craw (1993)
Recorded by Steve Albini in June 1993, craw was the band's debut album, originally issued by the Chicago label Choke, Inc., in October of that year. Craw is arguably the group's most intense and direct statement of purpose, a record that juxtaposes punishing heaviness and demented complexity with a remarkable attention to pacing and dynamics. Vocalist Joe McTighe uses the full range of his voice, from an eerie whine to a harrowing shriek, and some of the most unusual lyrics ever heard on a heavy rock album, to portray a variety of unsettling scenarios: a woman survives a plane crash only to be plagued by a stalker ("405"), a terrorist calling himself the Lord's Avenger attempts to assassinate an environmental activist ("Stomp," based on a true story). Clocking in at 69 minutes, craw is a thrilling and disturbing epic.
Listen/buy
Songs
Aphasia
405
Cobray to the North
1st Wednesday of the Month
Elliot
Moira Is Vanishing
To the Child Reader
Wordfall
My Sister's Living Room
Thinnest Line
Stomp
Echolocating
Eidolons
Slower
Personnel
Chris Apanius - bass
Rockie Brockway - guitar
Neil Chastain - drums
David McCellaland - guitar
Joe McTighe - vocals