Album Review :
The Shackeltons - The Shackeltons
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: The Shackeltons
Album: The Shackeltons
Label: Loveless Records
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Review by: Eric Pettersson
Tracklist:
1. Your Movement
2. Tremble
3. The Blood
4. Yellow Cadillac
5. The Ship
6. The Breaks
7. Emergency
8. Soft Heart
9. Madeline
10. Bloke
11. Get Out
Hailing from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the five men forming The Shackeltons play a hip and unadulterated form of rock and roll that can only be described as what bands like The Killers would sound like if they actually had the indie roots people say they did. Pretentious to say? Maybe. But either way, this record is a finely enjoyable combination of “indie-punk” bands like Colour Revolt and mewithoutYou with more danceable acts like Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys.
With a loud and passionate voice, vocalist Mark Redding sings songs of joy and sorrow for all to hear. Layered guitars incorporate quick chords and melodic picking to make the listener move, all with minimal distortion. For those who worry about dance rock being overproduced, there is no worry here. The entire release permeates with an obvious indie feel that laughs in the face of big names. The dance influence is most notable on the majority of this CD, but the indie-punk influences mentioned earlier come into play from time to time in songs like “The Blood” which reminds me of early mewithoutYou material or on the songs “Yellow Cadillac,” “The Ships,” or the slowed-down “Emergency.” There’s also a slight British feel, especially in the dance parts.
Powerful sounds and poetic words drive these beats into your headphones faster than the spread of celebrity gossip. Before you know it, the eleven tracks will end, and you’ll be looking up tour dates. Like Earl Grey, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Earl Grey is awesome so not everyone really knows what they’re talking about.
7/10
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