Album review: HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – Radiocarbon

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA - Radiocarbon

Frontiers [Release date 06.12.19]

Back in 1997, House Of Shakira were in the vanguard of Swedish bands who fanned the dying embers of Melodic Rock, reigniting the genre for a whole new generation of rock fans.

And they were always a band willing to take artistic chances… it’s tough to be original within the narrow parameters of AOR, so sometimes you have to step outside. Their material – 9 studio albums’ worth – is always filled with direct, clanging, torqued up guitars and a heavily motorised bass/drum thump.

It didn’t always work, but it marked them out clearly from other bands within the genre.

And that’s still the band’s MO, probably because their line up has changed little over the years, and perhaps especially the fact that up front, Andreas Eklund’s strikingly powerful vocals provide the band with an easily identifiable stamp of authenticity.

That identity, and willingness to be different, starts (but doesn’t end) with a sitar, a tsunami of guitars and numerous, triumphal chest beating assertions of dominance on ‘A Tyrant’s Tale’. Arguably, it’s the album’s standout track… melodic rock, just not as we know it.

The more familiar hard rock sounds of ‘Herd Instinct’ and ‘Sweet Revenge’ are clearly House Of Shakira, tracks that are alternately lean and fulsome, carefully machine tooled, and just brimming with steely, razor sharp hooks. Equally so, ‘Scavenger Lizard’ opens with a fabulously emphatic riff, drops a quick verse then moves up the gears into stadium rock territory, while ‘Delusion’ goes a step further, recalling the time that bands like Deep Purple carved out the first usable templates for hard and heavy rock.

All that said, the picks are probably the title track, ‘Radiocarbon’, big and bouncy melodic rock, underpinned by well worn country tropes, and ‘Save Yourself’, pulsating AOR with a heartstopping hook and a distinctly Beatle-esque middle eight, cramming considerable sophistication and complexity into a few short bars.

On this showing, it’s hard to see House Of Shakira ever reaching a Sell By Date. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

 


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 5 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 18 March 2024

GYPSY’S KISS We’ve Come To Play
FM Out Of The Blue (Frontiers)
SHOTGUN MISTRESS Shot Down (indie)
ATTIC THEORY Violent Delight (indie)
FLOYA Yume (FiXT)
SAHAJI Tell Me All Your Feelings (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 18 March 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 LEAVES’ EYES Myths Of Fate (AFM Records)
14:00-16:00 HOLLY LERSKI Sweet Decline (indie)


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply