#Steven Albini

[human-antithesis]

Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets (August 7th, 2001) Country: United States Genres: Sludge Metal, Post-Metal Reuploaded: FLAC

Lineup: Scott Kelly - Vocals, Guitars Stephen Vontill - Vocals, Guitars David Edwardson - Bass Jason Roeder - Drums Noah Landis - Keyboards

Guest/Session: Kris Force - Viola, Violin

Miscellaneous Staff: Seldon Hunt - Artwork, Design Steven Albini (R.I.P. 2024) - Recording John Golden - Mastering Rob Bochnick - Engineering Greg Norman - Engineering Chris Manfrin - Engineering

Label: Relapse Records

Tracklist:

Erode - 01:49

The Tide - 08:48

From The Hill - 09:26

A Sun That Never Sets - 04:59

Falling Uknown - 13:10

From Where Its Roots Run - 03:41

Crawl Back In - 06:50

Watchfire - 08:26

Resound - 01:26

Stones From The Sky - 09:45

[fuegoamigo]

Estaba viendo una entrevista a Steve Albini y me estaba fijando en su acento para comprobar si era similar al de John Wayne Gacy (Steve es de Chicago al igual que Gacy). Esta es la perlita de hoy.

[radiomaxmusic]

In Memoriam: Steve Albini (1962 - 2024)

Steven Frank Albini (July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer who was a member of the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (1992–2024). He was the founder, owner, and principal engineer of the Chicago recording studio Electrical Audio. He recorded thousands of records, collaborating with acts…

[originalharmonysalad]

Steven Frank „Steve“ Albini (* 22. Juli 1962 - † 7. Mai 2024 ) 

RIP, Steve Albini, Indie Rock's Beloved Unconventional Producer - Boing Boing

[ivanreycristo]

Hablando de Charles MAN_SON..no olvidar q junto a la camiseta de CRISTO con lema MATA A TUS IDOLOS es la más RECORDADA q se puso AXL ROSE de GUNS N ROSES en la q además x la ESPALDA ponía CHARLIE [=nombre en clave de VIETNAMITA ] DON'T SURF frase de la película APOCALIPSIS NOW [q comienza con THE END de THE DOORS] y canción del Cd SANDINISTA! de CLASH en el q también viene IVAN MEETS GI JOE [Representación del gobierno de EEUU en sus SOLDADOS]..ademas GUNS N ROSES en su cd de versiones THE SPAGETTI INCIDENT [título x una pelea de SPAGUETTIS entre AXL ROSE y el batería original Steven ADLER con el q me fotografie en PUB UNDERWORLD junto a PUB THE WORLD'S END=29_2_11..aunque ya llevaba 3 años fuera de la banda] versiono como canción 13 u oculta GIRL, LOOK AT TOUR GAME de Charles MAN_SON

X cierto..yo me inicie en el SURF x ello con 48 años como malogrado PAU DONES DE JARABE DE PALO y no se si a todo esto se debe el cd SURFER ROSA de PIXIES cuya portada es una MUJER MEXICANA O ANDALUZA en TOP LESS [como LETIZIA ORTIZ en cd SUEÑOS LIQUIDOS de mexicanos MANA] en una pared con un CRUCIFIJO , un PEsCADO y una GUITARRA atravesada y q fueron gran influencia de nIrVANa pues de hecho tuvieron al mismo productor steve ALBINI como DOBLE CAPA [papel higenico] a los q vi el VIERNES en sala SIROCO como teloneros de MATA MATA q presentaban cd SOMOS UN DESASTRE

[nofatclips]

TRL 2019 by MONO

God Bless + After You Comes The Flood by Mono - A short film by Julien Levy

[nenuphar-blue]

Big Black’s two albums and Joanna Newsom’s Ys have scored my long slow mental breakdown this month (aggro stuff versus mind blowing beauty and sensitivity), so I was super pleased to discover that Steve Albini actually engineered Newsom’s vocals and harp for that very album of hers.

