I think Shellac exists in a bubble of irony where most people are into them simply because their music is so inaccessible…oh and having Steve Albini in the band doesn’t hurt.

I have listened to Queens of the Stone Age a few times. Each instance was spawned by the fact that their name is so bad ass. Despite the nomenclature, their music sounds—within a margin of 10 – 15%—the same to me. They have that pre-apocalyptic-garage-indie-grind sound(why? because I get joy out of lampooning ridiculous genre tags by coming up with annoyingly abstract descriptors for rock music).

However, Nada Surf is by far one of my favorite bands. Let Go is a great album as is The Proximity Effect…which does not bode well for The Weight is a Gift as it sounds like a step backward for them in comparison.