SHELLAC Vinyl & CDs

Review: Righteously rare recordings from the annals of UK-US music culture makes its way to disc via the legendary John Peel and the inimitable Steve Albini (and his Shellac band). Containing cuts from the late radio-jock's worshipped Peel Sessions broadcast in 2004, this archival release features a stream of previously unreleased recordings of the Chicago group's live & studio sessions for the legendary radio spot. The CDs deliver raw and seldom heard versions of "Crow" (from 1998's Terraform LP) alongside "Canada," "Disgrace" and "Spoke" from the Excellent Italian Greyhound LP (2007). Filled with stories of the BBC's "live From Maida Vale" sessions and the studio's famous 24-track console, these exhumed artifacts all make it out at a time when Albini has been quoted saying of Shellac: ""There will be more new material in the future."

Review: Chicago-bred noise rock legends Shellac deliver their sixth studio album To All Trains, following up 2019's The End Of Radio Peel Session retrospective with an abiding, slowly-honed new full-length - their first original work in a decade. Though released to little fanfare, To All Trains is a totemic album, committing to themes of transience and dread; guitarist Steve Albini, drummer Todd Trainer and bassist Bob Weston do it properly here, promising a pristine new release born of long weekends, tireless sweats and, naturally, all-analog treatment at Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago.

Review: Shellac's sixth studio album, To All Trains, is a demonstration to the band's distinctive sound. Recorded over several years and mastered by Bob & Steve at Chicago Mastering Service, the album features Shellac's trademark minimalist sound, characterised by asymmetric time signatures, repetitive rhythms, and angular guitar sound. Albini's and Weston's surreal, bitingly sarcastic lyrics add to the album's unique atmosphere. With its complex and unconventional approach to music, To All Trains showcases Shellac's mastery of their craft and their unwavering commitment to their distinctive sonic vision.