The bright yellow-orange sunrise (sunset?) over the hill could not be more fitting to describe the shimmering power pop delivered by Shake Some Action!. These boys are from Seattle, so I'm guessing in reality that they do not see a lot of sunny days. But they have a knack for compensating for the rainy city by creating bright and crisp pop rock in the studio. This release, which drops on June 17, is sure to lighten up even the darkest skies.
Musically, many of the songs are jangly Rickenbacker pop, packed with harmonies akin to The Meadows or Rembrandts. If you are a fan of la-la's and oh-ah's, you'll love it! But some of the tracks dig deep with crunchy guitars and just flat out rock, like the scorching lead off track, "Get It Together". Vocally, lead singer James Hall sounds a lot like the dude from They Might Be Giants, Robyn Hitchcock, or Dave Faulkner of The Hoodoo Gurus - get the picture? Some people are going to complain that this type of vocalist clashes with the smooth pop sheen of the music, but others will find it a refreshing change of pace.
The band lists influences such as the (surprise!) Hoodoo Gurus (James Hall is Australian), Teenage Fanclub, and the La's, and they honor their idols very well by hybridizing their sound.
In addition to the aforementioned "Get It Together", other standouts for me include the rollicking "Looking for Someone" and delicious 70s pop throwback "Hurry Up". I'm also a big fan of the Replacements feel of the closing track, "Who Do You Love?", which is perfect for the vocal stylings of James Hall, and brings together all the best elements of Shake Some Action! into a single song.
Trivia: Yes, the band's name was taken after the song (and 1976 album) of the same name by the Flamin' Groovies.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13
Shake Some Action! on MySpace. Official site.
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