The Shack Shakers remain one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen, although on album they can be a bit of a mixed bag. When it works, it rules (‘Pandelirium’) and when it doesn’t, it’s still pretty decent (‘Swamp Blood’) but not exactly heavy on the repeat value. Latest effort ‘Agridustrial’ falls somewhere in the middle.
You’ve got to give the band an A+ for effort. Their first album on their own label imprint, ‘Agridustrial’ is thick on atmosphere and experimentation – thanks in no small part to the recent addition of Jesus Lizard alumni Duane Denison on guitar. “God Fearing People” is a harp-driven fire-and-brimstone rager that feels right at home with the Shakers’ back catalogue, while “Hammer and Tongs” continues the ‘Swamp Blood’-vibe that earned the band so many ‘True Blood’ fans. “Dump Road Yodel” is creepy enough that you’ll never want to take another canoe river trip again, and “Hoboes Are My Heroes” pretty much says it all.
At the heart of it, ‘Agridustrial’ is fairly perfect picture of the Legendary Shack Shakers – impossible to pigeonhole, old timey yet pushing their sound ever-forward and, most importantly, never boring. Much like their ever-evolving live show, the Legendary Shack Shakers are one of the few bands within the ‘psycho / rocka / whatever-billy’ scene who are willing to never rest on their laurels and insist upon pushing themselves (and their audience) creatively, regardless of the possible fallout. In other words, this is one of the few bands out there that truly matters. Testify, brothers and sisters.