I love to imagine the two of them interacting. He’s such a fucking sourpuss, but I like to imagine him being floored by Newsom and I’m sure he had a good time figuring out the most effective ways to capture her harp playing and idiosyncratic voice. And he probably dug the way she wanted everything recorded analog, too. Mostly though, I don’t know how you could be in the room watching her lay down tracks for Only Skin and not just lose your entire mind.

I am thinking about it too much, I guess, but it’s the best distraction I have right now. The little phrase stuck in my head lately is “no hope! no future! no hope! no future!” etc and etc, running through my head until it slowly overlaps out of sync like a Steven Reich tape loop.

I wonder if Joanna Newsom likes Big Black.

[human-antithesis]

Neurosis - Times of Grace (May 4th, 1999) Country: United States Genres: Sludge Metal, Post-Metal Reuploaded: FLAC

Tribes of Neurot - Grace (July 13th, 1999) Country: United States Genre: Experimental Dark Ambient Format: FLAC

Lineup: Scott Kelly - Vocals, Guitars, Percussion Stephen Vontill - Vocals, Guitars, Percussion David Edwardson - Vocals, Bass, Moog Jason Roeder - Drums, Percussion Noah Landis - Vocals, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Samples

Guest/Session: Kris Force - Viola, Violin Jackie Gratz - Cello Johannes Mager - Trombone John Goff - Bagpipes Jon Birdsong - Cornet, Tuba Wendy Millstine - Narrator

Miscellaneous Staff: Eric Horst - Logo Markus Wolff - Neurot Symbol Pete Inc. - Graphics Steven Albini (R.I.P. 2024) - Producer, Recording, Mixing David Collins - Mastering Greg Norman, Rob Bochnik, Jeff Byrd, Noah Landis - Engineering (Assistant)

Label: Relapse Records

NOTE: This recording is the companion album to the Neurosis "Times Of Grace". Grace is sonically designed to be played simultaneously with the Neurosis album. Alone, it possesses the same dynamic flow, fundamental texture and emotional impact as Times of Grace. Played together, these recordings create a unique multi-dimensional sound experience.

Tracklist:

Suspended in Light/Grace 1 - 01:59

The Doorway/Grace 2 - 07:35

Under The Surface/Grace 3 - 08:37

The Last You'll Know/Grace 4 - 09:14

Belief/Grace 5 - 05:55

Exist/Grace 6 - 01:41

End of the Harvest/Grace 7 - 07:28

Descent/Grace 8 - 02:57

Away/Grace 9 - 09:35

Times of Grace/Grace 10 - 07:22

The Road to Sovereignty/Grace 11 - 03:39

[kramer]

what are some musicians you like? i like a lot of the ones ive seen you mention

I have a lot but i guess PJ Harvey, Tom waits, Kate Bush, nick cave, oneohtrix point never, Brian Eno, frank zappa, autechre, r stevie moore, Daniel Johnston, Phil elverum, björk, Neil Young, Steve albini, Mike Patton, sufjan Stevens, flying lotus, Nina Simone, Joanna Newsom, and more but those are the ones that come to mind quicker

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 6 / 10

Título Original: Girl on the Third Floor

Año: 2019

Duración: 93 min

País: Estados Unidos

Director: Travis Stevens

Guion: Travis Stevens

Música: Steve Albini, Alison Chesley, Tim Midyett

Fotografía: Scott Thiele

Reparto: CM Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks, Elissa Dowling, Karen Woditsch, Travis Delgado, Marshall Bean, Anish Jethmalani, Bishop Stevens, Tonya Kay

Productora: Queensbury Pictures

Género: Horror, Mistery, Drama

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9026184/

TRAILER:

[love-has-sin]

Steven Albini started Big Black's discography with the lyrics "The only good policeman is a dead one." Fucking legend.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

