3.5/5 stars

By Peter Bosworth EBS CONTRIBUTOR

The Shivers, aNew York based folk-rock band, quietly released their debut LP Charadesin 2004, and in anera defined by garage-rock revival, The Shivers release zigged where Billboardleaders like the Libertines and the Strokes zagged. Those bands documentedfrivolous love affairs, disappointing parties, and urban malaise with a scuzzylo-fi soundThe Shivers, on the other hand, were making intimate acoustic balladsabout romance and heartbreak.

Theyve nevercared about being cool, only being honest.

Naturally,their hushed tunes never amounted to the commercial success that othercontemporary bands achieved, but they did land the group a cult following. Celebritieslike Patricia Arquette and Daniel Radcliffe are die-hard fans; Aaron Paul,famous for his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, even recruited the bandto play their popular track Beauty at his wedding.

So much of therock n roll aesthetic is centered on maintaining a devil-may-careindifference. Frankly, The Shivers could not stray farther from that credo, ledby singer and frontman Keith Zarreillos practically compulsive obsession withsentimentalityand with an eerily erotic voice to match.

Jim Harrison,author of the epic Legends of theFall once said, the [artist] who refuses sentiment refuses the fullspectrum of human behavior, and then he just dries up. I would rather givefull vent to all human loves and disappointments, and take a chance on beingcorny, than die a smartass.

With theirnewest record, Im on Your Side, TheShivers risk being corny, but with great success. Over eight tracks, Zarreilloacts as a cartographer of love: mapping the peaks of passion, and the valleysof heartbreak.

Take thealbums very first track, Capricorn and Cancer; with whispered lyrics Capricornand Cancer, blue sky turning grey, once you were my dancer, you were dancinground my head. For the astrologically ignorant, Capricorn and Cancer areopposing astronomical signs known for passionate love affairs, so when thetracks soft guitar is juxtaposed with the gritty guitar solo, its in homageto the phenomenon. And despite that The Shivers lyrics walk a tight line thatteeters on clich, its their clever instrumentation that demonstrates an attractivetalent.

The Shiversare truly at their best when they slow down and lean into their sentimentality.While The Shivers have made their fair share of slow-burners, Im on Your Side is easily the mostunabashedly melancholic record in the bands catalog. It may not be the coolestrock record youll hear this year, but it certainly is among the most genuine.

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Album Review: 'I'm on Your Side' The Shivers - Explore Big Sky