Shellshag are an example for everyone. John "Shellhead" Driver and Jennifer Shagawat have been doing what they love the way they want to do it without compromising their ideals for a while now. On 2013's Shellshag Forever, the pair gave us a declaration that they were happy about where their choices had brought them and that they had no intentions of straying from their chosen path.
On Why'd I Have to Get So High?, that resolve remains; and we get glimpses into the road that Shellshag have traveled to be where they are today. Recorded by Vacation's Jerri Queen and John Petty at The Lodge in Kentucky, Shellshag's fifth LP brings in some different styles and more complicated arrangements than we've grown used to from the band. That all just serves to amplify the heart and soul that Shellshag bring to everything they do.
Album opener "Unacceptable" creates a Jesus and Mary Chain-like wall of sound as Shag sings, "If we could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. No not a thing." We trade the swirling shoegaze of "Unacceptable" for the short, sharp shock of "Captivator." In terms of sequencing, that's something we see several times on the record, that alternation between something poppy and melodic and something more aggressive and more stylistically "punk."
The next four songs on Why'd I Have to Get So High? represent some of Shellshag's best work to date and have among them at least a couple of instant Shellshag classics. "Blowin' It," with Shag singing, "Man, I try so hard to be so strong and not die tryin" and its swelling chorus. The noisy, rocking, and appropriately guitar-heavy love song to a friend of "5 1 and Change." The classic Shellshag -- I can see Shell and Shag facing each other on the stage as they belt this one out -- of "Rattletrap."
And "'90s Problem."
"'90s Problem" is the record's centerpiece. A four minute suite, it's one of Shellshag's longest recent efforts. It starts out with acoustic guitar and contains images of '90s things like pay phones and answering machines. The typical Shellshag simplicity is enhanced by some lead guitar during the main body of the song, and we get the album's title phrase as things get wilder. The song goes out quietly over piano as Shell sings of surviving the past that brought the band and the couple to where they are today.
The rest of the album touches on several other styles and genres. "Tiger Stripes" and "Sun Moon and Stars" are more aggressive punk. "RIP" is a psychedelic eulogy that, weirdly, reminds me of some of the quieter moments from Pink Floyd's The Wall, especially when Shag sings, "But you're not here..."
"Pretty Eyes" has piano and the '50s vibe of early Ramones-style punk. "Hold You in My Arms" is set to become a Shellshag live set favorite with its "Aaaah aaah" chorus. The lead guitar work on the recorded version is cool, too. The reverb and fuzz of early shoegaze return on "Baby Come Back" and album-closer "Down the River." There's a post-Pavement Malkmus (specifically his s/t debut) feel to "50 / 50." "Baby's Arms" reveals influences from The Beatles to punk rock to classic indie like Built to Spill.
Shellshag spread their wings on Why'd I Have to Get So High? Jerri Queen and John Petty bring out sides of the band that we really haven't seen, and the record excels at reimagining Shellshag's sound while keeping everything about it that makes the band who they are. And shining through it all is the honesty that Shellshag always bring. Even on the album's more melancholy tracks, we feel Shellshag's genuine happiness and gratitude at having made it this far doing things their own way.
Why'd I Have to Get So High? is out now on Don Giovanni Records and Shellshag's own Starcleaner Records. Shellshag play a release show on Wednesday, October 14th, at Trenton's Millhill Basement with Brick Mower, The Groucho Marxists, Nervous Triggers, and Weird Fantasy Band.
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