We’re In This Together: Trent Reznor’s Film Scores and Other Musical Collaborations

Film Scores

For over 20 years, Trent Reznor has contributed to major motion pictures beginning with work on soundtracks then moving into full-fledged film scores. The first film he worked with was Natural Born Killers in 1994. He oversaw the soundtrack to the Oliver Stone film, while also contributing the original song “Burn.” He next worked on the soundtrack for the 1997 David Lynch film The Lost Highway, while also contributing two pieces for the film score with Peter Christopherson. Reznor tried to get the latter’s group Coil on the soundtrack, but he could not convince Lynch. He did release a Nine Inch Nails track for the film, The Perfect Drug, which included a music video. In 2001, the singer was asked to create music for the film One Hour Photo for Mark Romanek, but nothing would be used in the final film. In 2010, Reznor worked with collaborator Atticus Ross to create the score for The Social Network directed by David Fincher. This told the story of the founding of Facebook and the rise of Mark Zuckerberg. Reznor and Ross would be awarded the Academy Award for Best Film Score for their work on this film. The success of it led the duo to work with Fincher on other films including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, and most recently, Mank. The score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Reznor gave Fincher the music the second the director began the editing process. He would say that doing such a thing in the future would probably never happen due to the complex nature of actually composing the music. Reznor and Ross have worked with other directors besides Fincher since 2016 including Fisher Stevens, Peter Berg, Susanne Bier, and Jonah Hill. They even began to branch out into television by doing the score for the Ken Burns produced documentary series on the Vietnam War. Another television series that they have recently worked on comes in the Watchmen sequel series for HBO, which earned them a Primetime Emmy. In 2021, Reznor won another Academy award for his work on the score to the animated film, Soul.

Other Musical Collaborations

One of the first side projects Trent Reznor participated in was with Ministry called 1000 Homo DJs. One of the tracks that he sang on came in a Black Sabbath cover song, “Supernaut.” Due to legal objections from his record label, they needed to distort his vocals so they would not be recognized. Other versions of the track were recorded with Al Jourgenson, frontman of Ministry. To this day, there exist some questions as to which version each singer’s voice belongs to on the album. That same year, Reznor participated on another Ministry side project called Revolting Cocks. He said of that collaboration, “I saw a whole side of humanity that I didn't know existed. It was decadence on a new level, but with a sense of humor.” In 1991, the Nine Inch Nails singer sang lead vocals for the Pigface song, “Suck.” The album included work from longtime producer, Steve Albini. In 1994, he performed backing vocals for the Tori Amos track “Past The Mission.” That same year, Reznor began helping to produce Marilyn Manson‘s albums including Portrait of an American Family, Smells Like Children, and Antichrist Superstar. The front man acted initially as a mentor to Manson, but they would eventually stop working together. Manson said, "I had to make a choice between being friends and having a mediocre career, or breaking things off and continuing to succeed. It got too competitive. And he can't expect me not to want to be more successful than him." Today, the point is moot as Reznor has completely removed himself from any involvement with Manson soon after several accusations of abuse and assault had been made by several women in the past year. In 1997, Trent would star in a music video for David Bowie, “I’m Afraid of Americans” The two had become friends after touring together in 1995 and 1996. Reznor would credit Bowie with giving him the inspiration to get sober from drugs and alcohol. Around the late nineties, he began a collaboration with Tool lead singer Maynard Keenan, Atticus Ross, and Danny Lohner that would be called Tapeworm. They would work on original material for ten years, but would never release anything. He would say in an interview that the quality of the material was not up to his standards. Keenan would release a couple of Tapeworm tracks through other projects including a Perfect Circle (“Passive”) and Puscifier (“Potions”).

