“The most bittersweet listening experience of the year cuts close to the bone.” Shellac's To All Trains is Steve Albini's epitaph, and it's as thrillingly intense, darkly amusing and pleasingly unsentimental as expected

Shellac.

Announcing To All Trains, their sixth studio album, back in March, Shellac issued some accompanying notes. "This record will have no formal promotion," the band stated. "There will be no advertisements, no press or radio promotion, no e-promotion, no promotional or review copies, no promotional gimmick items, and otherwise no free lunch."

You can almost hear Steve Albini laughing dryly to himself as he typed those words.