10 Weirdest Cult Albums You Need To Hear
7. Atomizer - Big Black
Ever since the '90s, Steve Albini has been heralded as a god amongst the alternative scene. Though he has a sort of purist mentality to production, his mindset when working with bands like Pixies and Nirvana have made for some of the most abrasive alternative rock to ever be released. Then again, a lot of people forget that Albini tends to make his own music too.
When Albini was first coming into his own in Chicago, he formed Big Black as one of the most destructive punk acts in recent memory. Being one part punk, one part noise rock, and one part art rock, the band's debut Atomizer featured some of the most off-the-wall ideas ever to be put on a punk record. You may think you have a handle on Albini's style of production, but every song across this record can peel the walls with its intensity.
Even the band's guitarist Santiago Durango had to admit the band's weirdness when originally joining, calling the band's primal form of punk rock "music to break your lease to." This record might not even be that pleasant to listen to at the best of times, but its influence across the entire punk rock scene has given us more great bands than anyone could have imagined.