In 2006, Reznor coproduced the Saul Williams album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! They had first met in 2005 while on tour together. Trent was able to convince Saul to offer the album as a free download, where fans could also pay five dollars online for higher quality audio files. Around 2009, he produced some remastered tracks from his home for Jane’s Addiction including “Chip Away” and “Whore.” These were new recordings of very early songs from the band. In 2012, Reznor collaborated for one track on the Queens of the Stone Age record Like Clockwork. He was one of many musical collaborators for the record including Jake Shears, Alex Turner, James Lavelle, Brody Dalle, and Elton John. In 2014, Reznor made a rare appearance on the Grammys with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Lindsey Buckingham formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and the Queens of the Stone Age. He would later comment on why he decided to be included in this rare performance. “I spent a long time talking about the pros and cons. You know, Do we want to be on a shit show on TV? No, not really. Do we want to be affiliated with the Grammys? No, not really. Would we like to reach a large audience and actually do something with integrity on our terms? Well, yeah. Let's roll the dice and go into it with the best intentions, with a performance we think is worthy and might–you know–stand out from the crowd. Or it might not!” Please note in 2010, Reznor formed another group with his wife and Atticus Ross called How To Destroy Angels. The story of this collaboration will be looked at in another article later in this book.

[deschainroland]

Favourite Music Releases, 2017

Another year has passed. Out of the 30+ new releases that I listened to this year, these are the ten records that impressed me the most. Other noteable releases and disappointments can be found at the bottom.

1. Slowdive Slowdive

By striking the perfect balance between the dreamy pop songs of Souvlaki and the expansive soundscapes on Pygmalion, Slowdive have created another highlight in their discography and my favourite album of 2017. Personal favourites are the hypnotic album opener Slomo and gut-wrenching second single Sugar for the Pill.

2. Chelsea Wolfe Hiss Spun

Hiss Spun is a logical progression from Chelsea Wolfe’s previous albums in how it embraces (doom) metal even more than Abyss and Pain Is Beauty, even featuring grunt vocals from Isis’ Aaron Turner on Vex. The sheer density and dread of its 12 tracks might seem oppressive at first, but after repeated listens, it becomes clear that this serves a purpose as the more restrained and open moments start to shimmer through.

3. St Vincent Masseduction

With videos that pop with vibrant, bold colors and a tour format where she alone takes center stage, with only her guitar and these same videos to back her up, it might seem that Annie Clark’s latest is more form than substance. Luckily, this is not the case. The songs are as creative, varied and well-written as before, with a style that is built around electronics more than before, while keeping Clark’s unconventional guitar style firmly in the foreground.

4. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked At Me

Phil Elverum’s lyrics have always been rooted in personal experiences, often illustrated through his perception of natural phenomenons and life around him. Yet, they have never been more intimate and confrontational than on A Crow Looked At Me. He recounts the grief he and his daughter went through in the period after his wife’s death in 2015. Using plain, clear sentences, delivered in his typical speaking/singing style, he creates honest and heartbreaking tableaus of small moments that perfectly illustrate what it means to go through the loss of a loved one.

5. EMA Exile in the Outer Ring

On 2014′s The Future’s Void, EMA started to experiment more with electronics, compared to her more guitar-driven (and fantastic) debut Past Life Martyred Saints. Combined with the rather heavy-handed delivery of Void’s themes, it felt as if she was still looking for a new direction after her very personal debut. On Exile In the Outer Ring she seems to have found it. A more subtle balance between guitars and industrial electronics throughout the album, as well as more memorable song material, make this one of my most-listened-to albums of 2017, 

6. LCD Soundsystem American Dream

American Dream feels like the work of a much older band than the LCD Soundsystem that released three albums during its initial run, even though This Is Happening was released only seven years ago. James Muprhy’s lyrics have grown more contemplative than ever and the band seems to have adapted to this in places (How Do You Sleep?, Oh Baby, American Dream), while retaining the groove of their older songs elsewhere (Tonite, Emotional Haircut), albeit always employing a new, more organic, sound palette that was not present on their first three albums.

