Even though it's been seven years since Shellac's last release, it really shouldn't surprise anyone who are familiar with the band that it took this long for the Chicago trio to finally record a proper follow-up to 2000's 1000 Hurts. Vocalist/guitarist Steve Albini has been more widely known as a super-producer/engineer extraordinaire to everyone from The Pixies to P.J. Harvey over the last 15 years and bassist Bob Weston has been busy as a producer as well, but has also taken over the reigns as sound manipulator for the re-formed Mission of Burma ever since they got back together. To say these guys have been busy with other projects would be a slight understatement.

Excellent Italian Greyhound is unmistakably a Shellac album, there's no doubt about it. As soon as you hear those jagged as broken glass guitar riffs from Albini, pulsating bass from Weston and bizarrely obtuse drum time signatures from Todd Trainer you know Shellac is awake from their dormancy and ready to feed on the souls of everything that is pissing Albini off or that strikes him funny. Album opener "The End of Radio" is a blistering eight minutes of Albini rage and Trainer's drum work on the track is absolutely fascinating. Next track "Steady As She Goes" is a killer as well with Weston just hammering away at his bass. The instrumental tracks "Kittypants" and "Paco" are beautiful as well, proving that sometimes Albini doesn't need to say anything (or should I say scream anything) to get his point across. Excellent Italian Greyhound certainly won't make superstars out of Shellac that's for sure, (not that these anti-industry cats would want that anyway) but it's still pretty close to excellent. Shall we pencil the next album in for say . . . 2015? Here's hoping we get one a few years sooner but I definitely wouldn't count on it.