Can't Wake Up, Shakey Graves' second official studio album is, to quote the artist himself, "... a dense album... hectic and a little uncomfortable... The most I've ever intentionally worked on a project, musically speaking, in terms of the scope of it and how much thought went into it." After a listen, you'll find no exaggeration in that statement. Can't Wake Up is the result of a broad metamorphosis from his previous work, setting asidethe Americana singer/songwriter persona he'd cultivated thus far and opting for a more experimental, dream-like direction. The record is full of interlacing musical and lyrical themes, and always has a slight sense of disorientation, almost as if the listener is immersed in a new dimension and hearing the voices of it's inhabitants. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, the man behind the Shakey Graves moniker, also reflected that it's a record for those who need to hear it; it's for those who are walking in or have seen someone walk in darkness. The album's themes of feeling discordant with reality, of rejection, monotony, and also ecstasy and joyous youth speak to all realms of experience in every listener.
M**E
Can't Wake Up? Oh, he woke.
I know there will be some fans that are disappointed by Shakey's shift in style on this record, but I see this as a necessary and refreshing evolution of his sound. The brilliant lyrics and song craft are still there, but each song has dense layering of drums, vocals, and guitar. If you have been following his career closely, this is not that much of a shift. Even his first record, Roll the Bones, showed signs of his love for vocal layering and creating dense soundscapes. The difference is that these songs are polished and constructed in a much more meticulous way.For me, it works. From the opening dreamy psychedelia of 'Counting Sheep' to the tragic punk-rock infused folk ballad 'Cops & Robbers', the Shakey we all know and love is still there and his songwriting is better than ever. 'Big Bad Wolf' continues the almost anthem-like gravitas of 'Perfect Parts' from his last album. The lyrics on this album are top notch, from the twirling fantastical word play on 'Aibohphobia' to the extremely clever lyrical building of 'Excuses'. His ironic sense of humor really comes through on songs like 'Climb on the Cross' and 'Dining Alone' - "Everybody always told me if I made a funny face it would stay, so you better get hip and take a liking to me looking this way"Each song is different in tone and subject, but they all shine as individual works of art, bursting with lyrical prowess that have me listening over and over again to catch everything. My favorite song changes with every listen. This will be on repeat for me for a long time. Keep it up, Alejandro.
A**N
The Shakey Graves I've been waiting for!
This is the Shakey Graves I have been waiting for! There have always been elements of his music that I loved, especially on his live recordings. That being said, something was missing for me on his studio albums; this delivers on all levels. The lyrics and songwriting are as good as ever, if not better. Where this album excels is the soundscape he has created to accompany the talents we already new he had. It is such an interesting combo of ballad, psychedelic folk rock, funk, punk, and that just scratches the surface of the many layers of this album. Where the previous studio recordings were somewhat predictable, Can't Wake Up left me on the edge of my seat listening to each song for the first time. After several listens, it just keeps getting better.While the album is solid from start to finish, the stand out songs for me are Counting Sheep, Climb the Cross, and Backseat Driver. I've always been on the fence about Shakey Graves but this album is pure magic. Definitely one of my top albums of the year so far.
R**M
A Stellar Album by the Shake!!!
I ran across Shakey by downloading an EP from this album off of NoiseTrade which included a few tracks off his latest. I later found "Can't Wake Up" offered as a $5 download on Amazon and immediately scooped it up! It's a stellar effort, outstanding lyrics and instrumentation. The only difference is the NoiseTrade sampler had an extended version of "Kids These Days" which included a couple of minutes of raunchy dialogue, prior to the song kicking in, check it out on NoiseTrade. I 've read some of the reviews on this album and I cannot understand why anyone that's a fan would be complaining about this effort. It's perfectly timed for the Summer of 2018 and I'll be playing the hell out of it throughout!
D**C
Good album
As advertised. No problem.
K**T
Not all that good.
More polished and maybe that's the problem.
J**R
So excited to finally get this record!!!!
This item was lot for a while by the USPS, no fault of the seller but was packages excellently, so it arrived today in perfect condition! Thank you!
B**.
this is not like his old music
If you are familiar with Shakey Graves, then just know this; this is not like his old music. However! This is not a bad thing! He tries his hand at a more mellow sound and he does it wonderfully. The vinyl packaging is beautiful and I play the record quite a lot at home.
L**N
Four Stars
nice
O**N
Prefer the Unproduced Stuff..and Put it in a Good Sleeve!
Not what I expected from the initial youtube tracks I listened to, production spoils rather than enhances this guys unique sound but still plenty of good music.Would love to hear him live. Rubbish packaging though, really cheap card sleeve!? One less star for shabby case or sleeve notes (or lack of of).
C**R
Zieht einfach nur vorbei
Ich muss gestehen, bisher kannte ich Shakey Graves nur von Youtube-Videos. War aber darauf vorbereitet, dass diese CD um einiges anders klingt, als sein bisheriges Schaffen. Leider ist diese Veränderung so tiefgreifend, dass hier der 'alte' Graves nur noch im Hintergrund und sporadisch zu hören ist. Selbst nach mehrmaligem hören bleibt bei mir kein Song hängen und, wenn ich einen zufällig im Radio hören würde, könnte ich nicht sagen 'das ist Shakey Graves'.Allenfalls ist dieses Album als Hintergrund für einen Spieleabend mit Freunden zu gebrauchen.Der Titel ist Programm. Hier wird niemand wach.Alles in Allem bekommt man hier ein Pop-Album serviert, welches komplett ohne Ecken und Kanten daherkommt und schlichtweg an einem vorbeizieht wie eine leichte Sommerbrise. All fillers, no killers.Keine Kaufempfehlung.
S**M
Warped Vinyl
My first order of this skipped on both disks on two separate vinyl players and thought I would be solved by a return/exchange but found the 2nd record of the 2nd item also had warping issues. I’ve order 5 vinyl through amazon and three of them have been off. Buyer beware, never know how they’ll store the vinyl in your country.
A**E
Super erste Begegnung mit der Musik von Shakey Graves
Wunderbar produziertes Album. Die Aufnahmen der Stücke sind sehr vielschichtig und bringen den ohnehin schon hervorragend geschriebenen Songs eine besondere Tiefe. Das Album ist für mich der Einstieg in Shakeys Diskography, aber ich werde mir definitiv noch mehr von ihm anhören!Etwas schade ist nur, dass die CD lediglich in einem einfachen Pappschuber kommt. Kein Booklet oder sonstige Informationen zum Album.
W**Y
Press play and repeat.
Shakey Graves is a breathe of fresh air as far as music goes. I cannot understand why radio stations in my area (Detroit/Windsor) do not play his music.
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