7. Millionaire Sciencing

More than a decade after their last release, Millionaire have released new music. Millionaire is the brainchild of Tim Vanhamel and (especially this time around) essentially a solo project, despite the five-headed band surrounding him on stage. His varied musical taste results in an eclectic but somehow homogeneous sounding albums that surprises and twists, often within the duration of a single song.

8. Arcade Fire Everything Now

The central theme of the album, apathy and anxiety caused by a constant influx of information, is contrasted by the often uplifting melodies. Everything Now  demonstrates once again how Arcade Fire are one of the most gifted current bands when it comes to releasing innovative, album oriented music that appeals to a broader audience.

9. Queens of the Stone Age Villains

Yes, it is probably one of the weakest QOTSA releases to date and yes, its production is a vast departure from their early stoner rock roots, but the songs remain catchy and fun as hell. The uptempo material grooves like before, despite the different sound and a  ‘ballad’ like Fortress belongs in the ranks of their best tracks.

10. Lana Del Rey Lust for Life

Honeymoon felt a little lackluster and like more of the same, so hot on the heels of (the largely excellent) Ultraviolence. Lust for Life luckily feels fresh again, thanks to its bright - and by now familiar - lush production and the addition of surprising guest vocalists (Stevie Nicks, Sean Lennon). It is admirable that she sticks to her own style, setting herself apart from the many generic-sounding acts in today’s pop landscape.

Interesting Releases

Arca Arca Björk Utopia Cloud Nothings Life Without Sound Charlotte Gainsbourg Rest The Flaming Lips Oczy Mlody Intergalactic Lovers Exhale Kamasi Washington Harmony of Difference METZ Strange Peace Nine Inch Nails Add Violence (EP) Soulwax From Deewee Steven Wilson To The Bone The xx I See You

Disappointing

At The Drive-In - in•ter a•li•a - All sense of urgency is gone and any present anger feels like an act. An unnecessary reunion. Death From Above 1979 - Outrage is Now - More of the same, which is unsurprising, given the limited sonic spectrum they operate in. Gorillaz - Humanz - Although Gorillaz albums have always blended a broad array of influences, they always had that ‘Gorillaz Sound’ that is unfortunately missing on this one. Not an awful record by any means, but certainly not on par with what they have done in the past. Gruppo di Pawlowski - In Inhuman Hands - After delivering one of my favourite albums of 2014, the Steve Albini produced compact bombshell Neutral Village Massacre, this new release is too unfocused to have that same impact. Mew - Visuals - Not too suprising after the more pop oriented style they developed on their previous album, but it is still disappointing to see them continue in the same direction.

[lookmi-it]

MARCELO BURLON - COUNTY OF MILAN / MILAN MEN FASHION WEEK - SPRING/SUMMER 2019 - for L’OFFICIEL ITALIA 

Camici da Laboratorio, tessuti da paracadutista e colori fluo, un viaggio del terzo tipo ideato da Marcelo Burlon per la nuova collezione primavera/estate di County of Milan. Modelli albini, bambini e uomini maturi, ragazze e ragazzi totalmente fuori dall’ordinario, imperfetti ed androgini indossano tessuti tecnici come il PVC su parka e crop top abbinati a spalmature bicolore e rete. Collaborazioni con Linda Farrow (occhiali da sole ) ed Eastpak (gympack e marsupi) arricchiscono i look ” Condidencial “, mostrando un lato avanguardista di Marcelo Burlon, uscendo dal parametro streetwear. Una strada verso una nuova dimensione con la capsule collection ispirata a ” Incontri ravvicinati del terzo tipo ” di Steven Spielberg, rielaborata con mantelle e felpe con cappuccio segmentate. Marcelo Burlonin questa collezione ci teletrasporta verso una nuova dimensione.

