Kill Rock Stars | Though they bill themselves as “Progressive/Concrete/Fusion”, The Shaky Hands‘ self-appointed genre categorization might prove a little misleading for some: First, all you prog-heads might be disappointed to learn they’re not exactly Yes or Dream Theater or Rush; second, the term ‘Concrete’ might conjure up notions of sludge, stoner, or some derivative of hard rock, which for all intents and purposes they eschew as well. With that extremely relative label ‘fusion’, however, we have what is probably the most appropriate of terms, as elements of folk, indie, and — dare I say — a sprinkling of shoegaze (Don’t believe me? check out the track “Air Better Come”) successfully blend together for an album both ingenuitive and unapologetically nostalgic.

The Shaky Hands – Let It Die

Let It Die fondly conjures up the ghosts of folk years past, with songs like Allison and the Ancient Eyes invoking the lingering phantoms of a pre-Victoria’s Secret-advertising Bob Dylan, and even a bit of Bruce Springsteen. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the quartet of gifted musicians which comprise The Shaky Hands have a new record due for release at the end of September. Those of you looking for something both original and unabashedly sentimental should find something to love in Let It Die.

Words by Jeff Nau