Shellac

“Dude Incredible”
One word: “monkeys”

It’s about the group dynamics of trying to get something done with a group of people. Somebody ends up having to behave like a ringleader and then there’s debate and all of the counties have to be heard from and then, eventually, there’s a move where everybody’s suitably motivated and you go off and do something. But along the way there are circumstances and ultimately you get to a resolution where you complete your enterprise or whatever.

“Compliant”
One word: “compulsive”

The text of the song is an abstraction that Bob came up with of the things that someone who is suffering obsessive compulsive disorder has to do just to get through his day. He has to make sure certain rituals are performed in order to satisfy that obsession. It’s called “Compliant” because that’s the shorthand for “OCD compliant.”

“You Came In Me”
One word: “intercourse”

It’s a fairly straightforward song about sexual intercourse.

“Riding Bikes”
One word: “vandalism”

“Riding Bikes” is in the context of children or adolescents riding bikes, where it’s a mindset and an activity put together. Like, you and your friends go riding bikes and that implies a certain degree of intimacy or closeness with your friends. You’re not just riding bikes, you’re having adventures, you’re breaking things, you’re stealing things, you’re causing minor vandalism — all that sort of stuff.

“All the Surveyors”
One word: “survey”

We first got into a surveyor kick when, I can’t remember if it was Bob or me, we noticed that quite a few of the founding fathers of our country, the United States of America — your neighbour to the South — were in fact, surveyors. Meaning that they took a chain and a pole and paced off the physical dimensions of our new country. They physically measured the place they were living in and that was part of their definition of where they were living. How much more could the borders of that place mean to you and its identity as a nation than that you had physically measured it?

A lot of the founding fathers were surveyors, including George Washington. But if you think of the word “survey,” that means that you’re assessing something from a distance and measuring it. There are a lot of circumstances where there’s an external observer surveying what’s going on. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be a person these days. It could be a satellite or a drone or a surveillance camera.

“The People’s Microphone”
One word: “altogether”

That’s an instrumental song. The subject matter of the song doesn’t really exist, because it’s a musical motif only. But it was named after the practice that was revived during the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy other places movement. When someone wanted to address the whole of the occupation, obviously you couldn’t be heard over a large distance, so the whole assembly made a social contract that, whatever this person said from the podium, they would all repeat it in sync in a loud voice so that people behind them could hear it. That construction was called “the people’s microphone.” I think that was an ingenious invention.

I started to think also about its use as a consensus-building tool, If you hear yourself in your own voice, it forces you to consider the veracity of the thing that you’re saying because you don’t want to be repeating a lie in a loud voice. So everyone who has convinced themselves to be a conduit in that situation is, by the process of repeating the thing that they are amplifying, a kind of a filter for its veracity. And then it forces them to internalize that thought because they have to evaluate it and it could be conceived of as a rote thing but, because of the way we all behave with respect to speech and language, it isn’t. So, I was fascinated by that and I admire it as a technique to solve the problem of being heard in a crowd. And I’ll be honest, I felt like I missed something by not participating in any of these people’s microphone exchanges during the Occupy movement.

“Gary”
One word: “Indiana.”

It’s about the steel magnate for whom the town of Gary, IN, is named. Most of the lyrics for that song are taken from a book of labour and communist folk songs. It’s called The Big Red Songbook. There’s a song, the lyrics to which were written by T-Bone Slim, and they were in that book and the song is called ‘Gary’ and it’s about Gary, IN, and its namesake.

“Mayor/Surveyor”
One word: “pun.”

That’s another instrumental, based on a little guitar motif. Going back to the founding fathers and surveyor business, to qualify as a politician or statesman at the beginning of this country’s existence, you had to have a very tangible relationship with the country. And now, basically any asshole who wants to can be a politician. We thought it would be nice to revive the idea that in order to be a public servant, you would’ve had to have had some intimate relationship with the place you were trying to govern.

“Surveyor”
One word: “snappy.”

It’s a very snappy song. Quick tempo. And it has a literal relationship with the founding fathers and their work as surveyors in that the tools of the trade are mentioned by name and there’s a quotation by George Washington at the end that Bob recites where Washington describes how the lack of maps is impeding progress.

take that, bono and the edge

I just received an email from Touch & Go stating that my copy is now in the mail. STOKED.

Didn't pre-order, but kind of wish I did cuz it sounds like folks in some Midwest spots have already received it.

Odd to think that after waiting 7 yrs I can't wait a few more days!

Really do not have high hopes

they have become patchier with every album imo....which is a shame, the basic sound of the band is so good

You're probably right. I just keep hoping...

Excellent Italian Greyhound is only a slight dip, the previous three are all equally excellent. And when I saw them a few months ago they were the best they'd ever been.

He is such a rigid, miserable, boring fucker. I loved BB when I was a kid and I liked Rapeman and At Action Park, but everything he has done since leaves me cold. It is like watching a reanimated corpse from the 80's still twitching through the motions and wearing a 70's "disco sucks" badge, file next to Oasis.

