I don't care how many blogs there are capturing bands in unusual settings, it's always a lot more fun than watching footage from some stinky club. Such is the case with these Shaky Hands videos from Vienna, wherein the band soft-rocks a courtyard largely unplugged for They Shoot Music Don't They . Pay special attention to Jake Morris' sweet Blazer jacket and the nice backup harmonies on "Already Gone." Do me a favor: Go back and listen to Let It Die again if you didn't get it the first time. I think it's a [...]
The Shaky Hands had a session with They Shoot Music posted recently. Check it out below, along with the new latest release, Let It Die , out via Kill Rock Stars . [VIDEO] The Shaky Hands - Caught In The Storm [VIDEO] The Shaky Hands - Already Gone [Myspace] [...]
Enjoy their terrific performance of 'Caught In The Storm' in the clip below. MP3: Shaky Hands - We Are Young

You might want to read Part One first . It's more level-headed, whereas this one is rankly steeped in emotional judgement... Just like the best science lessons at school, this article will be preceded by an experiment. It is easy, and, just like science, only requires honesty to be considered a success. So, quick – without thinking – answer this: what was the single greatest musical moment of your life ? Could you come up with an answer? If you could, your response was probably along the lines of [...]
Phew, last night was a bit good. The January blues just don't exist at Gigantic. Big crowd in, loads of old school regulars, some new school faces, and of course the obligatory smattering of randomers. I really enjoyed DJing, and people had generally good requests. I made an effort to play a broader set of tunes too rather than sticking to the mainly banging stuff I've been playing a lot of lately. It was fun. Holla at these peoples – Ciaran, Julie, Bronagh, Greg, Hyland, Donal, Nik, Niall Kennedy, Stephen Lennon, Michael Murray, Scott, Dean, Ian, Tracey, [...]

Ohioan High Country EP (Infinite Front) [FUCKED-UP AMERICANA] At the heart of Ohioan's sound is a conflict between the embrace of tradition and the refusal of it. Ohioan godhead Ryne Warner seems spiritually opposed to releasing a conventional pop album—a point to which High Country's avant-noise forays attest—but he also writes a mean chorus. His solution? To leave the sweet, catchy bits strewn like mines across a wasteland of ambient sound. And so we start High Country with the swirling tape hiss [...]

It's the end of the world as we know it, and Ghost to Falco feels fine. IMAGE: Cape & Chalice Records When Eric Crespo started writing what would become Ghost to Falco's third album, Exotic Believers, in 2007, he was fretting about the end of the world—or rather, trying to avoid contributing to the end of the world. But the books he'd been reading—by author/environmental activist Derek Jensen—didn't leave much room for optimism. So if there's a theme to Exotic Believers, "I guess it's about coming to grips [...]
Rafter's new album_ Animal Feelings_ will come out on April 13th on Asthmatic Kitty! It's his 4th album for the label, and it comes on the heels of the pop filled EP Sweaty Magic . Animal Feelings delivers the pop/R&B goods, and is worthy of getting thrown on the PA at the next after party you head to. For those of you not familiar with Rafter, he's a San Diego native that has worked the boards for artists like Black Heart Procession, Tristeza, Rocket from the Crypt, Shaky Hands, Fiery Furnaces, and label-mates [...]
Yes, this is a little late, but it doesn't really matter anymore. I've made some very slight changes to the list - some songs I lost interest in after a while, some I moved around, but the top thirty have remained the same. 2009 has been a good year for music, perhaps better than its predecessor, but these songs take some beating. I think the best thing to do is to stream the tracks while reading. Or just download them all, whatever's good for you. All the rather lovely artwork for this list is by Anika , who also [...]

Sam Coomes' songwriting has always had an evil side to it. From breakup omen "I Never Want to See You Again" to the blunt "Fuck Hollywood," he's never really been known to hide his emotions. Still, of everything he's released in his 17 year career with drummer Janet Weiss as Quasi, nothing is as purely Satanic as the gnarly riff that opens "Repulsion," American Gong 's amazing first single. On "Repulsion," Quasi balances the anger—check the nasty guitar sludge that's one part J. Mascis and one part Mudhoney—with the goofy. It also announces the return of [...]
Portland-based riff-lords the Shaky Hands strike gold too infrequently on its third album of sweat-soaked rock 'n' roll. Classic-rock acolytes the Shaky Hands have made a name in Portland music circles for serving up a splintered brand of indie rock held together with rusty nails instead of frilly toothpicks. On its third full-length, Let it Die, the band once again adheres to this aesthetic with crunchy Chuck Berry riffs, singer Nicholas Delffs' gravel-choked rasp, and enough distorted rawness to drown out any conversation at your neighborhood bar. For anyone frustrated with the overly...

