Shellac – To All Trains (Album Review)

Picture that one friend in high school who would argue with the history teacher on why communism is better than capitalism during a lesson on the Venezuelan financial crisis. Now, this argument may not be full of holes, nor complete bullshit, but it is an argument that makes you ask yourself: Really, dude? The way they go about arguing their peace is loud, arrogant, and passionate. They pull out all of these fancy words like “bourgeois” and “Marxism” that leave you confused but intrigued.

They tell the teacher along with the rest of the class that they’re merely cogs in the machine, or another brick in the wall (probably an album that fueled this mid-class tantrum) before being told to shut their fat mouth by the teacher, so as to resume the aforementioned lesson on the Venezuelan financial crisis. Now, in this situation, you’re probably annoyed, maybe even angry; you’ve just been told that everything you know is a lie and facade put up to protect corporate interest.

But you’re also mesmerized by this kid’s level of sincerity and trueness to the cause. You understand that “the system” you’re currently living under could be improved greatly, but submitting to the daunting realm of red seems too scary. You realize: man, this kid might be onto something, but he’s just so damn rude! That has been Shellac as a whole to me. Not specifically To All Trains, but in their entirety.

There’s a level of charm that is brought to the table from the rude, arrogant remarks squaked by Steve Albini from tracks like “My Black Ass” on their 1994 album Live at Action Park, to “Tattoos” on the most recent album To All Trains. You simply can’t help but admire and yearn personally for the level of honesty and confidence that seeps from the band. 

I’ve heard my fair share of noise-rock. Frankly, it’s a scene that quickly gets stagnant and old to me. I’m not saying I don’t like it, but to, I simply need to catch a whiff of something special that sticks out to me. The 1989 album Tweez (actually produced by Steve Albini) by Kentucky band Slint is a good example. Listening to Tweez, it feels psychotic, paranoid, and manic. I don’t remember the album for every progression, but for the feeling that the band can emulate. I need personality and feeling to grab onto, rather than mere impressive skill.. Shellac manages to ride that line pretty well. I feel I get a good mix of fine and dandy instrumentals with a very loud personality. 

After my first listen of To All Trains, I kept asking myself: is this just another record that I won’t really remember in just a few months? Will the progressions I hear in this record end up blurring with other progressions I’ve heard from other noise-rock oriented records? After more listening and deliberation, I concluded that: it is and it isn’t. The bright and distorted guitars, paired with the burpy and moody sounding bass, wrapped together with sluggish drums inform me that yes, this is in fact noisy.

Some repeated progressions like on tracks “Wsod”, “Girl From Outside” and “I Don’t Fear Hell” really pull you in and feel very dominating and strong. However, the instrumentals alone aren’t enough for this record to stand tall on its own to me. The lyrics and vocals add quite tremendously to this record, as I feel they are what take this album from “sounds good” to memorable.

It’s very straightforward; breaking down each track and trying to examine every aspect of it under a microscope seems redundant, as the band straight up tells you how things are, and how they ought to be. It’s not one of those projects where the band teeters around a concept, bathing in this sense of intellectual superiority and mystery. They simply say (sometimes yell) what’s on their mind.

This album did achieve my only requirement for what I consider to be a “good” noise-rock record. It carried with it something other than rockin’ guitars, bass, and drums. And for that, I would consider this to be a project with actual weight and substance.

Rating/Good – Overall, there is something to be said about To All Trains and the sincerest form of honesty it throws at you. The band stands behind what they put out with absolutely no worry as to what you might think of it, which is quite refreshing in the current state of music. The philosophy of Shellac and its process is what I consider to be the band’s selling point. Listen to this album to explore those very sincere and blunt philosophies. Listen to this album for some interesting progressions. Don’t listen to this album if you’re trying to negate your preexisting angst and frustration.

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