In my experience, people have quite the love/hate relationship with Shellac. For every rabid fan that knows every nitty-gritty detail about the band, there are an equal amount of people who spew vitriolic rants at the mere mention of their name. Having once been on the 'what the hell is all the fuss about?' side, but now having a profound respect for the band, I can say that Excellent Italian Greyhound is Shellac's finest work since At Action Park. If you are in the 'I hate Shellac' camp, then you should probably stop reading now.

Similar to the band in my previous review, Shellac is not a record making/touring juggernaut. It has been seven years since their last release and they have only played a handful of shows, but time has done more to prove that the band has grown and refined their distinct sound. Make no mistake about it, Excellent Italian Greyhound is vintage Shellac. There is no confusing the acidic guitar tone of Steve Albini or that rumbling, fuzzed-out bass punch of Bob Weston. The drumming of Todd Trainer is delivered with a precision that few can replicate, always knowing when to keep to the groove or branch off into something a little more free form. The record was recorded at Electrical Audio Studios, owned by Albini, and home to some of the best drum sounds ever captured on tape (in this writer's humble opinion).

So why does Excellent Italian Greyhound deserve such high praise? Simply stated, it delivers the trademark Shellac sound and still finds a way to explore new ground. The opener, "The End of Radio" is an eight minute and thirty second ride through a pulsing bass line over random drum hits and Albini reciting various radio phrases in an up-front, confrontational manner. The record then leaps right into "Steady as She Goes", a song they performed live in the Brendan Canty produced Burn to Shine series. "Genuine Lulabelle" is by far the most experimental song on the record, and we hear Albini sing on his own, which leads into voice overs and sound clips. It's delivered in such a creepy manner that it really forces the listener to pay attention, and by the time the instruments have come back in, its four minutes later and the crack of that first snare drum catches me off guard every time. For my money, the best song on the record is the closer, "Spoke". It starts off like some twisted commerical jingle from 1983, then Albini says "play the drum!", Trainer breaks into a solid rock beat, and Albini and Weston trade off on some pretty aggressive vocal lines until the end.

Love them or hate them, Shellac don't capitulate to anyone. It is quite obvious that they make music the way they want to, and that trait alone is a notable achievement in today's musical climate. I would highly recommend picking up this record if you have the chance, or even just listening to it once if you consider yourself a "non-believer". Of course, all hatemail can be directed here.