The Shaky Hands - Lunglight

The Shaky Hands
Lunglight

The Shaky Hands’ self-titled debut, released in 2007, was a fantastic snapshot of the energetic young band discovering itself. Nick Delffs’ vibrato-infused, homespun vocals and bobbing acoustic guitar strums complement Colin Anderson’s organic, driving percussion while Jeff Lehman’s own guitar rockouts remind listeners that The Shaky Hands were, after all, a rock band. The album approximates the irresistibly frenetic Shaky Hands live experience, which finds frontman Nick Delffs stomping and galloping across the stage, occasionally running directly into bassist Mayhaw Hoons’ wildly swinging curly red hair. But The Shaky Hands were not content with being everyone’s favorite good vibe summertime rockers. The now-quintent (Nick’s brother, multi-instrumentalist Nathan Delffs, officially joined the band shortly after the full-length was recorded) went swiftly back into the studio to record Lunglight, a record that proves them to be evolving with remarkable speed. Where the Hands’ debut was jangly and upbeat, prompting visions of long summer days spent lounging on the front porch, Lunglight lives in a slightly darker space. Tracks like “Neighbors” and “Love All Of” add a sheen of Doors’ psychedelia to The Shaky Hands’ early Talking Heads-influenced sound, with Nick Delffs looking increasingly inward for lyrical inspiration. On “World Gone Mad,” perhaps the darkest and most driving Shaky Hands song recorded to date, Delffs sings “See it coming/ In his eyes/ You better stay where/ You can hide,” and feedback flies like shrapnel around the verse. For a second there, The Shaky Hands get scary.

But that’s not to say that Lunglight is a downer. Brighter numbers like “Air Better Come” and “Settle On” keep The Shaky Hands’ trademark head-bobbing, multi-rhythmic rock intact, and even in their darkest moments there is a reluctant optimism in Delffs’ lyrics and the band’s instrumentation. To the contrary, Lunglight’s complexity is its biggest strength. In a world of throwaway pop, this quintet has built itself from the ground up, naturally and beautifully. It’s just that instead of being the quintessential summertime rock band, the new Shaky Hands are a band for all seasons.

Lunglight is a split release between Portland-based labels Kill Rock Stars and Holocene Music.

Release date: 09/09/08
Catalog number: HCM07
Format: CD

  1. A New Parade
  2. Loosen Up
  3. Air Better Come
  4. We Are Young
  5. Neighbors
  6. World’s Gone Mad
  7. No Say
  8. You’re the Light
  9. Show Me Your Life
  10. Settle On
  11. Love of All
  12. Wake the Breathing Light
  13. Oh No