#1 Arctic Monkeys - Humbug This incredibly well-written and musically perfect album is a total success! The fantastic four have managed to become the most exciting rock band around in less than four years, thanks to deep, dark, nervous and exciting tracks. Favourite tracks : My Propeller, Cornerstone, Crying Lightning #2 Dragonette - [...]

This began as an epic idea: We should get all of WW 's freelancers to report on their crazy New Year's Eve parties, thus painting a kaleidoscopic picture of the whole Portland nightlife at the end of the decade. But as it happened, only five people signed up for the project. And one of them wrote an elaborate, non-bloggy review . Some of the others were out-of-town, partying at friends' houses or overlapping at the same venues we were for the evening. Some people just wanted to get drunk and not think about writing. But the four of [...]

We here at The Stu Reid Experiment go to a lot of concerts, there's no denying that. Hardly a week goes by that we aren't out somewhere in Boston checking out some live music. I personally find a lot of rejuvenation in seeing live music - there's an energy in concert that just can't quite be captured on a record. Sometimes, (like the Cut Copy show we saw at the House of Blues in March), a concert doesn't live up to the hype of an album. More frequently (like the Ramona Falls show I caught at Great Scott in September) [...]
Believe it or not, Mary J Blige's debut came out nearly 18 years ago. A baby born that summer is about to be able to purchase cigarettes and has never known a world without the amazing, career-making "Real Love". Lucky youngster. During that time, Blige's career has been the stuff of great cinema. Stunning debut, rise to fame, rocky personal life, dramatic return and lasting success. Along the way she's released eight studio albums that showed the evolution of a strong vocalist and performer. With the release of Stronger withEach Tear , her ninth album, [...]
*Handsome Furs - Radio Kaliningrad* Brilliant Colors - Absolutely Anything The Shaky Hands - Allison & The Ancient Eyes Frankie Rose - Thee Only One The Decemberists - The Engine Driver

40. Helado Negro - "Dos Suenos" ( Awe Owe ) Απο το τροπικό Εκουαδόρ και την πάντα ζεστή αγκαλιά της Asthmatic Kitty μας έρχονται αυτά τα «δύο όνειρα» ("dos suenos") του οχήματος του Roberto Carlos Lange με το όνομα Helado Negro (= μαύρο παγωτό). Πολλή γλωσσογνωσία έπεσε οπότε ας σταματήσουμε να απολαύσουμε το ηλεκτρισμένο falsetto του Roberto σε αυτό το μικρό και γλυκό ταξίδι στις ιδρωμένες γειτονιές της Λατινικής Αμερικής. 39. Μ. Ward - "Hold Time" ( Hold Time [...]

Kill Rock Stars is doing just the opposite for the Pacific Northwest scene. Tell us about the founding of Kill Rock Stars. Is the label built around some sort of mission statement? Is there anything in particular you look for from an artist you're thinking about signing? Portia Sabin: Slim Moon founded Kill Rock Stars mainly to put out spoken-word artists and to document the scene in Olympia, WA, in the early 1990s. He thought there was a lot of excellent music being made by people he knew, and he wanted to [...]

Our numero dos in charge with Static Television here and the big cheese in our management department sent me along her top 10s of 2009. 2009 was a good year for music with a lot of well crafted albums. There are, of course, many obvious choices for a Top 10 list for the year. But I have decided to leave out Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and Dirty Projectors. Also, there were many great 7" Single releases (like International Waters, Mitch Calvert from Voxtrot) and EPs. With that said, here is the soundtrack [...]

Foreign Born Recommended Los Angeles Shows - December 14th – December 19th Monday, December 14th Joe Purdy and Meaghan Smith @ Hotel Café Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros @ Mayan Theatre (Sold Out) Aimee Mann Christmas Show @ Largo (Sold Out) Tuesday, December 15th The Rural Alberta Advantage and The Shaky Hands @ Bootleg Joe Purdy and Meaghan Smith @ Hotel Café Aimee Mann Christmas Show [...]