The Shaky Hands, from Portland, Oregon, might be one of the more interesting bands playing this kind of indie rock. Their new album, Lunglight, came out earlier this month on Kill Rock Stars, and it's pretty good, I'd say. Kind of has the feel of 1960's British garage rock and late-70's/early-80's post-punk all with a distinctly American edge and thankfully, enough originality to stand out at least a bit in a pretty crowded genre.
What I dig in particular are the tracks where they break this mold. For example, the off-beat guitar with the butt rock fills and stomping drums on “Loosen Up” are really cool, and the kitchen sink percussion and clean, trem-picked guitars of “Air Better Come” are really cool. The chorus of “We Are Young” completely and unexpectedly changes the mood of the song, and I like that effect. “Neighbors” adopts more of a post-punk sound with heavy percussion and discordant guitars, and leads seamlessly into “World's Gone Mad,” which reminds me a lot of early Arcade Fire, with harmonized vocals and a pretty similar melodic sensibility. “No Say” is a quieter song until it's interrupted by a chaotic burst of guitar noise that turns into a catchy post-punk lead flourish that gives the whole thing a new sense of urgency. The driving percussion of “Settle On” makes the song for me. In fact, the best tracks on this album are the ones where the drummer steals the show, like he does on “Love All Of,” with its awesome almost-reggae percussion backbone and snaking guitar lines. Unfortunately, this song goes on way longer than it should, considering it doesn't really go anywhere. And, unfortunately, the laid-back folk rock of “Wake the Breathing Light,” while likeable at first, wears thin long before the end of the song, and the build-up at the end is just kind of too little, too late. I kind of wish these two songs weren't placed back to back because they definitely drag the second half of the album down, and I'd imagine a lot of listeners are just going to be skipping these songs after repeated listens. Luckily, the last track, “Oh No,” picks up the slack a bit. The violin and piano and the change-up in the bridge save this one, despite it being just as long as the last two songs. It's a great song to go out on, and a great song either way.
Anyway, more information can be found at the band's official MySpace page. Also, they're heading out on tour in October. They sound like they'd be pretty fun live. So here are the dates:
16 Oct 2008 20:00 Doug Fir w/ The Acorn Portland, Oregon
17 Oct 2008 20:00 Tractor w/ The Acorn Seattle, Washington
19 Oct 2008 20:00 Sam Bond’s Garage w/ The Acorn Eugene, Oregon
21 Oct 2008 20:00 Hemlock w/ The Acorn San Francisco, California
22 Oct 2008 20:00 Crepe Place w/ The Acorn Santa Cruz, California
24 Oct 2008 20:00 Spaceland w/ The Acorn Los Angeles, California
25 Oct 2008 20:00 Modified w/ The Acorn Phoenix, Arizona
28 Oct 2008 20:00 Hi Dive w/ The Acorn Denver, Colorado
29 Oct 2008 20:00 Slowdown w/ The Acorn Omaha, Nebraska
30 Oct 2008 20:00 7th Street Eatery w/ The Acorn Minneapolis
31 Oct 2008 20:00 Café Montmartre w/ The Acorn Madison, Wisconsin
1 Nov 2008 20:00 Schuba’s w/ The Acorn Chicago, Illinois
4 Nov 2008 20:00 Middle East, Cambridge, Massachusetts
6 Nov 2008 20:00 Johnny Brendas Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8 Nov 2008 20:00 Mercury Lounge new york, New York
10 Nov 2008 20:00 local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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