Shellac and Steve Albini; I’m Trying to be Better

I was over at the Ruby Room enjoying the company of my band mates, chums, and New Zealand visitor, Paul from The Mint Chicks, having an impenetrable good time. And then these guitars punk the shit out me. I’ve heard the sound elsewhere and liked it immediately. There are some formulas to songs that will always get me. So I walk away mid whatever was going on and ask dj another white guy who it is: Shellac. Paul then adds that his drumming was reviewed to be a blend between Shellac and Green Day. Congratulations, hero dick. Anyways, I’m drunk and picture a fucked up spelling to it (an apostrophe in there), so I’m just hoping I will come across the incisiveness again.

The next week, I’m on my second date with art-rapper extraordinaire (I won’t sully his name by mentioning his involvement with me, but seriously, I deserve daps for bagging this one) and he brings up this song he’s digging and how he’s actually excited to see a band, and no shit, it’s Shellac. This whole time I’ve thought I was quarterbackin’ about to spread the good word, but dude (and the other people I’ve spoken about Shellac to) go, “You don’t know Steve Albini?” Turns out I’m a dipshit too late, but happy with a new band (for me) nonetheless.

Steve Albini is the man that everyone else but me knew about. He was in the bands Big Black and Rapeman, now it’s Shellac. Homeboy has engineered huge albums (Nirvana, Pixies, Fugazi, Joanna Newsom, a supposed total of 1500-2000 albums). Therefore if you are doo doo dum as well, there’s a very cool and informative article on him at http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep05/articles/albini.htm.

-The Mari