Shut-in sounds: 33 of the best industrial albums

Here's another musical round-up to keep you occupied while holed up in your pandemic command bunker. The Pitchfork title of this piece is "The 33 Best Industrial Albums of All Time," but homey don't play that horse race. Your mileage may vary. My mileage varies. What would you add to this list?

27Chris and CoseyHeartbeat1981Industrial music for us was about being industrious, Cosey Fanni Tutti reflected of her time in the pioneering group Throbbing Gristle. It wasnt about industrial sounds. Her point was proven when she and bandmate/partner Chris Carter formed a new duo after TGs dissolution, veering away from the groups harsh textures into lighter, more melodic territory. The music that comprises Heartbeat, their debut album, spans multiple genresminimalist techno, spacey synth-pop, stretches of eerie ambiencewhile maintaining a rough, corroded edge. From the grinding pulse of opener Put Yourself in Los Angeles to the dazzling sci-fi title track, its vision and melding of textures influenced scores of electronic artists; it also provided a path for fellow industrial musicians to maintain their intensity while learning to lighten up and evolve. Sam Sodomsky

20SwansGreed/Holy Money1986Desecration, self-loathing, flesh, power: This is the scripture of Swans, the infamously loud and transgressive New York noise band led for decades by Michael Gira. By Greed/Holy Money, they had blown up their soundtwo bassists, three drummers, the vocalist Jarboeto become a chamber group of hulking, post-industrial aggression, marching against the bull market of New Yorks cocaine decadence in the mid-80s. Read the rest