Hey it's Morrissey!

He is almost that bad unfortunately!

Shellac are one of the greatest live rock bands ever. I've probably seen them more than any other rock band and never seen them do a bad show. Action Park is one of my all time favourite albums but I'm not massively partisan about anything else they've done. However, it's not about the albums is it? They've said, ad nauseum, that the albums are only a snapshot of where they're at, at a particular moment in time. The real arena to appreciate them… if you're geographically lucky enough, I guess… is live.

shellac and the grateful dead both

I mean, its ok...hes done well enough - Atomizer, SAF, Steak and Black Onions, At Action Park, the Wingwalker 7"

that's a good haul

Shellac's records are pretty consistently interesting imo

I will say that Shellac is sorta like Deerhunter for me in that their albums get better with time - even if they're never as sick as AAP.

Doran OTM, like him they along with the Fall are the bands I have seen live the most times, and like the Fall they are always interesting.

It's funny I always think Terraform is better than At Action Park and 1000 Hurts is not far behind....

EIG was a step down...I wish they'd do an odds n sods/singles comp that would be their best record

I'm such a rigid, miserable, boring fucker.
― xelab, Friday, September 12, 2014 3:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm obsessed with this version of The End of Radio since someone posted it in another thread.

worth a listen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzDQWrp5VpA

^^^this one is so, so good

The new album is fucking great btw. Too soon to call it but feels like the second best thing they've done.

behind Terraform, obv ;)

LOL. I do like Terraform but I find the opening track a bit of a slog to be honest - even though technically it's amazing.

Doran, that's my favourite Shellac song you're dissing! Consider this glare admonishing.

I used to think Didn't We Deserve....was a chore to get through but it has the effect of my appreciating the odd Trainer fill or Albini noise more than the standard 2/3 minute Shellac number

Doran I feel the inverse on Terraform. I adore "Didn't We Deserve..." but I find the rest of the album kinda forgettable.

Posting the lyrics to "Prayer To God" on my Facebook page got me fired from my job.

Despite that, total classic.

^lol

also, wait, what

Yes. I finally got a lawyer to take my case but it's an uphill battle in an At Will state. We essentially have to prove that firing me for such a lame reason is a cover-up for some other things that they legally couldn't fire me for.

One prong of attack will possibly be a PR campaign so once my lawyer and I get on the same page, I will be trying to get the local media interested in my story. I think it won't be difficult - man fired for posting song lyrics to Facebook is sexy especially since a man was arrested for posting song lyrics not too long ago. But I'll leave the details to my lawyer.

And that's why you don't friend people from work and make yr status updates public!

Second singles comp, that's what I listen to theist despite being crappy vinyl rips

Tell us here when you're going public with the story NYCNative.

Alice Donut on Untidy Suicides tour.
Nomeansno on the Wrong tour.

Bet these were amazing.

Today! Can't wait, heard some of the snippets here and there, plus heard most of these tunes live over the past 7 yrs I'm sure.

Are they my favorite band? Man, they might be

"Man Fired for Posting 'Kill Him, Fucking Kill Him' on Facebook"

Posting the lyrics to "Prayer To God" on my Facebook page got me fired from my job.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Saturday, September 13, 2014 4:53 PM

hopefully didn't coincide w/ a relationship status update

Picked this up yesterday, I like it a lot. The first song reminds me of Achilles Last Stand in places.

thought this was out next week. young(er) me would have been aghast at the idea of this band's album release passing me by. not to say I'm not eager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StooJzxAfrc

for nycnative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSL_S2qztig

We've talked about it and I think we've conceptually gotten our head around the idea of making a compilation of those early, oddball recordings and the Peel Sessions but we haven't committed to doing it yet. - http://exclaim.ca/News/steve_albini_breaks_down_shellacs_dude_incredible_track_by_track

I included my hopes for a comp at the end of my review - http://fastnbulbous.com/shellac-dude-incredible/

Shit, new album rips, what a comeback! Bass wise very Terraform-y, which is just up my street. Loving this. Shellac is such a unique constant in music.

Shellac Endless Boogie is such a unique constant in music.

After listening three times, it's not as great as Terraform for me, but it's still very, very good.

Very, very good in a "It won't get me fired but I'll certainly have to talk things over with my boss" kind of good.

Okay, I'm willing to concede that this is God-level now.

Billy Idol wearing Shellac t-shirt at his recent performance in St. Paul

http://apps.startribune.com/blogs/user_images/chrisr_1421761538_08_358253_10BILLY012115_32926143.JPG

He only likes the first two singles tho

always knew he was cool

todd's former band rifle sport doing an xmas standard

https://soundcloud.com/g-rard-boissy/ldbmix

This looks like it'll be a good read

http://thequietus.com/articles/22952-shellac-steve-albini-interview