The ShakeDowns

Move (2002)

Adam White

The ShakeDowns are a rock and roll band with plenty of punk energy. They
somehow manage to sound simultaneously hedonistic and honest, which is quite a
feat considering their material. There's a love of bare-bones rock and roll that
fills their songs with big riffs, proud solos and lyrical swagger. With lyrics
about chasing women and stories from the bar, the ShakeDowns display the a kind
of self-confidence that puts them pretty close to Danko Jones in terms of style
and attitude. 

I'm tempted to label the ShakeDowns as a garage band, and while fans of the
Strokes and the Hives will surely get a kick out of this album, the band takes
more from Kiss and AC/DC then they do from the Velvet Underground and the
Stooges. There's a noticeable and conscious backlash against the sensitive, melancholy
trend in recent indie music. Take these few lines from "Move" as an
example: "The band was cool / I asked my friend 'what do you think?' / He
said he's jaded and he just wants to drink / He started telling me the history
of the scene / so move motherfucker! so I can dance!". Its silly at times,
but the band is conscious of this and much of its done tongue-in-cheek. There's
nothing the ShakeDowns play that couldn't have been written in the 70s, but
that's part of their charm and probably their goal.
"Retail Jail"
has rollicking verses and great breakdowns. The title track "Move"
shows the band can pull off some great songwriting that injects something new
into their tried and tested style. "Come With Me" rocks with fantastic
momentum and a shout-along chorus. "All The Girls" bounces along with
a soulful groove and some great backing harmonies. There are times when Davey
Bell's vocals seem to lack the punch they need, but this isn't too much of a
problem as the band backs the lead vocals well. Its barely noticeable after the
first track. All in all, the ShakeDowns are incredibly fun to listen to
and probably a blast live. Fans of the New Bomb Turks or the new soul-rock from
the Gadjits should definitely check this out. If you enjoy the 70s groove of the
Pietasters this should be right up your alley. If you're looking for something
deep and profound, look elsewhere, but The ShakeDowns are having too good a time
rocking out to care.