More on: The Shaky Hands

Label: Memphis Industries
Release Date: 26/01/09
Rating:

The Shaky Hands live in Portland, Oregon. The City of Roses. The City of Indie. Any city that houses Modest Mouse and the godfather of indie, Stephen Malkmus, must be pretty hip. So it seems strange that there seems to be two distinct influences - the first from 1960s rock. Album opener 'A New Parade' demonstrates this perfectly. Sure, it twists it a little, speeds it up a bit, but this could be music made 40 years ago. It clatters, creates dancing rhythms. Most importantly, it rocks. It's not too dissimilar to that early Kings Of Leon feel, before they went chasing big bucks. 'Loosen Up' shows the other, of Neil Young style folk rock. Midwest. Deserts. Saloon bars. You get the picture. Neither of these influences are 'cool' right now. Where's the 80s post punk guys? (If that's still cool. Maybe it's shoegaze now. Who even fucking cares.)

Ultimately it doesn't matter which of the influences they choose to use on each song. Most are a cross breed, an amalgamation. There is little new on this record. Some of the songs drag - see 'Neighbours', a track like walking through treacle, which tries to gain enough momentum to take off, but ends up a sprawled boring heap. 'World's Gone Mad' makes the mistake of dropping what The Shaky Hands seem to be good at, which is crafting melodies.

They succeed on 'We Are Young', a lick spittled song, full of momentum and clever little chord changes. It's the kind of track you can see people dancing to in a sunny field on a festival montage. The problem with this album is that as soon as this propulsion is created they go and slow things down. 'No Say' keeps threatening to make some noise, working towards a crescendo but then dying away again. And a racket is what the band do well. The songs that aim to create dancing, rapid guitar led beauties, work brilliantly. 'You're The Light' feels breathless, machine gun snares and whirring guitars; it works like Born Ruffians without the woops.

If 'Lunglight' had made all of its tracks like it, maybe this review would be saying how one-paced it all felt. Or maybe it could have been full of hyperbolic praise. But instead you end up mentioning 'Love All Of', which should be renamed, if The Shaky Hands were a bit more honest, 'Album Filler So Dull Even We Don't Want To Play It'. It's a veritable tale of two bands. If The Shaky Hands had focused on one of their genres, then this could have been an excellent album, another American indie rock giant. As it is, the album is dragging a massive anchor of filler along the ocean floor, constantly getting snagged on reefs and kelp.

James Lawrenson

The Shaky Hands Myspace