Dude Incredible
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''Dude Incredible'' is the fifth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by the American rock band
Shellac Shellac () is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and ...
, released on September 16, 2014 on
Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...
.


Packaging

Physical copies of ''Dude Incredible'' are packaged in a chipboard album jacket. The packaging features two "high gloss, full color monkeys" as the front cover artwork. The front cover was photographed by
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photographer Anton Meres; additional photographic images were provided by David Manthey.


Release

''Dude Incredible'' was announced for release on
Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...
official website in July 2014. In the announcement, it was revealed that
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
editions of the album were
mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
"entirely in the analog domain" using a process known as direct metal mastering. The vinyl discs were manufactured at Record Technology, Inc. in
Camarillo Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
using the pressing plant's HQ-180 system. The album was released on September 16, 2014 on 180-gram LP, CD and as a digital download in various formats, including
AAC AAC may refer to: Aviation * Advanced Aircraft, a company from Carlsbad, California * Alaskan Air Command, a radar network * American Aeronautical Corporation, a company from Port Washington, New York * American Aviation, a company from Cleveland, ...
,
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
and "full-bandwidth 24-bit"
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File ...
files, which were made available on
HDtracks HDtracks is a high-resolution digital music store offering DRM-free music in multiple formats as well as cover art (and liner notes via PDF file downloads for a majority of catalog offerings) with audio CD-quality and high-definition audio master ...
. A digital booklet was included on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
edition of the album, and a CD copy of ''Dude Incredible'' was packaged with all LP editions. Upon its release in the United Kingdom, ''Dude Incredible'' placed in the top 10 of the Independent Breakers Album Chart.


Reception

''Dude Incredible'' received positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer Mark Deming offered a largely mixed review of ''Dude Incredible'', saying "it doesn't sound lazy, just short one or two top-rank songs that would bump its status up a notch, but it's clearly the work of as strong and interesting a band as you can hear these days." He rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars. Writing for
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
, Adam Kivel said that the album "never sounds labored over—it just sounds intensely practiced. The interlocking rhythms and riffs work like cogs in a meticulously handcrafted clock" and selected "All the Surveyors", "Riding Bikes", and "Compliant" as "essential tracks", ultimately awarding the record an A− rating.
The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
's Andrew Hannah rated ''Dude Incredible'' a full ten-star rating and concluded in his review: "It's going to be hard for Albini, Weston and Trainer to ever top what we find on ''Dude Incredible''. Worthy of filing alongside and above ''
At Action Park ''At Action Park'' is the first full-length record by Shellac, released in 1994. Packaging The release came in a folded and hand-pressed sleeve which is referred as ''uni-pak style album jacket''. The inner sleeve shows artwork with four microph ...
'' and ''
1000 Hurts ''1000 Hurts'' is the third studio album by American indie rock band Shellac, released on August 8, 2000. In its official promotional materials Shellac jokingly described this album as follows: "There are no 12-minute songs on this one. This r ...
'', it's the sound of one of the great bands at the height of their powers."
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
writer Nick Neyland published a favorable review of the album and said that considering the gap between its release and ''
Excellent Italian Greyhound ''Excellent Italian Greyhound'' is Shellac's fourth album, released on June 5, 2007. The album's title is a reference to drummer Todd Trainer's Italian Greyhound, Uffizi, who appears on the album's cover. The album was recorded at Electrical Aud ...
'' (2007) that "''Dude Incredible'' sounds surprisingly vital … Prior records often contained a track or two that were lost somewhere between inspiration, endurance tests, and technical feats but there's none of that n ''Dude Incredible'' Instead, Shellac go straight for your throat and don't loosen their grip until the bitter end." Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' awarded the album a four out of five star rating. John Robb of
The Membranes The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums).Larkin, Colin: ''The Guinness Who ...
reviewed the album for
Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
. He gave the album 10/10 and called it "a relentlessly brilliant work of no compromise and musician perfection that doesn’t fit in anywhere and spits on your boring rock narrative. John Robb review on Louder Than War http://louderthanwar.com/shellac-dude-incredible-album-review-1010-for-a-stunning-return/
Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...
Simon Chandler was initially critical of the album, saying that while it maintained "the band's adherence to Spartan instrumentation, minimalist structures, and a brutally dry approach … it doesn’t throw up too many surprises." Chandler later wrote positively about the consistency of the album and noted that it "doesn't suffer from any missteps or indulgences" of Shellac's prior releases, such as '' Terraform'' (1998). He ultimately rated the album four out of five stars. Steve Albini went over each song track by track for
Exclaim ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
! magazine.


Accolades


Track listing


Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from ''Dude Incredible''s album notes. ;Shellac *
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
 – guitar, vocals *
Todd Trainer Todd Trainer is the drummer for the band Shellac. He also performs as a solo artist under the name Brick Layer Cake. He previously played drums for the bands Breaking Circus and Rifle Sport, and he played drums with Scout Niblett in 2005. Pers ...
 – drums, vocals *
Bob Weston Bob Weston (born 1965) is an American musician, producer, recording engineer, and record mastering engineer. Critic Jason AnkenyAnkeny, Jason. " Bob Weston: Overview from Allmusic.com declares that "Weston's name and fingerprints are all over th ...
 – bass, vocals ;Technical personnel *Grégoire Yeche –
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
*Jon San Paolo – engineering *Matthew Russell – assistance *Steve Rooke – mastering ;Design personnel *David Babbitt – layout *Anton Meres – photography *David Manthey – photography


Chart positions


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2014 albums Shellac (band) albums Touch and Go Records albums