1000 Hurts - Shellac

Shellac, if you didn't know, are the musical project of three producers named Todd Trainer (drums), Bob Weston (bass + vocals) and Steve Albini (guitar + vocals). All three of them are hugely touted amongst the underground and have put their names to consistently excellently sounding records, but if you're not familiar with these obscure records you're not likely to have heard of them. Steve Albini on the other hand, has lent his hand to records ...
...other famous names. If you're familiar with Albini's production style (raw, dirty, distinctly Pro-Tools free), then Shellac's sound won't surprise you one bit. It's abrasive, it's angular, it's complex, and it's angry as all hell. "1,000 Hurts" is their third album, and many people say it's their best yet. I personally think "At Action Park" slightly beats it as their finest work, but there's no doubting that this is a very good album. It starts ...

barknee 21.05.2002 · Read full review
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Review of 1000 Hurts - Shellac

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) ...
...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 ...

MonkeyboyUK 20.03.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of 1000 Hurts - Shellac