The Shaky Hands
Lunglight
(Kill Rock Stars, 2008)

The Shaky Hands are five guys from Portland, Oregon, and they represent what currently seems to be the trend in that rainy Northwest city: Putting out music that is jangly, earthy, and freewheeling—earnest and rootsy at its greatest moments, a bit overplayed and distracting at its weaker ones, but forgivingly so. Adopting a tribalist sort of sound through their use of rackety hand percussion and loose melodies, there are definitely more hits than misses on their full- length debut album, Lunglight, but this would be a much stronger collection of songs if the editing process was taken a step further, with a few of the weaker tracks omitted altogether. As is, though, there are some gems to be extracted here, and a warm, overall sense of good natured fun (while lyrically acknowledging some darker realisms) that puts the Shaky Hands on a long list of bands that best represents indie rock’s young, expressive, and emerging talent.

The Shaky Hands are very likeable, embracing a free stylin’ looseness that seems to come easily to the quintet. They are not overstepping their comfort zones, nor are they discernibly self-conscious—rather they seem fulfilled working within their parameters. Lunglight is music they could easily have recorded in their garage, honed in the backyard of a Portland beer bust, and polished and executed before a thousand-person audience in the hipper clubs of Brooklyn. They are a band that is easy to identify with and root for, and as their songwriting evolves, they will likely secure a spot among the top contenders for contemporary Portland’s most definitive bands. They hold tight to a sense of musical regionalism that is fast defining that town, and so long as they continue to churn out material and take it to the road, they will only further enhance the city’s burgeoning reputation.

Charming in their whimsical approach to jamming, songs like the eternally endearing “We Are Young”, “Show Me Your Life”, and the optimistic “Wake the Breathing Light” are real winners, showcasing a signature homespun ease. The weaker moments, the ones that could be called redundant and unnecessary, like “Love All Of” and “Neighbors”, serve to remind this reviewer how young and unreserved they still are. Overall though, each member of the Shaky Hands is a little darling contributing to a warm, summery sound, with singer Nick Delffs’ faltering cry of a voice driving the songs through the low-laying denseness of a rhythm section that is propelled by the pleasing, if at times distracting, clatter of hand percussion.

The Shaky Hands may not have yet found a foothold to capture in studio what they do best live, but that untapped sparkle is part of their appeal. I speculate that as they continue to establish themselves, the free dynamicism that characterizes their charm will facilitate more than just a passing fancy for this band.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

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