Shellac "Prayer to God"

Note: this week, in honor of the legendary Steve Albini's birthday, I am highlighting his impressive audio engineering work (he refused to be called a "producer"). These five posts are a small example of his musical prowess, selected by me, just a fan with a blog.

And here it is, Steve Albini's birthday. He would have been 64 today.

I know he was a member of a few different bands, and maybe one could argue that Big Black was culturally and musically more important, but I tend to lean towards things that hit me more viscerally. It's why I prefer Beethoven to Mozart.

And this song, I get it. Do I ever actually want to see someone die because they had the audacity to be with someone I once cared about?

No.

But I get the feeling of this song, that urge to kill that one (hopefully) never actually acts on. Not that the narrator of this song is contemplating murder, he just wants to see the other guy die, and painfully.

Perhaps those are things that people shouldn't feel, but I admit that I have felt this way in the past, so this song speaks to my experience and feelings. Does this make me an awful person? Maybe, but apparently I am in good company.

Happy birthday, Steve Albini, you are missed, but man, you created one Hell of a brutal song.

Thank you!

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Nine Inch Nails "Closer" (B Stage Remix w/Boys Noize)

Updated (04.24.26): since NIN/Boys Noize have since released Nine Inch Noize I have updated this post with the official version of the track below. At 30+ years old I think we can all agree that "Closer" was a hit that was about as perfect as it could have been, and has since become a classic. But ever since I saw NIN in Detroit, and even before, thanks to YouTube, I have been obsessed with this remix of the track. I thought maybe that would fade, but here we are weeks later and I am still impressed with not only the audacity to rework such a well-known, iconic song, but I'm equally astounding as to how well it works. And now, with the Coachella lineup announced (see above as well), it's obvious that this NIN/Boys Noize collaboration is going to continue as Nine Inch Noize. Personally, I love it, and am hopeful to get an official release of this version so I can buy it and listen to it to my heart's content. Welcome to Monday! Enjoy!

Elbow "Sober"

Look, I realize that I just posted a song by Elbow on Friday , and to be clear, this isn't an Elbow fanatic blog now. That said, I was anticipating hearing "My Sad Captains" over the weekend, but Elbow changed their setlist and, sadly, I did not get to hear it peformed live. It is what it is, the show was still amazing! I fully admit that I had only taken a cursory listen to their new album Audio Vertigo before the show, but "Sober" was definitely a live standout. I've listened to this song multiple times since hearing it live on Sunday night and am currently obsessed. So yeah, you got some Elbow on Friday, and now you get some more today because this song is now an earworm for me. It's so damn good! (FYI: this song is technically from the Audio Vertigo: Echo EP, but it is now included on the deluxe version of Audio Vertigo, as are the other EP tracks.) Enjoy!

Cigarettes After Sex "Keep On Loving You"

Like a hazy, lush, cannibis-fueled haze, Cigarettes After Sex have put a new spin on REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You," and I'm here for it. Listen, I appreciate a good cover, but I do not want to hear another artist try to recreate a song almost note-for-note like the original, especially if the latter was a hit. I want to hear a different take, an alternative approach to a song that I already know. Perhaps the most powerful example of this is what Johnny Cash did with NIN's "Hurt." I'm not saying that the key to a good cover is to slow things down, sure, sometimes that is true, but the important aspect is to bring something new to the song, make the audience consider it from another perspective, and that's exactly what Cigarettes After Sex did here. Happy Monday! Affection by Cigarettes After Sex

This Track Is Fire!

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