Text by Francesco Vavallo © LOOK MI Production 

[wemakehotsoup-blog]

▣ 25年了，我們為什麼還在聽低迷樂隊？ Low ▣

(原文刊登於：週刊編集)

走過1/4世紀的低迷

如果要推選過去四分之一世紀最言簡意駭的樂團，二話不說我會推舉來自明尼蘇達的低迷樂團(Low)。過去25年，音樂的風向經常交替更迭；諸多發跡於90年代的獨立、搖滾樂團早已不復活躍，唯低迷這支早期被歸類於緩飄(slowcore)或悲核(sadcore)的三人組合屹立至今。低迷今年發行了樂團第12張專輯《雙重否定Double Negative》；如果你是《I Could Live In Help》就加入低迷陣營的老樂迷，老實說《雙重否定Double Negative》你可能得啃個兩三遍才能下嚥。這說明了低迷就像是近期的電台司令(Radiohead)；《雙重否定Double Negative》很可能就是低迷的《一號複製人Kid A》。

▣ 低迷現身

在進入《雙重否定Double Negative》浩瀚無垠的實驗之前，我想先跟大家回顧一下低迷樂團。由Alan Sparhawk、Mimi Parker這對夫妻檔，與貝斯手Steve Garrington於1993年組成的低迷(Low)，其音樂建構於沉緩的節拍與抽象簡約的編曲之上，完全迎合了90年代初發跡的緩飄(slowcore)這個音樂類型；他們又因歌詞經常涉及自省、沈思與詼諧的筆觸，再加上小型室內樂編曲的鋪排，同時也被稱作悲核(sadcore)音樂。回顧整個90年代的緩飄的發展史，來自麻薩諸塞州的銀河五百(Galaxie 500)以及舊金山的美國音樂俱樂部(American Music Club)無疑是該樂風開創以來，最廣為人知的樂團之一。而低迷、紅屋畫家(Red House Painters)、培卓這頭獅子(Pedro the Lion)與床頭(Bedhead)則一路延續了該異常、低調的巨大悲鳴，成為了90年代另類或獨立搖滾樂迷必要朝聖的樂團名字。

照片提供：江田雀

▣ 緩飄時期

低迷樂團的首兩張專輯《I Could Live In Help》與《Long Division》以緩飄、低限與簡約的吉他刷扣，在一遍難以辨識的90啟蒙樂風中佔有一席之地。Alan Sparhawk、Mimi Parker的男女雙聲吟遊，初期的確頗具銀河五百的姿態；只是不像銀河五百那種縱容肢體充分舒展的自在旋律，低迷往往另闢蹊徑，以樂音駛過了無人地帶。不過情況並非總是如此，低迷在1999年推出了一張耶誕專輯《Christmas》；重新改寫了〈Just Like Christmas〉、〈Silent Night〉這些膾炙人口的耶誕歌曲。Alan Sparhawk、Mimi Parker的囈語難得有了一次較為完整的呈現。同一年，低迷加盟了芝加哥獨立實驗音樂廠牌Kranky，發表了第4張正式專輯《Secret Name》；該專輯不僅回應了低迷早期所建立的低調緩飄樂風，甚至更具實驗性，原因是傳奇音樂製作人Steven Albini的加入。Stereogum更將《Secret Name》選為Steven Albini 20張最佳樂音作品之一。

低迷與Steven Albini合作過兩張專輯；另一張是2001年的《Things We Lost In The Fire》。而低迷與Kranky的賓主關係，也僅留下了《Secret Name》(1999)、《Things We Lost In The Fire》(2001)以及《Trust》(2002)三張專輯，卻是張張經典，同時也預示了樂風與演奏技巧、錄音上的蛻變。

