If Mott the Hoople and Dr. Dog had a baby, it would be called Tom the Poodle and it would sound like the Shaky Hands. Coming out of Portland, Oregon, with a no-frills, all-boogie presentation that reclaims the spirit of the blues-jamming early '70s without resorting to Almost Famous hair and mustaches (see above), the Shaky Hands pack enough soul into their cutoff pockets for everybody. On the group's fourth release, Let It Die, the fidelity is low and the swagger is high, making gems such as the groovy "Caught in the Storm" and the delicious Petty-could've-written-that "Allison and the Ancient Eyes" sound more like lost gold than obscure indie-rock trinkets. The star of the party is singer, songwriter and guitarist Nicholas Delffs, whose scruffy, pinched-nasal bleat seems calibrated by nature to blare out of a neighborhood-bar jukebox on a summer night. Here's hoping that if the Shaky Hands never sell out an arena tour, they'll at least make the playlist at your favorite dive.
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