Shaker Bloomheart has been pushing the live music return in the Pacific Northwest, and with their latest EP, Nobody’s Perfect and So Can You, they are set on solidifying their position in the realm of recording artists too. The two comprehensive discs offer amply proof of the group’s versatility and artistic merit; on top of that, the sound quality is exceptional.
The EP starts with a 15-minute track named “I Will Rupture and Die” that integrates punk, emo, trip hop, lo-fi beats, and post-hardcore into a 15-minute piece. Somehow, this song remains a perfect example of how a band can tell a cohesive story with interesting and suspenseful lyrics even though it takes them nearly twenty minutes and has many parts and sub-subparts. It alternates between a number of tempos and dynamics; the guitars shriek, the bass is propulsive, and vocal melodies fold into anthemic choruses and chants, underpinned by eerie synths. It has a great guitar solo section and stellar build up which makes it stand out and makes the listeners to discover something new in it the more they listen to it.
In this respect, the second song, “Leftover Generation,” isn’t particularly lengthy, clocking in at only 2. Fuelled punky pop thrash and bloat in five minutes. This one has well-liked hooks and an endearing rhythm so predominant that one can see Shaker Bloomheart presents quite good in terms of creating catchy tunes. The inspiration and interaction that people felt from this song is very vivid, punk rock and nonconformist, creating a perfect anthem of disillusionment of generations.
The recording quality on “Nobody’s Perfect and So Can You” is high and while loud, it lets each instrument breathe within a strong and effective mix. Comparing the epic, sprawling feel of the opener to the short, sharp shot of punk rock that is the B-Side underlines how well the group can handle epic suites or two minute punk classics or indeed, anything in between. This EP proves that Shaker Bloomheart is at the peak of their powers and the band deserves to become a breakthrough hit of the Northwest scene.
