Definitely Maybe. The Stone Roses. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Rock is brimming with debut albums that are more ambitious and confident than first-time bands have any right to be. This seems to be a popular trait among the precursors, poster-children, and progeny of Britpop that populate the pages of the British music magazine NME. Which is exactly where the Shake and their debut album Kick It fits in. Though separated by both an ocean and a decade, the Shake’s strongest influence is evident throughout, right down to the vague title and artwork. (Kick what exactly? The baby on the cover?)
The Shake’s hardly unique combination of rollicking guitar, harmonized vocals, and boisterous attitude is nothing if not fun. They have a refreshing earnestness that allows lead singer Jon Merkin to belt lines like “Let the rhythmic music set you free/ say its all for the revolution” without the slightest hint of irony. This is the type of band that actually believes rock and roll can change the world (don’t take my word for it, check out their website, http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband) not in the Bono touring Africa with a senator kind of way, but that if everyone just sat and listened to a little more Kinks we’d all be better off.
Kick It kicks off with a short but powerful intro that leads into the edgy and assertive “Princes and Kings.” When Merkin sings “Princes and kings they bow down to me/ Cuz I’m the man they all wanna be” over Eliad Shapiro’s sonic guitar and Jeremy Stein’s bad-ass bass, it’s hard not think of a similarly cocksure Liam Gallagher singing “I’m a rock ‘n roll staaaaaar” on the first Oasis album. On the next track, “Outcast”, they seem to be channeling the Arctic Monkeys (is it too soon to be calling them influential?) and some old-fashioned rock-a-billy and blues. The song, a vicious gloat about being “the one that she prefers,” makes you feel like dancing— on some poor guy’s grave. But the subject matter is telling. The Shake’s music isn’t the oversensitive whining of the boy who no one notices; it is the confident swagger of the guy who gets the girl and wants you to know about it.
At least it is when they’re doing what they do best. “Eight O’Clock” is less vindictive towards its second-person subject and more reassuring. It still sounds like Oasis, but unfortunately that’s the Heathen Chemistry Oasis on the harmless ballad “Songbird.” They get it going in the last minute and a half or so, as Stein breaks down the song’s simple bass-line into a menacing force, the drums pick up some steam, and they throw in their trademark harmonies and Shapiro’s guitar shredding. Excellent backing vocals are the Shake’s secret weapon, giving their music an extra layer of depth and complexity that belies the directness of the songwriting. The lively denouement of “Eight O’Clock” is a good set-up for the next song, “Devil’s Side,” the standard closer for their raucous live set. Like Mariano Rivera and all great closers, it’s consistent, intense, and gets the job done, harnessing the power of the entire live show for one last jam. The song is part Green Day, part the Band, and all vintage Shake, a combination on paper that shouldn’t work as well as it does on stage. While the album version is still good, it lacks the excitement of their live show. The production on the whole album is impeccable, which may not be such a good thing. The Shake are a very raw band, and the album casts a spotlight on them that reveals exactly how they sound, warts and all. Instead of the sweaty New York City clubs where the band’s excitement is contagious, Kick It sounds like it was recorded in a cold white room— though in Shapiro’s case it was probably a white room with black curtains near the station.
The apostrophe and cliché heavy “Dyin’ Ain’t the End of the World” is another solid track with the same second-person lyrics, crunching bass, and skilled guitar prevalent on this album. It also features some of Andrew McNellis’ best drumming. “Let Me Take You Far Away” begins with a guitar swinging like a pendulum, and I can’t decide if it sounds more like the Smashing Pumpkins “Today” or Z100’s 1998 song of the year “Closing Time”. It is a rare chill moment on the album that is both pleasant and interesting. If they get tired of their rowdy brand of rock and roll, the Shake could always try their hand at adult contemporary.
Though it doesn’t stand with the great debuts from which it draws inspiration, Kick It has some quality songs, and the Shake are a band on the rise that show a lot of promise. Their music is by no means revolutionary, but by all means fun. And there is something inspirational about listening to anything that believes in itself so fiercely. So suspend your cynicism, get on the dance floor, and let the rhythmic music set you free. |