Fugazi: Albini Sessions

For decades, the existence of Fugazi’s Albini Sessions was mostly rumor, bouncing between friends, sometimes as legend and other times as a low-quality bootleg. As the story goes, in 1992, Fugazi, disappointed with the sound of their self-produced Steady Diet of Nothing made their way to Chicago to record with Steve Albini [Tape Op #10, #24, and #87] in his basement studio, taking him up on an offer of free recording time. The energy and camaraderie of the hang left everyone excited, but as the band drove home and listened to the rough mixes it began to dawn on them that the energy they felt in the studio didn’t translate in the way they hoped. By the time they got back to D.C., Albini had arrived at the same conclusion in Chicago and the session was scrapped.

The rest is history, as those 12 songs were then taken to Don Zientara’s [Tape Op #8] Inner Ear Studio, where producer Ted Niceley and Don recorded their post-hardcore landmark, In on the Kill Taker.

So, fast-forward 33+ years, and we are finally given a chance to listen to what-could-have-been while providing a fun opportunity to use our ears and reflect on a seminal, well-loved record. (And it’s all for a good cause as the band is donating its share of the proceeds to Letters Charity, an organization that provides direct assistance to families experiencing urgent financial hardship.)

Listening now, the aural fingerprint of Steve Albini immediately jumps through the speakers in the form of Brendan Canty’s [Tape Op #12] kick and snare. A track like “Facet Squared” now has that cavernous, explosive punctuation you hear on The Jesus Lizard’s “Pastoral” from 1990’s Head (an album engineered by Albini during the same Chicago period). The mix itself has a thickness to it, and you are forced to appreciate the physical performance of each track.

After appreciating sonic easter eggs, it becomes clear that Niceley’s Inner Ear version of In on the Kill Taker is a little more coherent, and where the Albini Sessions’ force and gravity pulls you in, In on the Kill Taker’s direction more faithfully tells the story of the songs. (Check out our interview with Fugazi's Ian MacKaye in Tape Op #138 as well.)

Buy the digital album here.