From the Archives: Remember Shellac’s Terraform?
We were thumbing through the Buzzgrinder microfiche archives, and we found this article from Matt DeBenedictis that never made it up, extolling the virtues of Shellac‘s Terraform on its 10th anniversary. Even though that was a while back, we can’t deprive the loyal Buzzgrinderers from this bit of nostalgia. So have at it.
It’s been 10 years since Shellac released their second LP, Terraform, but nothing changes about Shellac over the years.
They are still juggernauts that exist between the lines of noise rock and math rock. They still hate all digital recordings. And they’re still comprised of producers Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, Don Caballero), Bob Weston (Mission of Burma, Roadside Monument, Sebadoh) and non-producer — but awesome musician — Todd Trainer on drums.
Terraform is considered to be, by most, the worst Shellac album, but that still doesn’t mean it’s not a classic. In celebration of those 10 years, here are 10 reasons why Terraform is such a landmark album:
- 1. Terramform begins with a 13-minute song hinting that it will get loud, eventually — but it never does. Didn’t We Deserve a Look at You the Way You Really Are is the musical version of an Andy Kaufman joke that has no punchline.
- 2. No one writes nonsensical anger like Steve Albini. Any album where doodoo and feces are referred to as completely different objects is a classic.
- 3. Copper may be the only time Shellac could be accused of having pop influences in a song.
- 4. Terraform is a bass player’s album; on most songs, the bass is louder than the vocals, making the entire record one long-ass bass solo.
- 5. The drums meander off like they have ADHD and want to start another song before the current one is finished. June of 44 tried this, but only Shellac figured out how to make such a lack of precision work.
- 6. The album cover looks like a scene from the new Battlestar Galactica (season two to be exact). This cover predicted the future of entertainment.
- 7. Awkward silences placed in the middle of songs make this record an experience like watching an unsubscribed porn station on a TV set in 1998. Great moments are coming; you just have to wait for the static to break up and give you a peek.
- 8. “We oughta name this song after you: call it Canada.”
- 9. Everything that has the Steve Albini touch to it is classic — even that album he produced for that grunge band Bush is classic.
- 10. It is the worst Shellac album, and that’s reason enough to be considered great.
