The passing of Steve Albini has left an indelible mark and irreplaceable absence in the pantheon of alternative music. Suffering a heart attack at the age of 61, Albini’s passing has been met with an outpouring of tributes, from past collaborators and admirers alike. Rather than mourning the loss of a true recording legend, it is important to remember how Albini’s art continues to inspire and be heard decades onwards. Equally important is how Albini upheld his own standards of execution and high technical proficiency until the untimely end of his career. For us, Albini represents the golden combination of sheer talent and undying ambition. Thanks to that combination, the world was graced with some of its most legendary recordings.

Not dissimilar from many, we got to know of Albini’s work through Nirvana’s final album, 1993’s In Utero. Certainly a departure from Butch Vig’s tightly packaged Nevermind production, Albini fulfilled Kurt Cobain’s wish to have a raw and live presence for the following record. Listening to In Utero for the first time many years ago, we took note of the now-iconic drum sound that many bands have chased after since its release. Albini’s famous “room drum sound” really shone through on Pixies Surfer Rosa LP first (Listen to opening track, “Bone Machine”... Still sounds huge!), but his mark on In Utero hipped many (including us) to the wide array of his musical contributions. From there, we began to take in much of Albini’s own music.

Having been exposed to Albini through In Utero, we were ill-prepared for the noise onslaught of Big Black’s catalog. While In Utero certainly leans into some noisier territory, it never reaches the provocative nature of Big Black’s discography. It may be difficult to define exactly what about records like Atomizer and Songs About Fucking make them work, but they truly stand out as their own thing decades later. That said, the real genius of Albini comes after the realization of the diverse body of talent he worked with. Albini was more than capable of making records that pushed sonic limits, but he also was capable of making records that simply wowed upon initial playback. 

With credits on records by Low, Jawbreaker, Cloud Nothings, and Black Midi, Albini truly never slowed down. Though many recording engineers would have been satisfied with the adulation that comes from working on a record like In Utero, Albini stayed active/on the move until the very end. Serving as the owner and engineer at Chicago’s Electrical Audio studios, Albini made himself accessible to up-and-coming/working class bands (regardless of his “legend” status). Summarizing all of Albini’s accomplishments/legacy is impossible to truly do, but his commitment to the event of documenting the creation of music (for the sole reason of art) will never be forgotten.

Thank you, Steve Albini. The world is much more interesting due to your work!

Take a look at the records featured above. While each of them are undeniable classics in their own right, we recently found a shared history between all four of them! Pixies, Bob Mould, Quicksand, and Local H may have crafted wildly different batches of tunes with these records, but the work of producer and engineer Steve Haigler is at the center of each of them.

When it comes to the story of alternative music, polarizing record producers and tales of unorthodox recording methods have become things of folklore. The story of Butch Vig's journey from indie producer to Nevermind superstar has become integral to Nirvana's story, similar to how Steve Albini's (Who recently passed away... We are still collecting our thoughts will have a more fitting tribute ready soon) love for great drum sounds would shape Pixies' Surfer Rosa LP. That said, there remain many gifted producers and engineers from this era that deserve recognition for permanently altering the sound of alternative rock... Steve Haigler certainly played a part in this story.

Haigler's earliest engineering credits date back to the late 70s, ranging from vocal groups to singer-songwriter acts. By the mid-to-late 80s, Haigler had begun working on various projects of the alternative and underground variety. Much of his early engineer work would be for seminal 4AD groups, including both Throwing Muses and Pixies. While producer Gil Norton receives much of the attention for the sound of Doolittle, Bossanova, and Trompe le Monde, having Haigler as an engineer was needed to facilitate the technical end of those recording sessions. As longtime Pixies devotees, one thing that has stuck with us from those albums are the guitar tones of Joey Santiago and Black Francis. Though their tones are heavily distorted and oftentimes cacophonous, there is always enough clarity to ensure that the melodicism of their playing comes through. We can only hypothesize that Haigler took note of this, as his own production work would perfect this articulate-yet-heavy tonal character.

Long before we launched Noise Is Power Music, As Good As Dead (Chicago two-piece Local H's sophomore record) served as a seminal record during our formidable years. Memorable singles "Eddie Vedder" and "Bound For The Floor" paired nicely with album cuts "Nothing Special" and "Lovey Dovey", making for a memorable listen many times over. Even back then, we recognized something particularly special about how Scott Lucas' guitar was dialed in on that record. While his playing certainly came across as "heavy", the most melodic elements of his songwriter were easily discernable/never compromised on As Good As Dead. Safe to say, the sound of that record made an impression on us. When we found ourselves introduced to the post-hardcore stylings of Quicksand, we could not help but hear something similar.

Though we initial identified the compositional aspects of Quicksand and Local H to be similar (In retrospect, we do not uphold this opinion), it turns out that Haigler produced both As Good As Dead and Quicksand's classic debut album, 1993's ​Slip.

