Review: Shake Some Action "Fire and Ice"

In April of last year, we reported on the unique process Shake Some Action! was using to record their third full-length album (see here). Briefly, the band decided it would be cool to post rough mixes of their new tracks and get feedback from the fans to help the album evolve. It provided an insightful view into the writing and recording process, and "Fire and Ice" is the result. In the words of the band, "Fire and Ice" has "a more sophisticated and modern sound with a nod to Madchester, 80s jangle pop and classic 60s songcraft".

"Fire and Ice" follows the sophomore effort, "Sunny Days Ahead", a truly radiant power pop affair with influences from Flamin' Groovies to Teenage Fanclub (review here). "Fire and Ice" does indeed run hot and cold, the fire being ignited at the beginning with intensely infectious tracks like "Stand and Deliver", "Touch the Sky", and the title track. "Can You Feel?" is a beautiful mid-tempo number that is one of my favorites on the CD. After this comes the cooler part of "Fire and Ice", but things heat back up again at the close with great rockers like "Where Is The Sun?" and the harmonica-laced party closer, "You Can't Say No", which reminds me of The Soup Dragons.

Vocalist and chief songwriter James Hall, which is a near dead ringer for Dave Faulkner of The Hoodoo Gurus, sounds better than ever, using more harmonies and falsettos to augment the melodies he belts out. I'm not so sure his voice fits as comfortably with some of the sparser material in the middle of the album (the ice part of the record), but the first four songs on "Fire and Ice" constitute the brightest, most enjoyable 15 minute block the band has recorded to date.

The album also finds James Hall asking a lot of questions: "Can You Feel?", "How Does It Feel?", and "Where Is The Sun". These introspective lyrics, which are also infused with meditations on the downward spiral of current times, is another leap ahead for the band.

"Fire and Ice" will be available May 4, 2010. There is no doubt "Fire and Ice" will satisfy fans of Shake Some Action! and find some new recruits as well. I am a huge fan of Hoodoo Gurus, and Shake Some Action! is my new Hoodoo Gurus.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8

Shake Some Action! on MySpace. Official site. Get it.

News: Shake Some Action! - free songs, new blog

This is really cool out of the box thinking...check out this exciting news from Shake Some Action! (previous record review here):

"We’re going to invite you into the studio with us so you can see and
hear what we’re up to from day one. We'll be blogging and twittering
as we go, posting videos, photos and rough mixes so you’ll see and
hear our progress as it happens.

We’ll also be working a little differently. Instead of working on a
bunch of songs at once, we’ll be working on one at a time until the
song is finished. As soon as it’s mixed we’ll post it online as a
free download. Then we’ll start working on the next song. Eventually
we’ll shortlist the best dozen songs and release it as our next
record.

Along the way we’ll be asking for your feedback and ideas and we’ll
incorporate as many of those into the record as we can. Instead of
locking you out of the process until it’s over, we’re inviting you to
be part of it. We hope you enjoy the ride!

We just posted our first song this past weekend, and it's
available for download now right here. We
just released the second song, with many more to come."

I love what I hear so far! --BMF

Review: The Jeunes "Strangers in the Night"

The Jeunes, featuring front man James Hall, broke up in 2005 after three years and one EP. So what is the story about "Strangers in the Night" surfacing now in 2009?

First, a little background. James Hall was featured here last year in our review of his current power pop band, Shake Some Action!. Prior to Shake Some Action!, James was heavily invested in The Jeunes, a project that produced much more than the four tunes heard on their EP release. James has revisited these "lost" unreleased recordings and meticulously got them in shape to see the light of day on "Strangers in the Night".

"Strangers in the Night" does not sound like a hodgepodge or lazy effort by a self-indulgent songwriter eager to get loose ends of his songs tied up. If I had not known better, I would have taken this record to be a proper and professional full-length release. So hats off to James for a job well done in revitalizing these tunes. Like Shake Some Action!, The Jeunes have a distinct Hoodoo Gurus sound mostly due to Hall's vocal styling and tone. Unlike Shake Some Action!, music by The Jeunes is less sunny and poppy. The darker and moodier edge actually suits Hall's vocals really well in my opinion. Opening track, "High 5" sounds like it drifts right in off a stormy sea, and there are some other surf rock elements to be found here (e.g. "Missing Person"). The raw and grittier side comes out strong on garage rock tracks like "Obvious", "Contradiction" and "What You Do To Me" (not a Teenage Fanclub cover). The pop rock side is evident on the excellent "Time Is On My Side" (not a Rolling Stones cover) as well as "See You Again" and "It's Alright" (not a Candlebox cover). The CD contains a bonus track version of "Never Be The Same" mixed by Jyoti Mishra (White Town) - this one will probably be just for fans of White Town.

The Jeunes will appeal to fans of Hoodoo Gurus (especially during their "Blue Cave" period), The Cure, and The Stone Roses.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11

The Jeunes on MySpace. Official site.

Review: Shake Some Action! "Sunny Days Ahead"

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.