessed Black wings is probably my favorite album of the 00s, and Esben and the Witch - A New Nature might be my favorite album of the 2010s. The presented choices come down to Pod vs Blessed Black Wings vs Road to Ruin.

I had to force myself not to include Nina Nastasia's entire discography in the core options.

Songs About Fucking by a country mile

― specific goats my way (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, May 28, 2019 10:51 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Aka I haven't heard most of the list

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 29 May 2019 12:28 (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh behave

Would add Electrelane's Axes and Edith Frost's Wonder Wonder.

ctrl-f "the ex" 0 results

wtf

good point!

Top 20 according to Stereogum (in 2012):

https://www.stereogum.com/933612/the-top-20-steve-albini-recorded-albums/franchises/list/attachment/steve-albini/

Looking through my notes, I made this list in 2015, I guess waiting for a thread like this. I'd change that order now.

High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings
Joanna Newsom - Ys
Nina Nastasia – On Leaving
Breeders - Pod
Esben & the Witch - A New Nature
PJ Harvey - Dry
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
The Ponys - Celebration Castle
Electrelane – The Power Out
Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
Nina Nastasia – Road to Ruin
Neurosis – Given to the Rising

contemporary bands I'd like to hear stop by Electrical: Ufomammut, Shana Cleveland/La Luz, Goat Girl

Shana Cleveland/La Luz

yes please!

Still haven't made up my mind.

yeah i kinda just threw a dart at Goat, but coulda easily picked a half dozen or more others

So many good albums. Would add Low's "Secret Name" personally as well. Love that album to death.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Things We Lost in the Fire is my actual favorite album of this bunch, but I voted for Goat because I don't think Albini had a particularly significant impact on Low whereas he did with tJL, and Goat is their crowning achievement. (Also it felt like a cheat to just vote for one of his own bands.)

pussy galore - sugarshit sharp

Toss up between Liar (which I haven't listened to in ages), Pod or Braniac, but I voted Braniac.

Lazily going with In utero because it has shaped my listening habits more durably than any other record on this list.

The bit where all the instruments come in on the first track on The Blackened Air is my favourite moment of recorded sound, gives me huge goosebumps, as for rock records I like the sound he got on the album Plug by Sloy very much, or more obviously Goat.

Love that Brainiac album but Albini only recorded one song on it ("Nothing Ever Changes"). The rest was done by Eli Janney.

Going with Goat myself.

You're right. Apologies for the flub!

"Rid Of Me" is an amazing document of a specific chemistry but PJ Harvey has made better albums

Low's best albums come before and after the Albini period

"Goat" is a wonderfully recorded album but I have no room for The Jesus Lizard in my life at this particular time

My favourite albums on this list are The Breeders, but

It is profoundly disappointing that Electrelane is nowhere to be found on this list, they are the best rock band of all time, and they'd beat out The Breeders any day,

But even if Electrelane were on this list I would still be voting for Neurosis "Times Of Grace". There is no band that has benefitted more from having their sound Steve Albini'd, and no better document of Albini's singular abilities as a recordist.

https://s.put.re/8H2x2J7E.png
super curious whatever EMF recorded with albini sounds like.

Low's best albums come before, after, and during the Albini period.

xp I think that's a mistake. the only things I could find were a Killdozer single where they covered EMF on the B-side, but Steve Albini didn't produce that, he did the A-side, and a 12" record by Wreck (House of Boris) which is copyright EMF Publishing.

Such a mistake in a fact-checked book? That's Unbelievable!

Has Albini ever worked with a band that had... *checks notes*... a turntablist member?

He did the space streakings album which featured some wayward scratching but it didn't sound as good as the one produced by KK NULL.

Finally going for American Don, though it's my 2nd favourite Don Cab after What Burns, but 2nd best Don Cab is still pretty damn good.

Was tempted by Pod but it doesn't seem very quintessentially Albini to me - too murky, or something. I think someone said elsewhere on ILX that it's just the CD that sounds murky and the vinyl sounds way better, but hey, I have the CD, or had - lent it to someone and haven't seen it or them since.

Tomorrow I may feel guilty for not voting for Low or Pixies. And I just spotted Palace in there and thought how much I loved that record but I haven't listened to it in nearly 20 years so I'm not going for that one (must revisit it soon).