The Shaky Hands

Let it Die
Album November 2nd, 2009
Kill Rock Stars

“Drowning pop compositions in jittery poly-rhythms is indie rock’s move du jour, but The Shaky Hands aren’t trendy; they make fine-boned, classic rock’n’roll in the Strokes’ vein.”  Pitchfork
“Prodded by clattering drums and scraping guitars, frontman Nick Delffs often sounds desperate, moaning and muttering like someone who’s torn between leaping into the abyss and clinging to hope.”  Spin

“The Shaky Hands’ obvious reference points – the second and third Wilco albums, from the days before Jeff Tweedy started trying to be Thom Yorke, much-loved debuts by the Go-Betweens, REM or the Violent Femmes, Camper Van Beethoven’s ‘Take the Skinheads Bowling’ – might not seem like the stuff of rock’n'roll satori.   And yet the freshness and vitality with which the band put these familiar influences together cannot be gainsayed”.  Observer Music Monthly ****

In their hometown of Portland, Oregon, The Shaky Hands are the one band that virtually everyone agrees on.  Respected throughout the underground for their basement show origins and complete lack of ego, critically adored for their instantly recognizable, earthy-meets-explosive sound and loved by the general populace for putting on really, really good shows – they represent the essence of Portland, one of America’s most creative music cities.

This year begins a new chapter for The Shaky Hands. Former drummer, Colin Anderson left in mid-2008, a few months before the band’s second album, Lunglight, was released to critical acclaim.  Nick Delffs’ brother, Nathan covered percussion for a short stint at the end of last year but ultimately the band wanted a stable drummer with whom they could connect.  Jake Morris, of fellow Portland band, The Joggers, joined in January 2009, shortly before The Shaky Hands left for a two-week tour with The Meat Puppets.  On the road, the band found that Morris was exactly what they wanted in a drummer and band-mate; they clicked almost immediately.  The addition of the new drummer set the wheels in the motion for The Shaky Hands to begin writing their third album, evolving their style to match the changes they’d undergone as a band.

Following the tour with The Meat Puppets, Delffs packed his bags and went to live in India for a month and a half, leaving behind his guitar and embarking on a fast from Western music.  He sang in the temples and wrote lyrics for the new album, which the band had already started writing, but took the longest break he’d ever taken from playing in a band.  This journey, which culminated with a 23-hour plane ride leading directly into a 37-hour drive to Austin for SXSW, altered the direction of the new record—although perhaps not in the most obvious way.

Delffs launched back into the rock scene immediately, playing SXSW, and touring back up to Portland.  The band spent nearly two months on the road with The Thermals in spring of 2009, where they wrote and developed songs, allowing the new tracks to attain lives of their own each night.  After the tour, at Morris’ recommendation, the band went into Jackpot! Studios with producer, Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Erase Errata). There they spent ten days recording the songs they’d written and practiced, mostly in one or two takes.

The finished album, Let It Die, released on Kill Rock Stars, is a collection of eleven organic, impassioned rock songs that are happily unpolished and grounded.  This disc is split into Side A and Side B to compliment the varying styles the songs on the record embrace, with Side A collecting more raucous, upbeat track and Side B offering hushed, mellower numbers. The standout, for Delffs, is the compelling “Allison and the Ancient Eyes”, a song he feels embodies both sides and their corresponding feelings.