The Shaky Hands - "The Sleepless"

Here's a track that came to me highly rec'd by my friend James, and I'm almost embarrassed by how long it's taken me to post about it. James lives in Portland, Oregon, and bought me a copy of last year's PDX Pop Now! compilation when it was released. One of the real standout tracks on that release, imho, was "The Sleepless" by The Shaky Hands.

The Shaky Hands are a quintet from Portland who have the sort of sound I've come to associate with that city -- elements of pop, rock, and folk flavored by their northwestern surroundings and a DIY ethic. I don't quite know why, but "The Sleepless" is the sort of song I can't help but listen to more than once each time I play it -- I like the vocal, the lyrics, the tension/release throughout. It has character, if you know what I mean.

The Shaky Hands - The Sleepless

"The Sleepless" is available on the 2006 PDX Pop Now! comp, as well as on the current EP from The Shaky Hands. The latter is available via mail order from the band (info via their Myspace). The Shaky Hands have a full-length due on Holocene Music in April.