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A Magazine for Sheffield

Junk

Bones Shake are relatively new to the music scene in Manchester, having released their first batch of songs, Live in Dundee, in 2014. But they appear to be gaining interest from music venues all over town, which makes sense because their debut studio album, Junk, is not a record to listen to through cheap speakers. Their sound is far from pristine and is best described as a gritty, bass-heavy waltz. The drum beat and vocals fluctuate unpredictably which stops the simplicity of the three-piece band becoming too repetitive.

From the first listen, it becomes evident why the band is called Bones Shake. The relentless rhythm guitar is enough to scramble your brains. But for me the real highlight is the album’s rare but intoxicating guitar riffs. These serve to drag the band away from the genre of old school rock into a dark parody of the blues. Unfortunately, these riffs appear to be scarcer on Junk than their previous EPs, which devolved the sound into a more basic brand of rock. On the other hand, it is still early days for Bones Shake and their experimentation with vocals and tempo are starting to pay off, so their next album may be a chance to develop some of the classic guitar riffs they have demonstrated in the past.

Overall, Junk is comparable to The Big Come Up by The Black Keys in the sense that the influences are clear, but it’s not yet settled into a polished, marketable sound. Having said that, I have no doubt that Bones Shake would be truly ear-melting live.