TWO NUNS & A PACK MULE

If you're looking for something that is raw, underproduced and benefits from that stripped-down production, Rapeman's "Two Nun's And A Pack Mule" is something worth punishing your eardrums with. And with a huge grin on your face no less!Steve Albini's very brief incarnation as a part of this group is a bridge between his work with Big Black and Shellac. Compared to Big Black before it Rapeman is a much more primitive experiment. Real drums, tuned-down vocals and extremely overdriven guitar and bass lends a very raw and visceral sound. It may not be as good as Big Black but it was a turning point that led to Albini's next band, Shellac, and the legendary "At Action Park".And it is a great listen! From the opening line of "Why don't you snuff it, man, you plant-eating..." from "Steak & Black Onions" (yummers) you find yourself hooked into the snide and hilarious commentary and the music itself. From the benefits of having a unified eyebrow to characters such as a lizard-like human, a puny person with an attitude ("...just wait 'til I start Nautilus"), a "Chinee" hooked on opium (same person, perhaps?), the goal of human conception and birth in outer space as a part of the space program to a woman who has literally ______ her brains out, it's very funny! Keep a listen for the Beastie Boys shout-out and the track-length Sonic Youth parody!Vegetarians, feminists, the "Chinee" and other "politically correct" groups of people who are too uptight for their own good will not like this one bit. There's always that stuff on "easy-listening radio" for those fools. For the rest of us who find all of that just a bunch of crap this is right up our alley.Oh, and forget Filter! Rapeman was there first and the evidence is in the form of the included "Budd" EP. The opening "Budd" track serves as a dark and brooding dirge dedicated to the late corrupt congresscritter known as "Budd Dwyer" who blew his brains out live on daytime television in Pennsylvania (carried live on Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV at the time). The rest of the Budd" EP serves as a great piece of history of Rapeman playing live.Get this if you feel that "punk" music nowadays has lost its soul. Solid stuff! And do check out Big Black and Shellac as well.

With a name like Rapeman you know right out the gate you're in for some hardcore content. Rapeman was a short lived project from engineer extraordinaire and masterful musician Steve Albini following the end of the legendary Big Black. Two Nuns and a Pack Mule is essentially a bridge between Big Black and Albini's current band Shellac. You get the pulverizing screeching noise rock with time signature changes showing the shift towards Shellac's math rock sound. The result is very compelling and intriguing in the development of Albini as a musician. The abrupt pauses and time signature change ups punctuate the already confrontational noise rock sound. One track that I particularly enjoyed was "Kim Gordon's Panties" which shows the humor of the band and musically evokes a Sonic Youth feel.It's ironic that Rapeman were (and presumably still are) considered misogynist given that Albini has advocated support for feminists causes. Unfortunately people see the band name and draw conclusions before seeing what they were all about. For those not in the know, the name Rapeman came from a Japanese comic book. Albini found the comic so bizarre and it left such an impression on him that they went with the name. At no point have I read anything that suggests they were trying to make light of rape. I think this band is a classic example of 'dont judge a book by its cover'If you're a fan of Big Black, Shellac, or noisey albums in general I'd recommend picking this one up.

Wow, I was so happy to find a copy of this album, probably because of the unfortunatename of the band, but if you can look beyond that, this is perhaps Albini's best work. A gentle balance of cacaphony, hints of melody, noise and silence, light and shade. Man, this is true Renaissance stuff going on. Also, this album introduced me to ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid".Package was well shipped and this was an original shrink wrap like back in the day, when I was in my 20s and a menace to the world....

Still shocking after all these years: And not so much for the grease monkey with a degree bitterness to the lyrics (my favorite, if you must know, being Steve Albini's gender-bent rant in "Trouser Minnow," when he plays a sorority girl gone way too desperate and promiscuous). No, it's the shriek of the guitar--and I'd use the term "metallic" if said term wasn't so freighted with everything Albini pretty much disliked -- that still blows us away. This is my favorite Albini project, the Ur-"noise as beauty" landmark that sandblasted everything else. Abrasive and gorgeous.