Adam CR wrote:More Southern Rock

This is perhaps my only criticism - the delicious boogie that breaks out halfway through Be Prepared. Too Short! More!

I'm on my second pass of the gratuity CD at work and liking it very much - great to hear songs finally nailed down after live airings and the Peel session. As gcbv noted, Kittypants does sound strikingly like Dianogah, no bad thing in my book.

The pairing of Paco and Spoke at the end is perfect, the latter producing a Monday morning defying grin on first listen.

It's early doors but I reckon this is tying with At Action Park as my favourite Shellac album, less abrasive maybe but better humoured. Oh! and the packaging is formidable in its aceness.

Play the drums!

Pretty much what has been said, but the thing that sticks out immediately for me is the poetics of this record. The radio lingo, "Be Prepared," the song about the hooker. That's some pretty awesome cumulative imagery there. To me, it kind of all extends from the ideas present on the early singles (esp. "Billiard Player Song" and "Doris," which are among my favorite Shellac songs anyway).

"Questi sono solo episodi, una persona non può essere segnata da un singolo momento rispettatemi per come si debba rispettare chi ha vissuto una vita completa e complicata."

Great, unique, emphatic, and downright moving.

Not crap.

It sounds like they had a really great time writing the songs and recording them. I don't know if they did but that's what it sounds like to me.

I am certainly having a very good time listening to it.

Does he say 'I was born as bald as an onion' in Be Prepared? That's a top tune. The 'spats and a dickie' line makes me laugh every time.

Oh - Not crap btw.

scelops wrote:Great guest appearances by SB and Don Lafontaine.

-K

you're 1 for 2

Todd's repetitive beat in the middle of 'Elephant'.. I could put that on loop and listen to it for 5 hours straight.. no problem

Steve V. wrote: Christmas came early.

No. Christmas came 5 years late.

sunlore wrote:Pretty much what has been said, but the thing that sticks out immediately for me is the poetics of this record. The radio lingo, "Be Prepared," the song about the hooker. That's some pretty awesome cumulative imagery there. To me, it kind of all extends from the ideas present on the early singles (esp. "Billiard Player Song" and "Doris," which are among my favorite Shellac songs anyway).

"Questi sono solo episodi, una persona non può essere segnata da un singolo momento rispettatemi per come si debba rispettare chi ha vissuto una vita completa e complicata."

Great, unique, emphatic, and downright moving.

Not crap.

What has that text in Italian to do with EIG (maybe it's related to the "song about the hooker")? I haven't listened to the record yet. By the way that means:

"These are only episodes, a person can't be marked by a single moment. Respect me in the same way in which you should respect a person that has lived a complete and difficult life".

gcbv wrote:kittypants comes off as a very deliberate homage to dianogah...and, of course, to kittypants.

Is that why I like that song so much? Kinda like falling in love with someone who looks just like you.

nihil39 wrote:What has that text in Italian to do with EIG (maybe it's related to the "song about the hooker")?

Yes, it is.

I am going to be a total EA forum nerd right now and point out that this phrase almost instantly reminded me of a post that Steve Albini wrote about Daniel Smith, which sits here, and leave it at that.

Fucking useless HMV twats.

I ordered Excellent Italian Greyhound on vinyl 2 weeks ago in HMV, usually not a problem, my friend works there. I went in today, jubilant after handing in my final dissertation for uni.

"Hi, I ordered Excellent Italian Greyhound by Shellac, do you have it for me?"

"Yeah, here you go" (shop assistant hands me the CD version)

"Sorry, but I ordered this album on vinyl"

"Ahhhhhh..."

I think anyone reading this will understand my frustration. I now have to wait another week before I can hear it.