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BANDS: Punk
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LOTD
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The
Shakedowns: Self-Titled
The war in Iraq? Heartache and angst? Screw all that. The Shakedowns want to rock. In a time when critical raves are largely reserved for albums featuring tormented emo or political rants, its no wonder that this DC-based sextet is fed up. The Shakedowns dont like tears or tantrums they like girls and guitars, and theyre proud of it. Their self-titled third album includes twelve tracks of rock in its purest form AC/DC, Kiss or maybe Aerosmith. Think Get a Grip without any songs designed for a pole dance c/o Alicia Silverstone. Instead of a strip club, The Shakedowns play for the rock club. Keeping still during this album is a test of sheer willpower and one can only imagine attempting this feat during the live show. The heads start banging from the first gritty chords of Get Up, a perfect show-starter that wont stand for quiet observers. Youll pop if you know whats good for you, singer Davey Bell whos part jungle cat by the sound of him demands by the second song, and the moshing lunacy of the audiences response is almost inevitable. The group connected with producer Jack Endino for this album, whose past coworkers include Mudhoney, Hot Hot Heat and Nirvana. Like the latter and the Pixies before them The Shakedowns know how to use the volume knob. This is not noise for noises sake; they build up, bring it back, slice the sound in half for a drum roll or bass solo, and repeat. Its worked before, and it works again here. Another plus: The Shakedowns have a sense of humor. Again proving their distaste for drama, The Shakedowns prefer tongue-in-cheek mockery. Take Junkie Junkie, a tune about a girl whos addicted to addicts because theyre creative, contemplative and ultra-serious and have suicide on the brain its so hot! she explains. A second clueless chick (no, not another Alicia Silverstone reference) spends all of Bands from New York gabbing about how her favorite groups are from the Big Apple until the song cuts to a sound clip of the same young lady revealing, I also like bands from Detroit! But, who really cares where the band is from or about anything else, for that matter when it can rock you like The Shakedowns have proven they can? Remember to pick this album up, and forget about all the rest of it.
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