Shellac: a new album is out today

A few days after the death of the guitarist and producer Steve Albini (which occurred last May 7 due to a sudden heart attack) him Shellachis band, surprisingly release a new album entitled “To All Trains”.

It is not known whether the release was actually scheduled for May 17th or whether it was brought forward in consideration of the dramatic disappearance. The fact is that “To All Trains” is not accompanied by any promotional or press initiative.

The new Shellac is in line with the previous ones: electric, ferocious, concise (it lasts less than half an hour), at times furious (“Chick New Wave”) sometimes dark (“Wednesday“) or scratchy like the jumping “Scabby the Rat”, “Days Are Dogs” and the hypnotic and growing “How I Wrote I Wrote Elastic Man (Cock & Bull)” and the psychedelic (but certainly not prophetic) finale “I Don't Fear Hell,”

Obviously, given the circumstances, it didn't have any swan song but it would have been yet another (good) step in the band's journey.

The guitar is obviously the absolute protagonist of the album, the first instrument that enters almost every song and has that raw, free-range flavor that can easily be defined as punk, as can Steve's vocal style. Supporting the sound structure are a powerful bass and drums (which hit hard): the essential and basic trio of rock music, a formula perhaps disused today but always “functioning”.

“To All Trains” arrives ten years after “Dude Incredible” and it is the seventh episode (inevitably the last) of a thirty-year career that began in 1994 with “At Action Park”.

A beautiful testament. Have a nice trip Steve!!