AMG Biography:
Proudly and self-consciously abrasive, Big Black's music is polarizing; either you think that Steve Albini's relentlessly thin, metallic, emotionless guitar grind and distorted vocals is an uncompromising work of art or you think it's self-indulgent crap. The band's clinical noise and grotesque, often misogynist, lyrics easily made them the most extreme, nihilistic band in the American underground in the mid-'80s. After recording three EPs with an unstable lineup, Big Black recorded its first full album with Albini and Santiago Durango on guitar, Dave Lovering on bass, and a drum machine. None of their recordings show much of a musical progression; instead, the band gets harder, noisier, and nastier on each subsequent record. Before the band recorded their final and best album, 1987's Songs About Fucking, Durango left the group to study law; Albini pulled the plug on the band shortly afterward. Although Big Black's life-span was short, Albini's influence on the American independent music scene of the late '80s and '90s has been substantial. After Big Black's breakup he formed the equally uncompromising Rapeman, but Albini's real influence has been through his numerous productions. Over the years he has produced literally hundreds of bands; most of the bands he has produced are justifiably unknown, but some are quite famous -- including The Pixies, the Breeders, Urge Overkill, PJ Harvey, and Nirvana. Albini's simple production functions as a type of photograph, capturing the band in an aural black and white; his production shows all of the band's strengths, as well as all of their faults. He frequently cuts the bass levels to a minimum, leaving only a harsh guitar grind, which makes his records a bit wearing to listen to. Many young bands of the '90s have embraced his signature guitar grind, as well as his strident punk-roc k ethics, as a reaction to alternative music's move into the mainstream. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Information supplied by All Music Guide