Album Reviews

Great Shakes
Great Shakes Great Shakes Punk Rock Theory
7.5
 on
Sunday, February 2, 2020 - 12:29
submitted by
Thomas

Apparently some of the greatest shakes arund can be found at Fenton's Creamery in Oakland, California. This particular creamery has been around for 119 years. Which is a lot longer than the new Belgian/Dutch band, Great Shakes. But that doesn’t stop these guys from whipping up tasty tuneage all their own. Sure, it’s no mocha almond fudge but hey!

On their self-titled debut, they burn through a dozen punk rock songs that are highly melodic and catchy yet still manage to hold on to a rough edge. There’s a healthy amount of Hot Water Music worship going on in cuts like ‘The Flood’ or ‘November Star,’both of which are amazing, but Great Shakes will just as well dish out a Ramonescore jam like ‘Celebrate My Life’, go all poppy in ‘Ordinary Life’ or opt for a Lawrence Arms meets Anti-Flag vibe in ‘Ego Complex’. Whatever route they choose to travel down, the end result is always impressive.

 

Track listing:

  1. The Flood
  2. Summertime Alone    
  3. Get A Little Closer    
  4. November Star    
  5. Celebrate My Life    
  6. Ordinary Life    
  7. Ego Complex     
  8. Falling Forever    
  9. Bitter Nights     
  10. Confessions     
  11. Never Gonna Die    
  12. Say Goodbye At The End

 

Tom Dumarey
Tom Dumarey

Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.