New Music: The Shaky Hands: "Whales Sing" [MP3]
"Whales Sing", the first song off the debut album from Portland's the Shaky Hands, begins with a couple of instruments squeaking manically to approximate an actual whale song. It's an inauspicious beginning, a little too clever and entirely overliteral. But from that din arises an MG's bass stomp that's buoyant, bright, and playful: As a hook it's unexpected, but the effect is immediate.
Bassist Mayhaw Hoons, whose name is almost as awesome as his chops, owns all three minutes of the song, sounding like if he doesn't keep that melody moving he'll die (I know... that's sharks, not whales). The band rides the groove nicely, and Nick Delffs' shaky vocals makes it an especially sweet godspeed anthem. But it's that bassline that truly sells "Whales Sing"-- which is rare enough in indie pop, rarer still in songs about whales.
MP3: > Shaky Hands: "Whales Sing"
[from their forthcoming debut album; due 04/10/07 on Holocene Music] | [ORDER]