748 Big Black - Atomizer (1986)

 748 Big Black - Atomizer (1986)

Studio Album - Noise Rock



About the Act:

Illinois 1981 saw the birth of Big Black. Two guitarists, a bassist and a drum machine. six years and two albums later they ceased to be. They are variously described as Punk and Noise Rock, or Industrial, although they predate most industrial.

About the Album:

This was the band's debut album.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

Unusual, yes. Ground-breaking, yes. Nice to listen to, no.

There's a thumping drum machine, overdriven and mechanical-sounding guitars, basically making a lot of crunchy and screechy noises. The bass is being played with a saw-blade plectrum, or so it sounds. There are notes, after a fashion, and even chords, but this paved the way for crunchy noise rock that did away with even that. The vocals cannot be at any point described as being singing. Shouting is more like it. The words, well apparently they were controversial in subject matter, and yes I can work out some of the lyrics. Actually they are very repetitive and shouty. Each track has about 2 or three thoughts and ideas, and is deliberately mechanical and flat, except where it sounds like he is trying to inhale the microphone, or grunt and groan with raw emotion.

I might have forgiven all that if it wasn't for the cherry on the cake, the fact that it sounds like it has been recorded in a great big metal bucket.

They were definitely out to shock, and the timing and attitude mark them as Punk, although actually, from their sound, I think Industrial Metal is a better description. It's noisy, offensive and deliberately facile, and it sounds awful. Truly, unashamedly awful, and mostly I hated it. There were two tracks that I took a small shine to. Kerosene, partly because it was musically better (although the starting guitar is supremely jarring), and partly because I followed it (it only has about three different lines of lyrics, and seems to be about setting yourself on fire because you're bored) and the track where they went "oi" a lot, Strange Things, which actually sounds like grunge. For some unexplored reason, I has a soft spot for songs that go "oi", although this was actually more of a "hey". 

Other than that, is it because it's harsh? No, I have been known to listen to louder and harsher than this. Is it because it's badly recorded? Maybe partly, although I have heard and enjoyed worse. Not much worse though. Is it because it's offensive? No, not bothered by that much. It's because it's crap. I get, and even respect it for being ground-breaking, and although they didn't know it at the time, has a sound that was a precursor for things that came later. I respect it, just not very much.

3/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/329GMS2ylgBXJUXx26vyae

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVxakxoWul5UcH8THGanJuzSyIorJfVQr

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomizer_(album)



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