Shaky Hands

"Likable" could be the most withering epithet in the book of faint praise. So the promotional strategy pursued on behalf of the Shaky Hands by Kill Rock Stars and Holocene-- pitching them as Portland's best-liked combo, a band for which no one in the community utters a discouraging word-- is potentially dangerous. If no one hates you, you've gotta be doing something wrong, right? That goes double for rock bands. But the Shaky Hands deserve more than a Miss Congeniality sash or a success-smothering "band's-band" tag. Even when they trade in clichéd themes and done-to-death sounds, they're really good.