With a sax braying like a wounded elephant through the frenzied punk funk of ‘Viking Disco / Perfection’, ‘Shake’ gets off to a pretty wild start. Paal Nilssen-Love’s percussion is something else, building from a steady stomp to an explosion if sound. The bass churns and spits spatters of low-end sludge. ‘The Nail Will Burn’ crashes in a slow cacophony, and the album’s centrepiece, the 13-minute ‘Aim’ takes its time to transition from a smooch swing to a sustained seismic climax. But for all the noise, beneath the whirling chaos, there’s groove. The slow meander of ‘Sigill’ provides contrast, stealthily creating a late-night atmosphere.
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There’s some freaky, far-out improv on display here, and while the jazz leanings are strong, it also rock, while venturing into more ambient territories in places.
Perversely, none of the three ‘shake’ tracks feature on the CD, and the vinyl also features ‘Round About Lapa’ which isn’t on the CD. Just so you know.
The Thing – Shake Online
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