Shellac was an American
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
band from
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, formed in 1992 by
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
(guitar and vocals),
Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and
Todd Trainer (drums and vocals). Their lineup remained consistent until Albini's death in May 2024.
They have been classified as
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
and
math rock
Math rock is a style of Alternative rock, alternative and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush (band), Rush. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), cou ...
, but described themselves as a "
minimalist rock trio."
Biography
Shellac formed in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, in 1992 as an informal collaboration between guitarist
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
of noise rock trios
Big Black and
Rapeman, and drummer
Todd Trainer from the band
Breaking Circus and solo project
Brick Layer Cake. Former
Naked Raygun bassist Camilo Gonzalez sat in on early rehearsals and played on one song on Shellac's first single before
Volcano Suns bassist Bob Weston joined as a permanent member. Both Weston and Albini were
recording engineers. They preferred a sparse, analog recording sound with little or no overdubbing, and were meticulous about microphone placement and choice of equipment.
Shellac had a distinctive, minimalist sound based on asymmetric
time signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
s, repetitive rhythms, an angular guitar sound, and both Albini's and Weston's surreal, bitingly
sarcastic lyrics. Songs typically do not have traditional
verse/chorus/verse structure and the arrangements were sparse, to the point where some described them as "amelodic". Shellac's signature sound was often associated with their enthusiasm for vintage
Travis Bean guitars, a rare brand of
aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
-necked instruments, and the Interfax "Harmonic Percolator"
distortion pedal. Albini was known to use copper plectrums and typically wrapped his guitar strap around his waist rather than over his shoulder. The band preferred the intimacy of smaller clubs and live appearances were sporadic.

Mid-set in many live performances, Shellac took the time for one or more "question and answer" sessions, where members of the band responded in an off-the-cuff and, at times, jocular manner to questions shouted out by fans and
hecklers alike. The band made an early decision to not play at festivals, and this position was articulated to
All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP) festival organizer Barry Hogan during the preparation stage of the inaugural ATP event. However, Scottish band
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...
, curating the festival, convinced Albini to perform: "
TPcompletely changed the festival game. Now the whole world has to operate under the knowledge that there are these cool, curated festivals where everyone is treated well and the experience is a generally pleasant one."
In 2002, the band curated the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in
Camber Sands, England. Knowing that most of the audience had come specifically to see Shellac, the band went on first every morning as an incentive for the festival-goers to be up in time to see the other acts. A CD of tracks from the bands performing at the festival was released on
ATP Records.
To celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, Shellac returned to ATP to curate once more in December 2012 with the line-up including
Wire
file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
,
Scrawl,
Mission Of Burma
Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller (rock musician), Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass guitar, bass, Peter Prescott (musician), Peter Prescott on drum k ...
,
the Ex + Brass Unbound,
Red Fang,
Shannon Wright,
the Membranes, Alix, Bear Claw,
Helen Money,
Dead Rider,
Arcwelder,
Neurosis,
Mono,
Melt Banana,
Uzeda,
Prinzhorn Dance School, Three Second Kiss,
Buke and Gase,
Oxbow
__NOTOC__
An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or wikt:bullock, bullock. A bow pin holds it in place.
The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meand ...
,
Nina Nastasia,
Zeni Geva,
Bottomless Pit, Pinebender, STNNNG and more.
Touch and Go Records released the bulk of Shellac’s material, starting with a couple of singles in 1993 and the band’s debut album ''
At Action Park'' in 1994. Because of Albini and Weston’s full-time careers as audio engineers, Shellac would record their music gradually over the following decades, releasing the albums ''
Terraform'' in 1998, ''
1000 Hurts'' in 2000, and ''
Excellent Italian Greyhound'' in 2007. In 2014, despite the considerable downsizing that Touch and Go had undergone, the band's fifth LP, ''
Dude Incredible'', was released.
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
went over each song on the album with Exclaim magazine.
A collection of the band's two
Peel Sessions from 1994 and 2004, entitled ''
The End of Radio'' was released on June 14, 2019.
On March 20, 2024, the band announced a new record called ''
To All Trains'', to be released on May 17 via Touch and Go Records. On May 7, 2024, Albini died of a heart attack in his Chicago home, ten days before the scheduled release of ''To All Trains''.
Legacy

Writing for
Drowned in Sound, Benjamin Bland said that, "
Big Black and Shellac are surely the two most influential '
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
' groups there have ever been. Hundreds of bands have sounded like them, and in all probability so will hundreds more. Who can blame them? When a shadow that large looms over an entire subgenre of music, it’s hard not to be influenced by it, let alone ignore it altogether."
[
John Robb, music critic and frontman of British ]post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
band the Membranes, called Shellac "the finest rock band on the planet. This is the rock band that the rest of us in our bands ..have had to measure ourselves against and if we are found wanting then we have to cower behind rocks and attempt to revive our measly offerings until they measure up." Vish Khanna expanded on their influence, noting that " e band's sense of empathy, great storytelling, interpersonal politics and black humour are not necessarily uncommon in post-punk noise-rock bands, but Shellac's path is likely the most distinctive and emulated one."
Christian Lembach of Whores called ''At Action Park'' his favorite noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
album of all time. Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles cited the album as a major influence on his guitar-playing, noting that it "literally changed the way elooked at music". The band has also been cited as an influence by Future Of The Left (who have been described with the moniker " Poundland Shellac"), Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and record producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for metalcore band Converge and for his recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio.
Early and pe ...
of Converge, Mono, Swing Kids
The Swing Youth () were a youth counterculture of jazz and Swing (genre), swing lovers in Nazi Germany, Germany formed in Hamburg in 1939. Primarily active in Hamburg and Berlin, they were composed of 14- to 21-year-old Germans, mostly middl ...
, Karin Dreijer of The Knife, Gilla Band, Black Country, New Road, Jehnny Beth of Savages, Silverchair, My Disco, Gengahr, Dredg, Suicide Dolls, Echo Is Your Love, The Futureheads, KEN Mode, and Pile.
Shellac was honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.
Shellac were recognized as the "House Band" of the All Tomorrow's Parties (now defunct) and Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...
festivals, which Albini saw as the exceptions to his general distaste of music festivals for exploiting the underground music scene. In Albini's lifetime, Shellac performed at every edition of Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...
since 2006, except for 2007. In 2018, the festival sold a shirt that read "Shellac and 249 More" in reference to its lineup. Following Albini's death, the festival said in a statement honoring him, "What are we going to do without you, Steve? After having welcomed them at 15 editions of the festival, it is impossible for us to imagine a Primavera Sound without him, because no band explains us better than Shellac." During the 2024 edition of Primavera Sound, there was a listening party of ''To All Trains'' during Shellac's planned time slot which served as a memorial to Albini, and the festival renamed a stage for him in his honor.
Discography
*'' At Action Park'' (1994)
*'' The Futurist'' (1997)
*'' Terraform'' (1998)
*'' 1000 Hurts'' (2000)
*'' Excellent Italian Greyhound'' (2007)
*'' Dude Incredible'' (2014)
*'' To All Trains'' (2024)
References
External links
Official (Touch & Go Records) website
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shellac
American art rock groups
Musical trios from Illinois
American noise rock music groups
Musical groups from Chicago
Musical groups established in 1992
American post-hardcore musical groups
Touch and Go Records artists
Drag City (record label) artists
1992 establishments in Illinois