A reincarnation of straight-ahead, unself-conscious, pre-Spinal Tap rock bands, Brooklyn’s The Shake makes a polished debut with their 8-song collection, Kick It. Everything feels like a throwback, from the modest number of tracks (unlike most CDs which average 13-14) to the stylistic influences: AC/DC-style propulsion, fuzzed-up late-Beatles guitar, a Herman’s Hermits-y melodic bounce, and more.
The Shake ably incorporates all these styles into their songs, which end up sounding too derivative at times, but have the saving grace of solid hooks and melodies. “8 O’Clock” and “Let Me Take You Far Away” are both bright, catchy tunes, recalling the British Invasion but charming in their own right. “Stop Fighting,” the bonus track, has the same snappy tunefulness. And the opener, “Princes and Kings,” has a great classic-rock opening riff, before it drowns in trite lyrics and predictable rhymes.