The Shakes - Safari Sam's 04/30/08 - Photo by Jan (editor)
"This L.A. quartet has a severe hard-on for British pop circa the mid-60s. With their great assimilation of classic Who and Kinks, right down to Brit accents on the vocals and sympathetic instrumentation, they'll leave hardcore power pop fans with a big smile on their faces. The Shakes score high with authentic efforts at assembling a group of songs that feel great. With all the lame bands resurrecting the worst aspects of the 80s, bands like the Shakes have got it absolutely right. Chills-down-the-spine stuff!" -- Pop Culture Press
"For many years, the Shakes have warded off fame with an anonymous-sounding, generic band name and a morbidly sarcastic form of self-deprecation that usually keeps the hipsters at bay — even as relatively recent bands like the White Stripes have broken out with some of those same garage-rock influences. That’s why it’s so satisfying that the Shakes have finally fulfilled their pure-pop potential with the minor (and possibly — time will tell — major) masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of Modern Living (Teenacide), where Peter Gilabert’s ambitious song cycle about the streets of Silver Lake is fleshed out with lavish string and horn arrangements that often evoke Love’s Forever Changes. The Shakes’ tunes encompass Big Star yearning and Monkees brightness, laced with the typically black humor of Gilabert (keeping one step ahead of invading yuppies on “Gentrification Blues”) and ex–Redd Kross drummer Janet Housden (singing the deceptively pretty, wickedly unsentimental child-hating ballad “Little Babies”). These are some great Shakes." -- L.A. Weekly
"I loved The Shakes last release, with its lighthearted, bouncy pop deliverd with sincerity to rival Jonathan Richman. And, in general, I hate when a band goes from themes like changing the world with songs about girls to more "serious" topics. And I almost always hate concept albums. But guess what? Peter Gilabert is such a good songwriter, and the band does such a brilliant job of melding the more intellectual side of The Kinks with the more innocent side of The Modern Lovers, that you can't help but love every moment of The Rise and Fall of Modern Living. One of my favorite bands right now." -- Razorcake
"The Rise & Fall Of Modern Living is like a turntable souvenir of every drunken party, pursued flirtation, and sidelong anxiety common to the farthest fringes of the old scene; one of the most startlingly accomplished collections of late 2006." -- City Beat
Peter Gilabert: Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Apathy; Janet Housden: Bass, Backing Vocals, Bad Vibes; Jerry Buszek: Drums, Backing Vocals and other stuff . . .
The Kinks, The Who, The Flamin' Groovies, The Zombies, The Modern Lovers, The Real Kids, and Bands That Begin With "B" -Big Star, Buzzcocks, Beatles, Beach Boys, Badfinger, Banana Splits (but not Bad Company, Black Flag or Bananarama).
"The Rise And Fall Of Modern Living"
Teenacide Records
PAYPAL AVAILABLE
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