What We Can Learn From Steve Albini

On May 7, audio engineer Steve Albini died suddenly, leading me to reflect on what made him so legendary within the indie and punk music scene (and beyond) — and what we can learn from him.

Whether you’re familiar with Albini or not, he had an interesting approach that is worth thinking about. One of the hallmarks of his approach to engineering was to simply make the band sound like themselves. He wasn’t trying to perform magic tricks, or turn the band into something it wasn’t. He saw the band as the experts on their own sound, and put them front and centre.

Famously, he recorded Nirvana’s last album, In Utero. (Apparently Kurt Cobain sought him out because he loved what he’d done for the Breeders and The Pixies.) While the band was apparently satisfied upon leaving the studio, when the label people listened, they determined the recording to be “unreleasable” and wound up remixing all the singles and remastering it before release. If you listen to Albini’s version you’ll notice immediately that it sounds much more raw, edgy, messy, and punk, while the label’s version sounds much smoother, cleaner, and commercial. 

Before recording, Albini wrote a letter to Cobain (which you can read in full on Letters of Note), summarizing his approach this way:

I suppose this speaks to me because it’s something I aspire to do myself. As a writing partner, collaborator, ghostwriter, and writing coach, I want to help my clients express themselves effectively. And I want to help them think through their ideas. But perhaps most of all, I want to help them be themselves. To feel that what they are putting out in the world is authentic and resonates deeply with themselves, before anyone else reads it or reacts to it.

I truly believe that the raw, messy, and sometimes accidental parts of self-expression—including writing—are not just okay, but often the best part of an entire work. And if you try to manage it too much, your writing can wind up overworked, overthought, and in the worst case, soulless. I dare say, mistakes make us love you more. Nothing wrong with a good proofread, but even the odd spelling mistake can remind us that you are human.

Yet this is universally hard to do. And if you struggle to figure out where that line is between “being you” and living up to others’ expectations, you are certainly not alone. I’m not immune. My clients are not immune. And Kurt Cobain was not immune.

While it would be easy to paint the Nirvana story as a classic “the men in suits made us do something commercial rather than artistic”, the kerfuffle around the remixes suggest the band members also had their doubts about Albini’s recording, at least once they received criticism from the label. After the label criticized it, Kurt Cobain started to doubt the album in its entirety. One of his comments reveals such hesitation: "I should just re-record this record and do the same thing we did last year because we sold out last year—there's no reason to try and redeem ourselves as artists at this point. I can't help myself—I'm just putting out a record I would like to listen to at home."

In Kurt’s words, I hear a familiar mix of self doubt and frustration. On the one hand, Kurt knew he wanted to make something artistically genuine; on the other, he doubted his ability to do that now that he was a bonafide “rock star”. 

It’s easy to imagine that the more successful and established you become, the more confidence you’ll have. But of course, the more successful you become, the more the pressure you *might* feel to succeed and make everyone happy. 

Maybe this is why we can sometimes do our best work in our darkest hour. When we feel we have nothing to lose, we’re better able to put out something that is deeply honest and personal. It’s in these moments when we know it’s more important to be true to ourselves than to do what others expect of us. 

The truth is, this doesn’t always work out the way we’d like. But sometimes, the stars align and that authentic effort leads to not only personal satisfaction but award-winning work. 

That was the case for today’s podcast guest, who just won a GRAMMY by putting out her most raw and emotionally-tender album ever. 

That guest is Carla Patullo, a renowned film composer and multi-instrumentalist, who received a GRAMMY this year for "SO SHE HOWLS," in the category of Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album. 

“SO SHE HOWLS,” was conceived during Carla’s battle with breast cancer, and it blends howling vocals, orchestral swells, and electronic pulses to reflect her journey from grief and fear to inspiration and healing.

In this episode of Storytelling with Heart, Carla shares how she turned her most heart wrenching moments into a Grammy-winning — yet very raw and real — record. 

Themes we explore:

➡️ How creating art can be a powerful outlet when dealing with difficult things, and why sharing your personal stories can be deeply healing

➡️ The importance of just “letting it out” and not judging the work/art too much in the early stages of the process

➡️ The value of keeping things raw, real, and human – and why it might even be a good idea to leave in some mistakes and imperfections

➡️ How to think like a documentarian when going through a difficult time in your life, and why it might be worth capturing your thoughts and feelings along the way

➡️ How to maintain your own artistic voice even when working for or with other people, clients, etc.

➡️ The value of making time for your own creative practice (even if creative work is part of your job.)

➡️ Why you should go ahead and make the thing you want to make rather than waiting for the perfect time. But also: the danger of false urgency and why it’s also a good idea to let things take the time they need to unfold.

Listen wherever you listen to podcasts or at: my website, Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.