Two Black Eyes (2020)
When there's nineteen years between a band's most recent two releases, there is always cause for concern. Will they be able to pick up somewhere close to where they left off? Is it even possible to capture that sort of lightning in a bottle a second time? Will anyone even care? Luckily, when it comes to the new album from Shiner, they tick off all of the boxes and answer any questions with a resounding yes.
I became aware of Shiner primarily because they are my wife's favorite band. She played them for me and I especially gravitated towards their 2001 album, The Egg. Coincidently, that was the last album they put our before the nineteen year gap that preceded Schadenfreude. Listening to Schadenfreude, I think it is a great follow up to The Egg.
While Allen Epley has stayed active over the years in his other band The Life and Times, they never spoke to me the same way Shiner did. Though my wife thinks they are great, for me they were just never loud enough. If there's one thing that Schadenfreude is, it's loud. It has those huge, crunchy guitar tones and massive energy that I want out of this kind of Jawbox-flavored rock and roll.
Now, when I say energy, I want to clarify that a bit. Shine is not playing fast punk rock songs. Their vibe is slower, but it still packs a mean punch. I tend to visualize molten lava flowing down a mountain. It's not going to fly through a town, but it's got an unstoppable inertia to it, churning and building as it wipes out everything in front of it. It's a big sound and one that I am happy to hear again.
When Shiner started playing some reunion shows and rereleasing their earlier records, there was always hope that new tunes might come to light. With Schadenfreude that hope became reality and fortunately Shine was also able to live up to the reputation they created for themselves twenty plus years ago.
Shiner - Schadenfreude:
https://shinerkc.bandcamp.com/album/schadenfreude
