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Shellac are a Post-Hardcore and Math Rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They were founded in 1992 by recording engineer Steve Albini and drummer Todd Trainer and were later completed by bassist and fellow recording engineer Bob Weston.

They are by far the longest-running and most stable band of Steve Albini and are notorious for their abrasive sound, dark and edgy lyrics and their antagonistic stage presence. They are noted for their minimalist sound and absurdly well-recorded albums. They cover the middle ground between the previous two Albini-led bands, the aggressive Big Black and the more technical Rapeman.

Members:

  • Steve Albini - Vocals, guitar, recording (credited as "velocity")
  • Bob Weston - Bass, vocals, recording (credited as "mass")
  • Todd Trainer - Drums (credited as "time")

Discography:

  • At Action Park (1994)
  • The Futurist (1997)
  • Terraform (1998)
  • 1000 Hurts (2000)
  • Excellent Italian Greyhound (2007)
  • Dude Incredible (2014)

This band provides examples of:

  • All Drummers Are Animals: Played straight and taken up to eleven by Todd Trainer. His vampire-like looks and slender figure even qualify him as Nightmare Fuel. note 
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Todd Trainer is by far the biggest goofball of the three, and something of a space cadet comparatively, but put him on stage and he becomes outright disturbing
  • Break-Up Song: The album 1000 Hurts is an album with hate-filled breakup songs with romantic lines.
  • The Cameo: None other than voice-over legend Ken Nordine in "Genuine Lulabelle", then 87 years old. The same song also features Matt Chapman of Homestar Runner fame.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Todd Trainer. Imagine Kramer was a drummer.
  • Denser and Wackier: Excellent Italian Greyhound. A cameo by a cartoon character, a dog on the cover and a goofy self-parody as a closer.
  • Drummers Love Dogs: Trainer and his dog Uffizi.
  • End of an Era: "The End of Radio" from Excellent Italian Greyhound.
  • Epic Rocking: "Il Porno Star" shifts gear a few times just to end in a noise melt-down.
    • Subverted with "Didn't We Deserve a Look at You the Way You Really Are", a 12 minutes long, heavily repetitive track.
  • Expy: The Shoe Song from 1000 Hurts is a homage to Slint's Good Morning, Captain, down to the distinctive I MISS YOUUUU scream.
  • Fedora of Asskicking: Albini's fedora.
  • Indecipherable Lyrics: Almost every song, given the nature of Albini's vocals.
  • Intentionally Awkward Title:
    • "Il Porno Star".
    • Excellent Italian Greyhound just seems odd in context.
  • In the Style of: "The Shoe Song", in the style of Slint.
  • Large Ham: Steve Albini, of course, but Bob Weston has his moments too. Live shows are an even bigger source of this
  • Lighter and Softer: The b-side "Billiard Player Song" is far more melodic and introspective than the rest of their output.
  • Long Runner Lineup: Technically Type 2, as former Naked Raygun bassist Camilo Gonzalez performs on "Rambler Song" from the band's first single. However, the lineup hasn't changed since Weston joined in 1993.
  • Loyal Animal Companion: Todd Trainer's dog Uffizi, during his lifetime. They even made him the cover model for an album, and conducted an interview about him for Dogs 101.
  • Mind Screw: "I'm a plane" from "Wingwalker".
  • Murder Ballad: Deconstructed in "Prayer to God," which expresses similar feelings frustration and entitlement towards women but coming from an average man who's too cowardly to actually go through with killing them.
  • New Technology Is Evil: All albums and singles are recorded with analogue equipment.
  • Noise Rock
  • Perishing Alt-Rock Voice: Each guy has his own spin on this.
  • Perspective Flip: "Canaveral" (quoted up above) is a song from the perspective of the husband of one of the many women John F. Kennedy slept with. The tone is quite venomous.
  • Prayer of Malice: "Prayer to God" is about a man praying for the death of his ex-girlfriend and her new lover.
  • Precision F-Strike: "Prayer to God", suddenly interrupting the tone of the "prayer". Later evolves into a Cluster F-Bomb.
    Fucking kill him.
  • Rock Trio
  • Signature Style: Noisy guitars, brutal yet precise drumming, distorted basslines and absurdly well-recorded albums, justified as Albini and Weston are skilled recording engineers. Shouted vocals low in the mix are a given.
  • The Sociopath: Steve Albini's persona in Shellac songs.
    And it makes you feel better
    They're your arms
    It's none of my business.
  • The Something Song: "Squirrel Song," "Shoe Song," "Watch Song," "Song of the Minerals," "Billiard Player Song..."
  • World of Ham: At Action Park is all shouting or passive-aggressive hissing.

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