▣ 蛻變出發

揮別與Kranky、Steven Albini的合作，2005年低迷與獨立樂迷十分熟悉的Mercury Rev、The Flaming Lips製作人Dave Fridmann合作，並發行了第7張正式專輯《The Great Destroyer》，也是與西雅圖傳奇獨立音樂廠牌Sub Pop的首次合作。《The Great Destroyer》是低迷中期罕見的爆發；無論在樂風、吉他riff、人聲的處理上，均首次見到樂團的明顯蛻變。這種巨大能量的提升，也獲得了NME、Allmusic、Guardian、Mojo等樂評媒體的明顯支持。正當大家為此興高采烈之際，低迷的第8張專輯《Drums and Guns》首次「正式」採用了鼓機與合成電子聲響。

《Drums and Guns》的專輯創作靈感來自伊拉克戰爭；從唱片封套蒼白的景象便不能想像低迷對於戰爭與暴力的控訴，以末日意象做出激烈的抗辯。隔年的第9張專輯《C’mon》不僅和《Trust》同樣選在明尼蘇達某處教堂錄音，製作人找來了曾與Avril Lavigne、Katy Perry等流行歌手合作的Matt Beckley共同參與製作。多位弦樂、斑鳩琴、吉他客席樂手的參與錄音，令《C’mon》不但返回《The Great Destroyer》的別開生面，甚至更加成熟。這段期間低迷樂風的胚變，還反應在與傳奇鄉謠樂團Wilco成員Jeff Tweedy所合作的第10張專輯《The Invisible Way》裡。柔美的和聲、樸實的鄉謠曲調，舊日那神經緊張、低限卻又瘋狂的低迷轉眼消逝。

▣ 電聲襲來

儘管情緒上我們多少會留戀早期那生澀、低鳴的低迷樂風；相較於後期脫離Post-rock掌控更趨於搖滾化編制的作法頗有微詞。不過低迷仍舊低迷，2015年樂團的第11張專輯《Ones and Sixes》展現了成軍以來最大尺度的「電」檢；這種自我檢視與毀滅再生，肇因於製作人BJ Burton的入主。作為Sylvan Esso、Bon Iver、James Blake的幕後推手，BJ Burton帶給低迷樂團另一次重整與樂風上的胚變；聯同Wilco的鼓手Glenn Kotche也加入專輯的錄音。《Ones and Sixes》將過去低迷沈重的吉他、噪音低鳴，轉為電子化的聲響鋪排；這在過去低迷的作品裡是十分罕見的。

低迷自成軍1/4世紀以來，一向拒絕為緩飄(slowcore)或悲核(sadcore)背書；今年的第12張專輯《雙重否定Double Negative》決定���行動直接否決了這些音樂標籤。專輯從一開場的〈Quorum〉便讓樂迷明白，低迷無意於過去汲取安慰與養分，不再重複沈醉於往日情懷；BJ Burton這次更大膽地為低迷調配了厚實的drone噪音、環境聲響，就連吉他riff彈奏也已不多見。《衛報》的樂評形容《雙重否定Double Negative》接近Mika Vainio、Thomas Köner入主的搖滾組合；Drowned In Sound則直接端出電台司令的《一號複製人 Kid A》與之相提並論。

可以想見《雙重否定Double Negative》不會是一個皆大歡喜的結局；一如電台司令迷永遠再也等不到的〈Creep〉。《雙重否定Double Negative》拆解了過去低迷苦心建立起的音樂結構，取而代之的是蒼白、扭曲的人聲揉和著粗暴的電子低頻；同時屏棄了緩飄吉他，甚至Alan Sparhawk、Mimi Parker的人聲都淪為配件。此番風暴式的歸來，不僅不是過去25年眾所熟悉的低迷樂團，甚至想找回一點點對這支三人組熱切的情感都被冰冷的電子節拍給澆熄。

或許正如同低迷自己說的，《雙重否定Double Negative》是一個完美而痛苦的記錄，適合我們的時代；也是對外在這個不穩定的時局，所能做出的反饋。低迷(Low)，不再是音樂；卻仍舊低迷。

[diceriadelluntore]

