mrJim
Senior Member
Band Website: Shellac | Touch and Go / Quarterstick Records
Shellac was formed in 1992 by Steve Albini (vocalist/guitarist) and drummer Todd Trainer in Chicago, IL, USA and short time after Bob Weston took over the bassist duties. It’s hard for me to see it but the band gets classified as post-hardcore but I have heard the members refer to themselves as minimalist and punk. Typically the band does not keep a predictable schedule of performances or albums as the members have primary jobs and are dispersed with Albini and Weston in Chicago and Todd Trainer a good bit away in Minnesota.
Steve Albini and Bob Weston are both record producers/recording engineers. Most know Steve Albini who has worked with Nirvana (In Utero), Pixies, The Stooges and the list just goes on. Weston is no slouch and has been all over the alternative and under ground music scene. In addition to his day job Todd Trainer is a solo performer under the name Brick Layer Cake whose shows I find interestingly entertaining. I suggest looking up Brick Layer Cake on YouTube to have a look. If you don’t know these guys check out their backgrounds on Wikipedia or Internet it’s really cool and amazing.
Shellac’s music is pretty distinctive and they tend to go minimal with old school bare bones attitudes. If you are looking for traditional verse/chorus/verse song structures and studio albums with “full” arrangements it’s just not what Shellac is. The song structures send all kinds of confusing signals that lead you to anticipate they are building to a certain direction or riff then they unexpectedly stop or burst into a brief all-out frenzy. They introduce a lot of irregular starting and stopping with varying amount of silence between start/stop points so they rely heavily on their sense of timing. These guys have good chemistry and all are bought in, it is definitely sort of “man” energy and enthusiasm combined with sense of humor and sarcasm. Lyrics are short, blunt, contain expletives and have a sarcastic bite that you will either love or hate.
The band members are always willing and able to question society culture, actions, or poke topics and events they are particularly passionate or enthusiastic about. During live shows the band has “question and answer sessions” where they field questions from the audience providing off the cuff and sometimes wise ass answers to both fans and hecklers.
Steve Albini handles the guitar work using a pickup tweaked Travis Bean, overdriven amp (crazy boxes) and distortion pedal making crazy cool tone while he slings the Bean around like mad… but don’t expect any complex solos. Great Noise and mayhem. Bob Weston handles bass duties and that is no small task as there is significant bass play distortion and all in much of Shellac’s music. Todd Trainer handles drums. Trainer’s brutal primitive drum style is downright “attack mode” but he maintains such great timing that keeps everything in line. It’s not uncommon for him to savagely wail away on the snare with 2 hands and then just dead stop. I think he really is just classic and amazing one of my top 2 favorite drummers.
Of their 5 full length studio albums I think At Action Park, Dude Incredible and Excellent Italian Greyhound are the top three. Dude Incredible (2014) was their last album release and was really good and long term maybe be seen as their best ever.
Minimal, raw, old school, high energy analog goodness. Hopefully I will be able to see these guys live someday they are on my list of bands to see.
MrJim
Albums
At Action Park (1994)
Terraform (1998)
1000 Hurts (2000)
Excellent Italian Greyhound (2007)
Dude Incredible (2014)
Not released commercially:
Futurist (1997)
Futurist was only release to friends of the band and 779 names of those who received copies appear on the cover of the album.
Riding Bikes
The End of Radio
Prayer to God
Crow
Shellac was formed in 1992 by Steve Albini (vocalist/guitarist) and drummer Todd Trainer in Chicago, IL, USA and short time after Bob Weston took over the bassist duties. It’s hard for me to see it but the band gets classified as post-hardcore but I have heard the members refer to themselves as minimalist and punk. Typically the band does not keep a predictable schedule of performances or albums as the members have primary jobs and are dispersed with Albini and Weston in Chicago and Todd Trainer a good bit away in Minnesota.
Steve Albini and Bob Weston are both record producers/recording engineers. Most know Steve Albini who has worked with Nirvana (In Utero), Pixies, The Stooges and the list just goes on. Weston is no slouch and has been all over the alternative and under ground music scene. In addition to his day job Todd Trainer is a solo performer under the name Brick Layer Cake whose shows I find interestingly entertaining. I suggest looking up Brick Layer Cake on YouTube to have a look. If you don’t know these guys check out their backgrounds on Wikipedia or Internet it’s really cool and amazing.
Shellac’s music is pretty distinctive and they tend to go minimal with old school bare bones attitudes. If you are looking for traditional verse/chorus/verse song structures and studio albums with “full” arrangements it’s just not what Shellac is. The song structures send all kinds of confusing signals that lead you to anticipate they are building to a certain direction or riff then they unexpectedly stop or burst into a brief all-out frenzy. They introduce a lot of irregular starting and stopping with varying amount of silence between start/stop points so they rely heavily on their sense of timing. These guys have good chemistry and all are bought in, it is definitely sort of “man” energy and enthusiasm combined with sense of humor and sarcasm. Lyrics are short, blunt, contain expletives and have a sarcastic bite that you will either love or hate.
The band members are always willing and able to question society culture, actions, or poke topics and events they are particularly passionate or enthusiastic about. During live shows the band has “question and answer sessions” where they field questions from the audience providing off the cuff and sometimes wise ass answers to both fans and hecklers.
Steve Albini handles the guitar work using a pickup tweaked Travis Bean, overdriven amp (crazy boxes) and distortion pedal making crazy cool tone while he slings the Bean around like mad… but don’t expect any complex solos. Great Noise and mayhem. Bob Weston handles bass duties and that is no small task as there is significant bass play distortion and all in much of Shellac’s music. Todd Trainer handles drums. Trainer’s brutal primitive drum style is downright “attack mode” but he maintains such great timing that keeps everything in line. It’s not uncommon for him to savagely wail away on the snare with 2 hands and then just dead stop. I think he really is just classic and amazing one of my top 2 favorite drummers.
Of their 5 full length studio albums I think At Action Park, Dude Incredible and Excellent Italian Greyhound are the top three. Dude Incredible (2014) was their last album release and was really good and long term maybe be seen as their best ever.
Minimal, raw, old school, high energy analog goodness. Hopefully I will be able to see these guys live someday they are on my list of bands to see.
MrJim
Albums
At Action Park (1994)
Terraform (1998)
1000 Hurts (2000)
Excellent Italian Greyhound (2007)
Dude Incredible (2014)
Not released commercially:
Futurist (1997)
Futurist was only release to friends of the band and 779 names of those who received copies appear on the cover of the album.
Riding Bikes
The End of Radio
Prayer to God
Crow