About me:I've just completed my BA (Hons) Scriptwriting for Film & Television degree at Bournemouth Uni. I go...
Member since:26.07.2000
Reviews:96
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Review rated by 7 Ciao members on average: very helpful
One-time Big Black mainman Steve Albini is probably better known for being the knob-twiddler on Nirvana's "In Utero" album, as well as The Pixies "Surfer Rosa" and even...um...a Page and Plant LP. Albini has pioneered his own sound (angular guitar noise, sparse yet hard drums) for years, and "1000 Hurts" (it's a pun: "hertz", geddit?) has it in spades. Shellac are a more organic proposition than Albini's previous band (real drums rather than a machine) but no less intense. Lyrically, it concerns the break-up of a relationship and all the feelings of loathing and rejection that go with it. It's not easy-going by any means but, at 37 minutes long, it doesn't outstay its welcome.
The first track, Prayer To God, is a good indication of what the rest of the album will be like: jagged, slashing chords, thudding drums, and a screamed lyric: "There are two people here/and I want you to kill them!" The chorus goes: "Kill them/F*ckin' kill them/Kill them already/Kill them!". It looks stupid written down but, trust me, it's powerful stuff when you're actually listening to it. Put it on your WalkMan as you walk down the street, and you'll feel as though you can knock anyone out of your way.
There are more mellow moments. Mama Gina lurches along, held aloft by a few plucked notes and a slow beat for five minutes, before exploding into a thrashy mess right at the end. Nonetheless, every song has a distinctly driving momentum, coupled with Albini's thin yet impassioned voice and aggressive delivery: "Hey man/I wanna have a fight with you!" (Watch Song).
Okay, so there's nothing here that you could hum along to but then that's not really the point. There's a definite post-rock influence (Albini is a well-known fan of the seminal Slint), as well as more than a dash of punk. True to Albini's cynical attitude to digital technology, the CD comes packaged in a big, fat cardboard box, which makes it stand out from the rest.
Basically, I think of this as a Plastic Ono Band for the new millenium: the sound of a man exorcising his inner-most pain. Albini has been accused of being a misogynist in the past, but this album proves that he has real feelings, and understands the hurt that people cause each other more than most. If you've ever felt used or abused, this is the album for you.
ee of "Squirrel Song". "We'll be lucky if I don't bust out cryin'!" Three minutes into Shellac's third album, and already, there has been a fair bit of sad stuff--sad, and...