Those simultaneously heavy-yet-melodic tones on both Slip and As Good As Dead are a "brand" of guitar tone that have become synonymous with alternative rock by now. Between the two records, we also hear kinship between the kick and snare presence on both. While this connection may be common knowledge to some, we find it fascinating that Haigler was the main producer on two hugely influential and important records (on top of engineering Pixies finest work)!

If you are unfamiliar with any of the records Haigler has worked on, do yourself a favor and dive in! More of his credits can be found here.

Throughout the 1990s, Beth Gibbons established herself as one of the more impassioned and soulful vocalists of the decade. Leaving the sample-heavy character of her work with Portishead behind, Lives Outgrown is a refreshing collection of tracks that see Gibbons reflecting on years past with naturalistic overtones.

Most fans of classic alternative music would be remiss to not own a copy of Portishead’s opus, Dummy. For many, Dummy is the archetypal trip hop LP. The unique combination of Adrian Utley’s blues inspired guitarwork (“Glory Box” is a legendary performance), evocative sample curation, and Beth Gibbons’ fragile delivery made their debut LP a thing of legend and mythos. Releasing two more albums before dissolving in the late 2010s, rumors/demand for a solo album from Gibbons became prevalent. Now, sixteen years removed from the last Portishead release, Lives Outgrown introduces both new instrumental palettes and lyrical themes to Gibbons iconic vocal style. While the material on Lives Outgrown is mainly acoustic-based, it perfectly suits the intimate and honest nature of the lyrical narratives of these songs.

Throughout Lives Outgrown, Gibbons openly reflects on aging and mortality in a very eloquent fashion. Album opener “Tell Me Who You Are Today”hints at these themes, which lets both “Floating On A Moment” and “Burden Of Life” serve as the first indications of the album’s main themes. “The burden of life just won't leave us alone / And the time's never right when we're trading the soul” serves as an inquisition to simply why life can take unpleasant turns, which Gibbons delivers in an entrancing way. Though the Portishead sound was certainly a combined effort amongst the group’s three members, Gibbons has managed to retain a similar sense of yearning and emotion with her vocal performances. 

“Rewind” may be the closest Lives Outgrown comes to delivering a Portishead-esque tune, but the tribal drum pattern that drives the instrumental suggests otherwise. The song’s refrain sees Gibbons declaring that we (Gibbons and the listener as a collective) have “Gone too far to rewind”, which is never specified as either a good or bad thing. What makes Lives Outgrown such an interesting listen is the way Gibbons tackles themes of mortality. On tracks like “Rewind” and “For Sale”, these themes are written about in a way that leaves it up to the listener to interpret. Walking a fine line between directness and ambiguity can prove to be difficult, but Gibbons figured out a way to make it happen. For that fact alone, Lives Outgrown should be one of your next listens.

Much credit is also owed to producer James Ford, commonly recognized for his work with Arctic Monkeys and later-era Depeche Mode. The folk-leaning instrumentals of Lives Outgrown are sparse enough to let Gibbons' lyrics make their mark, but the low end weight of these tracks are never compromised as a result. As a longtime fan of Beth Gibbons, Lives Outgrown certainly feels like the record she should have made at this stage in her career. There is no clear attempt to revisit the past, but the new musical aesthetics introduced on the album do hint at/highlight elements that made records like Dummy fantastic. To summarize, Lives Outgrown was definitely worth the wait!

Have you heard this record? If not, go listen and tell us what you think! If you have listened, comment your thoughts below!

It's official: The Noise Is Power staff has graduated from college! During quite a busy/exciting time, we have been itching to get back to our normal posting schedule. We aim to do so this week, but there are some updates that are in order:
​
Firstly, you may find yourself asking "Where was the final episode of Out Of Circulation that was supposed to air April 9th?!". To be honest, Isaiah and I found ourselves in the middle of a record crawl at Elm City Sounds during our broadcast slot... It was simply too good to get out of! That said, you can stream/review our selections that were prepared for that episode here! In terms of OOC's future, we are hoping to continue it as a longform podcast, but we are still getting things in place. Thanks and gratitude is owed to everyone at WNHU for giving our show a home, but we both are excited for the future of OOC. Otherwise, we both have been keeping busy with the debut of the first SCRT AGNT single release:

SCRT AGNT is the shoegaze band that Isaiah and I are members of! We just recently released our first single, "Don't Leave / Nancy". If you want to say hello, come catch the band's first show at Hamden's Best Video on June 8th. Tickets are available here!

As for getting back to business here, you can expect our review of the much anticipated solo LP from Beth Gibbons, Lives Outgrown, this Wednesday! If you have made it this far, use discount code "REWIND" over on our webstore this week to receive 20% off anything!

