The subject of today’s End of the Century is Steve Albini (1962–2024).
He was an American musician, recording engineer, and producer, and one of the most influential figures in independent rock music.
As a musician, he fronted Big Black in the 1980s, known for its abrasive, drum-machine-driven noise rock, followed by Rapeman and then Shellac, formed in 1992, which remained active until his death.
As an engineer (he did not want to be known as a “producer”), he favored raw, honest recordings over polished production. He felt the engineer should not overly influence nor get in the way of the art being created. He worked on thousands of albums, most famously Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, Nirvana’s In Utero, and PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, and ran his own Chicago studio, Electrical Audio.
His stripped-down aesthetic and outspoken criticism of major-label exploitation—especially his essay “The Problem with Music”—made him a defining influence on the DIY ethos of post-punk, noise rock, and indie music through the ’90s and early 2000s.
Time: June 20 - 3:00:00 pm
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Time: June 20 - 3:02:35 pm
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SHELLAC, “Prayer To God”
from 1000 Hurts
Touch and Go Records
- 2000
Time: June 20 - 3:05:26 pm
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Time: June 20 - 3:08:29 pm
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PJ Harvey, “Rid of Me”
from Rid of Me
Universal-Island Records Ltd.
- 1993
Time: June 20 - 3:12:58 pm
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Time: June 20 - 3:16:35 pm
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Time: June 20 - 3:19:22 pm
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The Breeders, “Doe”
from Pod
4AD
- 1990
Time: June 20 - 3:21:29 pm
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Time: June 20 - 3:25:52 pm
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Cheap Trick, “Perfect Stranger”
from Rockford
Big 3 Records
- 2006
Time: June 20 - 3:29:34 pm
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Slint, “Nan Ding”
from Tweez
Touch and Go Records
- 1989
Time: June 20 - 3:31:22 pm
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Mogwai, “My Father My King”
from My Father My King
[PIAS] Recordings Catalogue
- 2001
Time: June 20 - 3:51:35 pm
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Don Caballero, “Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex”
from American Don
Touch and Go Records
- 2000
Time: June 20 - 3:56:18 pm
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The Wedding Present, “Dalliance”
from Seamonsters
RCA Camden
- 1991
Time: June 20 - 4:00:43 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:03:49 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:08:28 pm
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Dirty Three, “Sirena”
from Ocean Songs
Bella Union
- 1998
Time: June 20 - 4:12:34 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:15:27 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:23:02 pm
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Cloud Nothings, “No Future/No Past”
from Attack On Memory
Wichita Recordings
- 2012
Time: June 20 - 4:27:43 pm
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Helmet, “In the Meantime”
from Meantime
Interscope
- 1992
Time: June 20 - 4:30:52 pm
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Fred Schneider, “Coconut”
from Just Fred
Rhino/Warner Records
- 1996
Time: June 20 - 4:34:40 pm
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The Stooges, “My Idea of Fun”
from The Weirdness
Virgin Records
- 2007
Time: June 20 - 4:37:58 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:43:42 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:47:45 pm
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Time: June 20 - 4:50:02 pm
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “9-15-00”
from Yanqui U.X.O.
Constellation
- 2002
