3.5/5 stars
By Peter Bosworth EBS CONTRIBUTOR
The Shivers, a
New York based folk-rock band, quietly released their debut LP “Charades”in 2004, and in an
era defined by garage-rock revival, The Shivers’ release zigged where Billboard
leaders like the Libertines and the Strokes zagged. Those bands documented
frivolous love affairs, disappointing parties, and urban malaise with a scuzzy
lo-fi sound—The Shivers, on the other hand, were making intimate acoustic ballads
about romance and heartbreak.
They’ve never
cared about being cool, only being honest.
Naturally,
their hushed tunes never amounted to the commercial success that other
contemporary bands achieved, but they did land the group a cult following. Celebrities
like Patricia Arquette and Daniel Radcliffe are die-hard fans; Aaron Paul,
famous for his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, even recruited the band
to play their popular track “Beauty” at his wedding.
So much of the
rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic is centered on maintaining a devil-may-care
indifference. Frankly, The Shivers could not stray farther from that credo, led
by singer and frontman Keith Zarreillo’s practically compulsive obsession with
sentimentality—and with an eerily erotic voice to match.
Jim Harrison,
author of the epic “Legends of the
Fall” once said, “the [artist] who refuses sentiment refuses the full
spectrum of human behavior, and then he just dries up. … I would rather give
full vent to all human loves and disappointments, and take a chance on being
corny, than die a smartass.”
With their
newest record, “I’m on Your Side,” The
Shivers risk being corny, but with great success. Over eight tracks, Zarreillo
acts as a cartographer of love: mapping the peaks of passion, and the valleys
of heartbreak.
Take the
album’s very first track, “Capricorn and Cancer”; with whispered lyrics “Capricorn
and Cancer, blue sky turning grey, once you were my dancer, you were dancing
round my head.” For the astrologically ignorant, Capricorn and Cancer are
opposing astronomical signs known for passionate love affairs, so when the
track’s soft guitar is juxtaposed with the gritty guitar solo, it’s in homage
to the phenomenon. And despite that The Shivers’ lyrics walk a tight line that
teeters on cliché, it’s their clever instrumentation that demonstrates an attractive
talent.
The Shivers
are truly at their best when they slow down and lean into their sentimentality.
While The Shivers have made their fair share of slow-burners, “I’m on Your Side” is easily the most
unabashedly melancholic record in the band’s catalog. It may not be the coolest
rock record you’ll hear this year, but it certainly is among the most genuine.