That's all for now! Catch you Wednesday with that review.

Hey! We are still here, it has just been a busy time of year for us. What has been exciting in our world as of late?! Here is an update:

Firstly, we absolutely love the latest LP from The Lemon Twigs, A Dream Is All We Know. Released last Friday, we are happy to report that this record is a worthy follow-up to Everything Harmony (One of our favorite releases from last year!). The band’s clear Beach Boys, Beatles, and Big Star influences are on clear display, but they were used to great effect to craft a diverse and earworm batch of tunes. The Chilton jangle of “If You And I Are Not Wise” pairs perfectly with the Surfer Girl emulation of “In The Eyes Of A Girl”, both serving as some of our new favorites from the band. A Dream Is All We Know certainly ranks as some of the Twigs best work to date… Listen immediately!

On a personal note, we recently came across an old Blogspot page consisting of free (emphasis on free) downloads of all the long-out-of-print early My Bloody Valentine material. We have gotten a chance to begin sampling the band’s mini-LP, 1987’s Ecstasy as a result! It is definitely strange to hear Kevin Shields sounding more like Peter Buck than his renowned Loveless cacophony, but it only reinforces that both he and the Valentines were sharp pop songwriters from the very beginning. If you have previously been unable to come across their early material, take this opportunity and dive in with us. Your ears will be glad you did.

Lastly, the final episode of Out Of Circulation in its current format will air tomorrow (5/9, 2-3 PM EST) on WNHU. After tomorrow, Isaiah and I will be working to figure out a way to continue the show in a more longform/free deliverable. Stay tuned for that, but be sure to catch our final WNHU airing!

That is all that is going on here! Be sure to check out our new webstore if you have not (“Store” tab at the top of the page). Happy official spring to all! 

Set to release on May 24, Where Are You? will serve as the band's first release of original material since 2001's Why Call It Anything? ​LP. This EP serves as a teaser to the band's upcoming new album (Arctic Moon), which is expected for release later this year. Speaking on the band's return to releasing new material, group leader Mark Burgess has said the following:

"By the time we’d got through COVID, Reg [Smithies, guitarist] and I had a very solid band in place, people whose talent we trusted in to bring out the best in whatever ideas we were able to get off the ground... For the first time since the death of John [Lever, drummer] and the departure of Dave [Fielding, guitarist] I felt we were a proper band capable of creating some interesting and exciting music.”

More on the release of Where Are You? and Arctic Moon is available via the band's official press release, but expect copies of Where Are You? to be available at all stops on their upcoming tour. We did not think it was possible to be more excited for their upcoming tour, yet here we are!

On Epic Garden Music, Sad Lovers and Giants displayed innate ability to craft tight-knit new wave with unconventional instrumental prominence. 

Looking back on the genre’s infancy, much has been discussed about the earliest releases from its pioneers. Though many have commented on the minimalist approaches that both Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Cure took some of their earliest releases, Sad Lovers and Giants were early adopters of synthesizers and saxophones in a post-punk context. While Siouxsie and The Cure’s debuts hit at the end of the 70s (The Scream was released in 1978, Three Imaginary Boys was released in 1979), the unique style present on Epic Garden Music took shape a mere three years after these other formative recordings. Sure, bands like Japan took a synth-driven route to creating records like 1979’s Quiet Life, but Sad Lovers and Giants figured out a compact way to meld all that was going on within the genre to craft to-the-point songs. If you took the synth work from early Japan records and mixed it with Three Imaginary Boys staples like the driving “10:15 Saturday Night”, you would have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Epic Garden Music.

Over time, the version of Epic Garden Music that has gained popularity features tracks from three EPs (Clé, Colourless Dream, and Lost in a Moment) that preceded the original release of the album. Decades onward, the addition of this material has made Epic Garden Music all the better. With its infectious synth-leads and great vocal harmonies, “Lost In A Moment” distinguishes itself from a crop of purely excellent tunes. “Colourless Dream” is another fantastic moment, which feels right at home alongside the original Epic Garden Music tracklist. The same can be said for the “new” album opener, “Imagination”. “Imagination” serves as a great sprawling opener, which fully embraces their synthwork in an ingenious way. “The Things We Never Did” is a noteworthy somber tune, complete with a righteous sax solo that punctuates the feeling of isolation conjured by its lyric. 

As for the material that originally comprised the tracklist of Epic Garden Music, the fast shuffles of tracks like “Echoplay” and “Clint” are where you will begin to understand the record’s relation to Three Imaginary Boys. However, these instrumentals are certainly more fleshed out and interesting when it comes to sonic variety. That is truly what makes Epic Garden Music such an interesting listen: While this record is primitive post-punk in nature, there are characteristics of these songs that are well beyond their years. We reckon this collection of songs to be an essential listen for anyone looking for their new favorite post-punk band. Enjoy immediately.