The Shackeltons - The Shackeltons [Album Review]
I found a rose,
I found a rose by the riverside
I picked it up,
I picked up by the thorns and
watched the blood roll down my fingertips
Oh it Fell
Oh it Fell
Oh it Fell
Oh it Fell
Oh the Blood Fell
Oh the Blood Fell
Oh the Blood Fell
Into the River
I was alive
Are you alive?
I was alive
Are you alive?
The Shackeltons is, and the Shackeltons are, about catharsis. The Shackeltons aren’t concerned with being witty or smart like your average indie band, they’re actually more interested in mining the depths of the human condition wherever it may take them. For the Shackeltons, to emote is to be human, and in the human experience there is no more important emotion than love. To emote completely and truthfully is essential to a healthy soul.
Shown above are the opening lyrics to the song "The Blood." Variations on each of these "verses" are made throughout the song, and while clearly this lyrics aren’t complex or particularly involved, the song is one of their strongest. Beginning with an irregular bass and drum rhythm, the first verse is spoken by lead singer Mark Redding in a surprised and wondrously curious voice, only to have the consequence of the last line of the verse (the prick) come crashing down into the complex rhythms the Shackeltons excel at. The song builds and the pitch of Redding’s voice slowly begins to twist. Reaching his peak he demands of us "Are You Alive?!" I can almost imagine the situation as suggested by the music: Redding grabbing me by the lapels and shaking me through his fevered entreaties.
What I am trying to allude to with my example of "The Blood" is the strategy of closely matching the music of the song to the attitude and content of the lyrics. This is a key feature of the Shackeltons music that allows them to play with the listener’s emotions. Another great example of this is the final track of the record, "Get Out." This song recreates the immediate and tangible feeling of just needing to get out of this town and escape as fast as possible whatever it takes. The textured rhythm guitar and driving bass form to create an ominous, unstable and increasingly abrasive backing as the song progresses. For just one moment in the song Redding sings "There’s a train, There’s a train" and the music transforms into this quiet platform where you can imagine Redding chasing after a train that’s just leaving the station, the enormous wheels chugga-chugga-chugging into to motion. The music returns and he repeats his pleas, with more conviction than before, and with more reasons to leave. "I’m reaching out! I’m reachin’! Oh Love! I want to reach out!" he fervently declares. Finally the song slows for a moment again and Redding sings "Arms are falling to the side, We are slow dancing without touching, Arms are falling to the side, We are slow dancing without touching, This is so ridiculous!" The lyric is curious, and content-wise seems to be the culmination, the realization and resolution (or non-resolution) of the protagonist’s unacknowledged plea’s. Right as he screams the final line (This is so ridiculous!), the music freaks out and and reaches its most frenzied state. Redding’s countenance shattered, he’s reduced to screaming in pained anguish "Oh Love! Oh Love!" And the song ends. And at the end I’m left feeling as though my blood pressure has risen precipitously, nothing has been resolved at all and now I need to slow down and get out of town myself. The feeling is uncanny.
At their most effective, a Shackeltons song is a invitation toward catharsis, an opportunity to fully relive and experience an emotional release through Redding’s frayed and nearly unhinged performances. "The Breaks" is a shining example of this sort of song. "The Breaks" is about just what the title suggests, but where this song differs from the conventional breakup song is that the listener gets the feeling along with Redding that they are actually on "the breaks." No one relishes experiencing the anger and utter confusion such an event might incur on a heartbroken soul, yet the music takes us there. The undeniable urgency of the guitars build as Redding becomes more agitated, and concurrently with him, you the listener. As Redding descends into the chorus declaring "That’s the Breaks! That’s the Breaks!" the tumultuous guitars cement in the listener that state of mind, that sense of walking on the edge of sanity one achieves when truly incensed. Given this musical context, Redding’s harried singing becomes a condition we can identify and empathize with. Even though Redding really is just wailing sometimes, the music helps to define and amplify his emotional state for the audience, ultimately giving credence to his decidedly overwrought performances.
The Shackeltons is a visceral experience from the opening notes of "Your Movement" to the closing riffs of "Get Out." The passion and intensity of Redding’s vocals are undeniable and the uneasy urgency of the intertwining guitar and bass rhythms shape an environment in which his performance can thrive. By setting the example (and the high bar), Redding is implicitly inviting us to emote along with him, to explore the hidden corners of our souls and the truth of our humanity. By creating an environment in which we’re allowed to forget our ego the Shackeltons are helping us all to better realize exactly what it really means to be "alive." --Josh