Songs About F*****g Steve Albini

Not quite the indie-hardcore-techno meltdown that the title might indicate, Kid606's first full-length for Important Records is an all-analog, virtually beatless recording. It finds Miguel Depedro feeding his analog sound sources into his computer for a little processing, then spitting out the results onto two-inch analog tape (which was then helpfully reconfigured for digital audiences). It's an intriguing record, not just because of the means but the end, as well — the record sounds nothing like the usual retro-analog nostalgia, usually inspired by the twin towers of '80s electronic music: video games and film soundtracks. Depedro retains the harsh, fibrous tones of his analog synth, and layers occasional added sounds gathered from similarly low-tech devices like radio or microphone. Songs About F*****g Steve Albini is hardly a low-attention-span indie-dance record — which makes sense, considering the label it appeared on — but instead a challenging record of constantly mutating sounds.