Tasty Assessment: The Shivers More

     The Shivers are set to release their latest album More May 10th on Silence Breaks. Keith Zarriello started  writing music as The Shivers in 2001 releasing CHARADES in 2004. Jo Schornikow joined him after CHARADES and together the two have released three more albums leading up to More. The experience that The Shivers have gained in a decade of writing songs and touring extensively is evident in More. Zarriello and Schornikow move easily through different styles with the gin-soaked lyrics anchoring the overall arch of heartache pervading the album. "Irrational Love" has many elements that wouldn't be out of place on a Tom Waits album, raspy voice and all. Where as "Used To Be" and "Want You Back" are much more modern sounding, synth driven, pop songs. The title track "More" and "Love is in the Air" are the kind of great rock songs that The Rolling Stones used to write. The later has a beautiful falsetto coda that leads into "Two Solitudes" where the same lyric is repeated over a make-you-weep-in-your-beer organ line that is reminiscent of Antlers.

     I normally would try not to point out so many resemblances to other bands but I find the exercise relevant when it comes to The Shivers as they successfully tackle different genres. I doubt that The Shivers sat down and said "Let's write an album where every song is in the style of a different and great artist." In fact they probably wouldn't even agree with any (much less all) of my parallels. In fact none of the similarities mentioned so far are blaringly obvious. Enter "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars" a clearly Leonard Cohen inspired track.

     Most of you are probably thinking "Fuck the comparisons!" and you're not wrong so hear is my Cole's Notes: The Shivers have built a lot of songwriting muscle over the years and they really flex it on More. It can be refreshing to hear an album that trades trying to re-invent the wheel for just writing some good old rock n' roll.