Big Black: Sleep!

Steve Albini died from a heart attack at the age of 61 on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. If you were a young, angry, white male in the U.S. in the ‘80s who listened to alternative music, then you were most likely acutely aware of Albini. His work as the founder of Big Black is arguably as influential as any of his better-known contemporaries such as Sonic Youth, Black Flag, and Fugazi. He was also an iconic recording engineer who oversaw the recording sessions of thousands of artists. I don’t talk much about my past in this blog, but I was in a noisy alternative band for most of my twenties, and we covered Big Black’s song “Sleep” for several years in our live shows. Big Black have a special place in my heart and in my memory of my time as a young man trying to figure out what the fuck is going on in the world. I have softened a lot since those years, but I’m pretty sure that Albini stayed angry until the end. Rest in peace, you brilliant asshole, and thank you for all the great music. 

To learn more about Steve Albini, check out his Wikipedia article. If you want to try to comprehend the breadth of his recording career, check out this list of his credits. To see a live performance of one of the ten greatest alternative rock songs ever written, watch this video.

To listen to all of the songs of the day, check out the Radio Faux Show Song of the Day playlist.

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