Shellac

A self-described "minimalist rock trio," Shellac succeeded despite their severe disinterest in the standard operating procedures of the music business. The band didn't tour often, released recordings even less frequently, did little if anything to promote their albums, and had no interest in making their work user-friendly. Despite this, they won a loyal international following for their jagged but rich blend of fractured, metallic-sounding guitar, deep throbbing bass, and drumming that serves as both rhythmic foundation and melodic punctuation. Shellac's sound was introduced on a pair of 1993 singles, The Rude Gesture: A Pictorial History and Uranus. While they expanded into more adventurous structures on 1998's Terraform and 2007's Excellent Italian Greyhound, their musical signature and the vital interplay between the three musicians remained distinctly their own. Their stubborn individuality and tightly focused creative vision were present on 2024's To All Trains, which unexpectedly proved to be their final album.