For this edition of vinyl jams, I’m featuring my first LP. I feel like it’s unfair for a segment focused on the analog to start anywhere other than with analog purist Steve Albini when it comes the LP format, so here’s one of Albini’s finest works.
Shellac – 1000 Hurts (2000)
In promotional materials, Shellac described this album as “There are no 12-minute songs on this one. This record is more mean-spirited. Todd sings.” The mean-spirited line is the most major understatement one could make about the record. This is the most abrasive album I own, in every way. From the guitar tones to the lyrics, this album is designed to make you writhe in your chair. And there’s honestly not a more original-sounding album than this LP because of that. It takes all your preconceptions about alt-rock and uses them against you and takes that feeling that keeps you from looking away from a car crash and tuning into Intervention and turns it into a soapbox for Albini’s thoughts on love, loss, anger, and aggression. It’s an album you can revisit every few months and always get something new out of. This is Shellac at their finest.
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