5/4 Respect: A Tribute to Math Rock

Shellac are another great Math Rock band. You may know them for including prolific producer Steve Albini, or you may know them for the sound, which is pretty much abrasion itself. From the distorted, almost noisy guitars, to the vocals, aggressively shouted, often about violence and fighting and more often than not bitter, sarcastic and unpleasant. They formed in 1992, after Albini’s involvement in Big Black and Rapeman, who are both somewhat important to math. It is with no disrespect to these bands, however, that I say that Shellac is the culmination of Albini’s work.

The band started out as a collaboration between Albini, on guitar and vocals and drummer Todd Trainer. They were later joined by bassist Bob Weston, who also does some vocals and, like Albini, is a recording engineer. This is perhaps what led the band to make some very specific decisions about their recording set up. They opt for a more analogue sound seldom, if ever, using overdubs. Albini’s signature crunch is in large part due to his use of a rare aluminium body guitar with a copper plectrum, as well as a “Harmonic Percolator” distortion pedal.

In summary, heavily distorted guitar, surreal, brutal but always intelligent lyrics, complex time signatures and rhythms and structural unconventionality. That is Shellac’s sound and they do it well. They have released four albums to date; 94’s At Action Park, ‘98’s Terraform, 2000’s 1000 Hurts, 2007’s Excellent Italian Greyhound. Throughout their long career their sound has changed remarkably little, merely honing their existing sound.

Their sound and their output, four albums in twenty years, show a lot about the band. This is the uncompromising nature of the band’s ethos. They care little for the corporate realities of the music business today, refusing to temper their sound to a larger audience or to be forced to adhere to any kind of label deadline. This lack of desire for material success is reflected in the band’s continuing to have other jobs, leaving Shellac’s sound uncompromised. Furthermore, they refuse to sell tickets to their gigs through any company that adds additional charges. The band’s strong ethics are further demonstrated by an anecdote about their curating an ATP. Knowing most fans would be there to see them, they insisted on playing first thing in the morning to force festival goers to see the other bands.

It is not hard to see why those who like Shellac love them; refusal to sell out, respect (where due) for other bands and for their fans. Oh, and for their brand of best noise rock/punk tinged math rock, a distinctive sound they refuse to compromise but only hone and improve with each release.