1000 Hurts

1000 Hurts

In September of 2000, Shellac released their third and most anticipated album, 1000 Hurts. Many fans were shaken when they released their second album, Terraform, because of its vast departure from their earlier work. People who doubted Shellac have regained their ability to write disturbing music in spades and their new album is truly a work of art.

Shellac are a three piece band from Chicago. Two of the three members in the band, Steve Albini and Bob Weston, made names for themselves not only in bands but also as producers. Steve Albini, the guitar player and vocalist, recorded Nirvana's follow up to the multi-platinum selling Nevermind. Bob Weston, the bass player, recorded albums for Rodan, June of 44, and the Shipping News. Todd Trainer, the ambidextuos drummer, is admired by drummers everywhere for his ability and the metronome in his mind. When these three decided to join forces and start a band, they were famous before they recorded their first album.

Most of Shellac's detractors state that their music is to aggressive and sometimes bordering on sloppy. Shellac's approach to recording does nothing to silence these detractors. They have a policy of recording all their songs live and not doing any overdubs to give their songs a more urgent feeling. They have stated in interviews that any band can go into the studio and use the studio to cover up mistakes and imperfections. They feel these small imperfections make their albums more intimate. When Shellac perform live they want the audience to know what they are about to hear before they play. When Shania Twain's debut album came out she did not tour for two years because of her lack of ability. Her husband and producer, Mutt Lang, used studio magic to make her sound like she could sing because her recording company was marketing her on her body, not on her ability. Shellac are not trying to fool people into thinking they are anything but a good rock band.

Revenge is a dish best served cold and Shellac understands this. Almost all of 1000 Hurts was written about Steve Albini's wife cheating on him and then filing for divorce.