(2020) Naked Giants - The Shadow


Review:
Naked Giants follow one of the most exciting debut rock albums in recent memory, 2018’s Sluff, with a fierce collection of unrestrained rock that bangs heads and gets songs stuck in them. The Shadow is a worthy follow-up, taking the frenetic riffing of the Seattle trio’s debut and building in a bit more melody. Produced by Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk, the album is too slick, with a slightly overproduced pop sheen detracting from the band’s primal nature, but the brawny songs are able to break through that flaw. Continuing where Sluff and the 2019 EP Green Fuzz left off, The Shadow deftly blends Naked Giants’ influences of early-2000s garage rock with 1990s alternative. It’s an album that’s heavy on power chords, pounding drums, and distorted guitars producing walls of feedback. The heavy, thudding drums that open lead song “Walk of Doom” put the listeners on notice: Prepare yourself for a riotous barrage of infectious rock. “Television” is thrashing riff-rock that features some of Grant Mullen’s best guitar work. In “Better Not Waste My Time,” one of the album’s best tracks, the band puts its unique spin on blues-rock, throwing discordant squealing noise and psychedelic flourishes into the gritty strut. The Shadow’s progression from Naked Giants’ earlier work is in its infusion of melody and instrumentation not heard previously. “Turns Blue” has a retro-80s vibe, built around shimmering synthesizers and Gianni Aiello’s marching bassline. “You said you’d never forget, and I’m not stupid,” Aiello sings, his voice harmonizing with Mullen’s clean, reverberating guitar licks. It’s one of Naked Giants’ softest songs to date, only getting rowdy at the end, but it works. “Take a Chance” mashes a funky rhythm and chorus with propulsive rock guitar. “I’ve never been part of a problem that I did not ignore or start,” Mullen sings defiantly, playing filthy rock licks over a dance beat. The album’s title track provides its highest point. Swelling feedback leads to Mullen’s down-tuned guitar, with more fuzz and a more menacing tone than anything the band has put out. “My soul wants to meet the shadow,” Mullen sings, his droning voice blending into the crunching power chord riff. Midway into the song, its lurching rhythm shifts to a frenzied mosher. As the song careens through its remaining runtime, propelled by Henry LaVallee’s wild drums and Mullen’s soaring lead guitar, it steadily builds in intensity before crashing back down into the slow, sludgy tempo.





Tracklist:
01 - Walk of Doom
02 - High School (Don't Like Them)
03 - Take a Chance
04 - Turns Blue
05 - (God Damn!) What I Am
06 - The Ripper
07 - Unpeeled
08 - Television
09 - Better Not Waste My Time
10 - The Shadow
11 - Song for When You Sleep


Media Report:
Genre: garage, indie-rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits