Let It Die

Chronique

Portland's the Shaky Hands, who had an, uhh, shakeup of their own in 2008 when founding member and drummer Colin Anderson left the group, seem to have been left none the worse from the experience, with new drummer Jake Morris handling the percussive duties on Let It Die, the band's third full-length, with no problems. What the band is seemingly lacking, however, is a distinct identity, which makes Let It Die, though not particularly offensive, also a not particularly memorable album. References are plenty -- fellow Pacific Northwesterners the Thermals, with whom the Shaky Hands toured before the recording of this album, the Hold Steady, the power pop of Big Star, the heartland rock of John Mellencamp, the '90s alt-rock of the Gin Blossoms. Even the title was one already used by an unnamed Canadian indie rock digital goddess -- but the Shaky Hands never seem able to find themselves, or their own sound, pulling from their many references but never quite equaling any of them. Still, there are moments here that stick -- the opening chords of the title song, the subtle catchiness of the hook in "Already Gone" -- but it's not quite enough to turn the record into something more than merely derivative (not only does the title of "Allison and the Ancient Eyes" resemble the Thermals' "St. Rosa and the Swallows," the first line of the song is "They drove up to St. Rosa..."). Nowhere in this is the insinuation that the Shaky Hands are trying to copy anyone; rather, it's the lack of a strong sense of self that keeps the band from truly moving into its own.

© Marisa Brown /TiVo