Sometimes I think I could watch Shellac play The End of Radio, the first song here, for a full set. Sure, Bob would get bored and I'm not sure Todd could hold the snare drum above his head for a whole hour, but the smile on my face would be ridiculous. Ever since the first time I saw Shellac, watching them play this song has been a highlight. Shellac, unlike a lot of rock bands, understand that you don't need to play all the instruments all the time, and this song is a perfect example of that - the only constant is Bob's bass, slowly and gradually varying; Todd's drums reduced to one key instrument and Steve only going near his guitar in the chorus. I love it. This version is eight-and-a-half minutes, but live it goes on for as long as Steve can ramble.
The rest of the album is a great Shellac album, but my love for The End of Radio kind of dwarves the other songs. Steady as She Goes has a great riff and Be Prepared is another live highlight of any Shellac set. Genuine Lulabelle ruins the flow a bit, but the unusually twinkly guitars on Boycott get things going again. Spoke is a brilliantly frantic way to finish the album.
I'd been listening to Shellac for a long time before I finally got Excellent Italian Greyhound - in fact it was the last of their albums I bought (including Dude Incredible), only because I didn't see it in record shops any sooner. It's fitting that when I finally bought it, it was in Spillers, the shop that introduced me to the band through 1000 Hurts eight years earlier (a notable highlight of the Tuesday-record-from-Spillers year).
Of course, one of the most notable things about Excellent Italian Greyhound is Todd's dog Uffizi, the namesake and star of all the artwork. At the Shellac-curated All Tomorrow's Parties one of the most curious things we stumbled across on the chalet TV was a documentary about Italian greyhounds on an American show called Dogs 101. If you've not seen it, it's on YouTube and definitely needs a watch - you'll not see the band in the same way again (but in a good way).
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeve, outer sleeve
Tracks: 9
Cost: £14 new
Bought: Spillers Records
When: 15/11/14
Colour: Black
Etching: Side A: "Pronto prova..." Side B: "A isamu sta lapa!
mp3s: cd included