Il Dorset è una regione sud occidentale della Gran Bretagna, piena di bei posti, campestre e con scogliere fantastiche che diede i natali a Douglas Adams, il leggendario autore della Guida Galattica per Autostoppisti. Vi è nata nel 1969 da famiglia hippie Polly Jean Harvey. Cresce con spirito ribelle e con una certa passione per l’arte e per la musica, che impara a conoscere con gli album dei genitori: Si appassiona a Dylan, allo stile strambo e sbraitato di Captain Beefheart e alla decadenza e i cuori infranti di Tom Waits. Nel fisico e nella voce assomiglia però a Patti Smith, anche se nei primi tempi il paragone non le piace proprio. Nel 1992, dopo una serie di prime registrazioni, esplora il suo talento grazie alla piccole etichetta discografica Too Pure. Dry (1992) è il suo esordio da 23 enne: è cattivo, forte ed arrabbiato. Polly Jean, che sceglie il nome artistico di PJ, affronta l’essere donna negli anni ‘90 (la bella Happy And Bleeding) e scrive i suoi primi cavalli di battaglia: Dress e Sheela-Na-Gig. La accompagnano Rob Ellis alla batteria e Steven Vaughan al basso, mentre lei canta e suona la chitarra. Il successo negli ambienti indipendenti è subitaneo, come il passaggio ad una grande casa discografica: la Island, scelta perchè casa discografica di Waits, la prende sotto la sua ala protettrice, e le affianca per il secondo lavoro Steve Albini, ex Black Flag (uno dei gruppi cult dell’hardcore californiano degli anni ‘80). Rid Of Me (1993) è un pugno nello stomaco: impulsivo, febbrile, dominato da chitarre distorte e martoriate, PJ sceglie la rabbia per descrivere, in testi provocatori ma belli come pochi, le sue ossessioni: Rid Of Me è uno sfogo, a cui si legano le confessioni erotiche di Dry (da tradurre in senso metaforico...), tra blues moderno (Hook) e un omaggio al sommo maestro Dylan, una convincente Highway 61 Revisited. Il successo è quasi inatteso,  PJ viene catapultata verso la notorietà, e i paragoni, non graditi, si sprecano. Diventa suo malgrado una vestale del rock moderno, ossuta e magnetica. Nello stesso anno pubblica 4-Track Demos, le registrazioni dei demo di Rid Of Me registrate, in forma spogliata e acustica, su un registratore a 4 piste, e con una manciata di canzoni nuove, fa di nuovo centro. Si prende a questo punto un po’ di tempo, licenzia Ellis e Vaughan e si prepara ad un nuovo lavoro. In regia c’è Flood, produttore di Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode e ingegnere del suono degli U2. PJ da solista si concentra su un rock-blues moderno, affilato, languido e conturbante. To Bring You My Love (1995) è il suo capolavoro: la title track è una canzone stupenda ed inizia con lo stesso verso con cui Captain Beefheart inizia il suo Safe and Milk (1967, il verso è I was born in the desert). Se Rid Of Me era pura aggressività, qui le canzoni sono più focalizzate, più mistiche (Long Snake Moan, una canzone sul voodoo), in un vortice emotivo davvero travolgente (le stupende Teclo, C’mon Billy, Send His Love To Me, particolarmente magnetica). Ma il clou è la drammatica, tragica Down By The Water: una canzone che parla di una madre che commette un figlicidio. Follia e abisso, che quasi si assolve nel potere purificatore dell’acqua. Album storico che fa conoscere PJ Harvey in tutto il mondo. Dopo una collaborazione con John Parish (Dance Hall At Louse Point) i successivi Is This Desire? (1998) e Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000) segnano la sua piena maturità, con ritratti meno spigolosi e forti, e più forza e melodia nelle canzoni, specie nel secondo, dedicato a New York. La sua carriera continua ancora adesso, come la forza e il magnetismo di una Nick Cave al femminile, Ma non diteglielo, a lei non piacciono i paragoni.