Dude Incredible
by Shellac
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 19, 2014
    100
    It’s going to be hard for Albini, Weston and Trainer to ever top what we find on Dude Incredible. Worthy of filing alongside and above At Action Park and 1000 Hurts, it’s the sound of one of the great bands at the height of their powers.
  2. Consequence
    Sep 19, 2014
    91
    Dude Incredible, however, is also one of their most direct albums, the nine songs holding that same menacing gut-punch, despite that highfalutin thematic unity.
  3. Magnet
    Dec 10, 2014
    90
    Twenty years later, the Shellac so many swore by is back, and swinging. [No. 116, p.61]
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  5. Clash Music
    Oct 6, 2014
    90
    It doesn’t challenge expectation, but equally it does nothing, puts nary a single step wrong, to risk their reputation as a preeminent act of their kind, and of our times.
  6. Exclaim
    Sep 19, 2014
    90
    The trio are playing together better than ever, even capturing some of the power of economy that their earliest music commanded with grit and grace and thunder and lightning.
  7. Mojo
    Nov 19, 2014
    80
    This is hard rock as anthropology, administered like only this band can. [Dec 2014, p.88]
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  8. No Ripcord
    Sep 25, 2014
    80
    Shellac delivers a very spare and assaultive listen, 33 minutes that fly by and demand repeated listens.
  9. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 22, 2014
    80
    Dude Incredible is every bit as lean as its older siblings when it comes to reverb, overdubbings, FX, and samples.
  10. Pitchfork
    Sep 19, 2014
    80
    Shellac go straight for your throat and don't loosen their grip until the bitter end.
  11. The Quietus
    Sep 19, 2014
    80
    Fans of the band will find a lot to applaud on Dude Incredible and it's one of their more efficient, immediate LPs.
  12. The Wire
    Dec 15, 2014
    70
    There is a mellowness to the album, underscored by Albini's older, deeper voice, that suggests their edge has been lost. [Nov 2014, p.68]
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  13. Uncut
    Nov 11, 2014
    70
    At 32 minutes, the album doesn't hang about, but offers in that time Shellac's signature intensity and repetition. [Dec 2014, p.80]
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  14. AllMusic
    Sep 19, 2014
    70
    Ultimately, Dude Incredible is a good but not great album from an undeniably great band; it doesn't sound lazy, just short one or two top-rank songs that would bump its status up a notch, but it's clearly the work of as strong and interesting a band as you can hear these days.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. drecool95
    Mar 11, 2015
    10
    Mind bogglingly good. I love this album, and I can honestly say it's one of Shellac's greatest (although they have a pretty strong discographyMind bogglingly good. I love this album, and I can honestly say it's one of Shellac's greatest (although they have a pretty strong discography all the way through). One of my favorites of 2014.… Full Review »
  2. alecvl08
    Nov 26, 2014
    7
    This album has the in-your-face character that Shellac's best album, At Action Park, had. The grooves are better, the bass riffs are moreThis album has the in-your-face character that Shellac's best album, At Action Park, had. The grooves are better, the bass riffs are more prevalent, and the lyrics, while not beautiful or even conventionally intense, have a personality for once on a Shellac record. Favorite track: All the Surveyors.… Full Review »
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