Shellac, To All Trains, 2024 (eng)

Published on May 17, To All Trains, the latest album by the trio known as Shellac, closes with a song titled "I Don't Fear Hell." It's shocking, considering that only seven days earlier, the sudden death of the band's leader, Steve Albini, was announced. No, as much as we'd like to believe it, Steve Albini didn't plan it all. This is not David Bowie's Blackstar. To All Trains arrives 10 years after the band's last album. To All Trains is quite a unique event.

To All Trains is a brutal album. We should talk about it without referencing Albini's painful death, but it's impossible. Listening to To All Trains, we think it's the last great album from a great band that will no longer be. Shellac was a trio led by Albini, always keeping the same members. It's unimaginable that Shellac will continue without Albini.

Shellac sometimes made me think of a great Lou Reed album (or maybe Iggy Pop), from the era of The Blue Mask with Robert Quine. The angular guitars, the hard and minimalist rhythms, and Albini's broken vocals transport me to that universe. To All Trains is, without a doubt, a great rock 'n' roll album. Steve Albini couldn't have done anything else. That drum that could pulverize your bones and those guitars that could strip the paint off the walls are a clear showcase of his unmistakable style.

When I hear Sparks sing "When Do I Get To Sing My Way," I can't help but think that Albini sang it many times, almost all the time. To All Trains is a great ode to telepathy, malevolence, and above all, independence. Shellac and Albini always did things their own way. Until the last day, and that is infinitely appreciated. To All Trains is a spectacular album. Albini's spectacular exit from this world. I don't know if Albini will meet everyone in hell. However, he did know everyone who made good music.