To All Trains

''To All Trains'' is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band Shellac, released by Touch and Go Records on May 17, 2024. It is the first original studio effort by the band in a decade and is the final recording made before band member Steve Albini's death days prior to the album's release. The recording was made around the band's touring over the course of several years and was not promoted with advance copies, specific tour dates, or singles. The release coincided with Shellac's music being available on several streaming services for the first time in years.

Reception

''To All Trains'' received largely positive reviews. Writing for AllMusic, critic Mark Deming stated that "it's practically impossible to listen to the music without hearing it through the filter of grief, which is odd, since this is music that sounds muscular, vital, and very much alive" and the band is "a lean, mean math rock machine... ithconcision of the songs hatmakes this a breathless, energetic listening experience". Lux Sparks-Pescovitz of '' BoingBoing'' recommended this album to anyone, including those unfamiliar with Albini's previous work and favorably compared this album to blues rock, The Raconteurs, and David Bowie's final studio album ''Blackstar''. At ''Clash Music'', Cal Cashin described the album as “beat-em-up mutant rock” that “showcases a rock band who get every single thing about being a rock band absolutely correct”. In ''Kerrang!'', Olly Thomas hailed the release as "a masterclass in delivering musical precision with an undercarriage of scuzz and tension".

Paul Brannigan at '' Louder Sound'' characterized it as "as thrillingly intense, darkly amusing and pleasingly unsentimental as expected" with emotions that are "grinding ndtypically unsentimental" as well as silly, describing the music as a whole as "never less than compelling throughout, never less than a bleakly beautiful good time". At '' Louder Than War'', John Robb awarded the album a perfect score and called it "another peep into the tight world of the band and another celebration of their minimalistic genius" that "sounds as thrilling and fresh as anything they have ever done". Editors at '' Pitchfork'' included this among a shortlist of the eight best albums of the week, calling it a "record of righteous, riotous noise", with critic Christopher R. Weingarten writing later on that it "naturally walks the same path and, had circumstances permitted, would likely have been appreciated simply as little more than Shellac’s sixth excellent record".

Writing for ''PopMatters'', Seth Troyer rated this album a 7 out of 10 and used the review to give an overview of Shellac and Steve Albini's career, noting that "it can be hard not to indulge in the creepy feeling that the person who has been telling you these ghost stories was himself a ghost the whole time" and stating that it "feels like a group showing up, punching in, doing the good work, getting the job done, and then punching out for a night at the bar". Online retailer Qobuz spotlighted this release and Jeff Laughlin called it "classic Shellac" with songs that "epitomizes Shellac’s unique style" that invite "reflection on our collective folly". In ''Rolling Stone'', Kory Grow called these songs a mixture of Albini’s sarcasm and biting noise rock “with its snarling lyrics and crisp sound” that serves as an appropriate final statement. In a mixed review, Fiona Shepherd of ''The Scotsman'' called it Albini's "musical epitaph and testament to his tight partnership with bassist Bob Weston and mighty drummer Todd Trainer".

In a May 31 roundup of the best albums of the year, editors at ''Exclaim!'' ranked this 25 stating that this might be Shellac's best release. Staff at '' Consequence of Sound'' included this among the best albums of May, with Jonah Krueger writing that it "serves as a masterful, shockingly fitting project for Shellac, even down to the foreboding, black and white album cover" and a June 4 overview of the best albums of the year so far ranked it 17, where he called it "an idiosyncratic, irreverent, beautiful final offering from Albini and company". The same day, ''Stereogum'' did the same and ranked this album 20 and Tom Breihan characterized the release as "a document of a great American rock band, 30 years into its career, making the kind of spiky, scabrous post-punk that they always did better than anyone else". Online retailer Qobuz chose this as one of the five best rock albums of May.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Albini, Todd Trainer, and Bob Weston.

#"WSOD" – 2:24
#"Girl From Outside" – 2:46
#"Chick New Wave" – 2:22
#"Tattoos" – 3:08
#"Wednesday" – 3:18
#"Scrappers" – 2:21
#"Days Are Dogs" – 1:42
#"How I Wrote How I Wrote Elastic Man (cock & bull)" – 4:09
#"Scabby the Rat" – 1:46
#"I Don’t Fear Hell" – 4:18

Personnel

Shellac
* Steve Albini – guitar, vocals, recording, production, mastering at Chicago Mastering Service
*Todd Trainer – drums
* Bob Weston – bass guitar, vocals, mastering, photography

Additional personnel
*David Babbitt – sleeve design
*Matthew Barnhart – tape op
*Greg Norman – tape op
*Ungiedem Zaneta Ogar – live sound mixing
*Jon San Paolo – tape op
*Gregoire Yeche – tape op

Charts

See also

*2024 in American music
* 2024 in rock music
*List of 2024 albums

References

External links

*
*
Albini interview in ''New Noise Magazine''

{{Authority control

2024 albums
Albums produced by Steve Albini
Albums published posthumously
Shellac (band) albums
Touch and Go Records albums
Math rock albums by American artists
Post-punk albums by American artists