LOOKIT THE PUPPY! LOOKIT! THE FACE! THE FACE! PUPPY!

*ahem*

So, one thing i’ve always admired about Shellac’s music is how it feels insulated against outside influence. For better or worse (mostly better), the music of Albini, Trainer and Weston has always been stubbornly original, almost to the point of daring the listener to take what they are dishing out in their own almost infuriatingly minimal tension-and-tension-and-tension-and-we’re-almost-to-the-release-but-here’s-some-more-tension way (i’m thinking specifically of the 10-minute “Didn’t We Deserve a Look at You the Way You Really Are” from 1998’s Terraform). Shellac have always felt to me like a band operating in a bubble; they may have influenced countless abrasive math-rock imitators, but they themselves are imitating, referencing, no one at all (OK, they did cover an AC/DC song once, and performed as the Sex Pistols one Halloween, but i’m talking about their original material here).

Therefore, when Albini screeched the first Verizon-esque “can you hear me now?” on “The End of Radio,” the funeral dirge opening track to Excellent Italian Greyhound, it threw me for a loop the first time i heard it performed live. Upon purchasing the album (LP version, which comes with an unmarked CD copy of the album, so why wouldn’t you buy the vinyl, doofus?), i was struck by additional pop-culture references peppering the album. Bob Weston croons “Here comes the argument” (an apparent reference to the chorus of “The Argument” by pals Fugazi) in the opening of “Elephant,” and his g-g-g-grunting in “Spoke” at times resembles the cadence of the vocals to “The World Loves Us and is Our Bitch” by the late, lamented Welsh pranksters Mclusky.

And then, of course, there are the guest voices in “Genuine Lulabelle:” voiceover masters Ken Nordine and Hal Douglas…and Strong Bad. Wtf.

The eight-minute “End of Radio” and nine-minute “Lulabelle” are Shellac at their most challenging. A simple two-measure bass run of quarter notes loops unyieldingly throughout the entire “End of Radio” as Albini and Trainer weave in and out of the rhythm, adding texture in spots and exploding into straight-up rock when that release finally comes. “Lulabelle” does it one better, sliding the music to a complete stop while Albini goes <I>a capella</I> with his ode to memory and indiscretion, as the aforementioned guest voices swirl around him. It’s definitely the oddest Shellac song perhaps in their career, and it’s definitely work to get through. And that’s not a bad thing.

But lest we assume the entire album is an exercise in cerebral patience, there is plenty of flat-out rockin’ happening too. “Steady as She Goes” and “Spoke” are probably two of the most straightforward 4/4 rockers the band has produced to date, and the instrumental “Kittypants” (named for one of the many cats of the Albini/Electrical Audio family…awwww) showcases the band at their prettiest. When Shellac want to, their thundering drums and beyond-abrasive aluminum guitars can be employed to produce some of the most hauntingly beautiful minimalist rock out there, and it’s demonstrated here with trademark Shellac aplomb. (Kitty!)

It’s been seven years between the last offering, 1000 Hurts, and Excellent Italian Greyhound, but it’s been worth the wait. Shellac, as previously stated, operate independently of outside pressures, so you know that when they release new music, it’s because they’ve decided it’s ready, not because anyone wanted them to put a new record out. Don’t fear, though–you want to hear this record. You also want to buy it on vinyl and enjoy the painstaking work that was put into the packaging. Jay Ryan’s sleeve and gatefold art, Joel Larson’s photography…all excellent. All about greyhounds. Italian? Well, there is a guy named “Albini” in the band.

Release Date: June 5, 2007

Label: Touch & Go Records

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