Wasted talent

Portland, Oregon is currently next to Montreal, the second hot spot of (alternative) music scene. The Shaky Hands are from Portland, but sound more like California than to Oregon.
The self-titled debut of the quartet combines sunny indie pop with Sixties folk and a little Country. As a result, it sounds at times by the Decemberists ("We Will Rise"), sometimes by Sebadoh and times for Bright Eyes. The comparison with the latter is primarily due to that the voice of singer Nicholas Delffs sometimes similarly tired and fragile sounds like that of Conor Oberst.
Despite some great songs ("Why & How Come" with its almost anthemic chorus that masterfully constructed "I`m Alive" and the summer hit suspicious "SummerŽs Life" are the highlights of the disc) is the entire album yet not an unqualified success , Too often the Shaky Hands bogged down in trivialities as the crude hippie folk of "Another World Part 1 & 2", too often the songs seem undercooked and somewhat carelessly, and now and then almost 37 minutes of playing time sneak despite just small lengths a.
A pity, because the Shaky Hands have had quite what it takes to be the next big thing from Portland. So but stay away from this plate a handful of good songs and the shell feeling that a band has fallen far short their opportunities.