The Shaky Hands

Portland, OR has become a hotbed for indie pop bands tailor-made for showcasing on The OC. Adding to the excitement is pristine pop rock four-piece the Shaky Hands, who have a live show that their press release claims will "totally make you hug the person standing next to you.” Oh, how original. Their debut album is a string of interesting melody-injected tracks that may not break the ground we’re walking on but successfully makes use of their slow-tempo, easy-listening composing ways. The jangle-y pop of "We Will Rise” is reminiscent of Pavement’s better days and for most of the cuts, Nick Delffs’ fragile timbre leaks with desperation, which may be part of their charm when it comes to their live shows, but on disc it translates into a half-assed sounding effort. "Summer’s Life” is a slurry track. When a harmonica melody trickles in you can smell the potential lurking beneath each thoughtless lyric and wimpy strum, yet it’s almost as if they’re avoiding their true abilities. This being their debut, they still have time to find the passion and the handful of other things this album’s missing.