Local rockers Shaky Shrines release creepy, campy debut LP

Shaky Shrines

Mausoleum

Grade: B+

Sounds like: a soundtrack for the life of a doomsday prep per

With a mixture of campy rock ‘n’ roll elements, seductive vocals and playful use of modern paranoia, Shaky Shrines has put together an album that goes best with a quadruple-locked door and boarded-up windows.

Mausoleum, the debut LP by the Pittsburgh-based five-piece band, does a deft job of blending Dick Dale-style guitar solos with punchy rhythm guitar parts. The use of female backup singers adds an interesting retro element, seamlessly working its way into the backbone of the album’s choruses.

But the highlight of Mausoleum — and the reason why Shaky Shrines is a memorable ensemble — is their use of lyrical content that satirizes the sometimes outlandish fears that plague society. What’s really scary, though, is how relatable they are.

Beginning with the song “Strangers’ Eyes” — a tune that puts listeners in the clutches of a voyeuristic nightmare — the tone of the album is set, with the chorus of: “Keep your eyes open, keep your mouth shut.” From there on, the album twists and turns through fears with the help of organ sounds and simple pop song structures.

The album’s highlights include the final track, “Someone’s in the Basement,” a darkly scathing song that plays on the fears of suburban homeowners. “He wants money for drugs and junk,” and “he’ll sell your things at the local pawn shop,” goes one of the verses, sung behind an atmospheric guitar riff, making it easily the most experimental track on the record.

But Mausoleum isn’t only about fears surrounding other people’s immoral intentions. “Can’t Quit” discusses the seemingly impossible task of trying to quit drinking when your entire social life revolves around it, and “Nothin’ to Do” goes over how once you reach the age of 22, things start to become mundane.

The tracks on Mausoleum continuously have an ominous feel that help define Shaky Shrines’ sound among a relatively simple set-up of guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.

The campy element is played up a lot, with haunted-hayride-like laughs in “Someone’s in the Basement” and Black-Sabbath-like guitar riffs in the song “Nothing to Do.”

As far as local debuts go, “Mausoleum” stands out as remarkably smart, well-crafted and innovative. Instead of reverting to cliched choruses that derive their sound from stashed-away punk-rooted chord progressions, Shaky Shrines is consistent and good at what they are trying to accomplish, which is both retro and refined. The band is adept at taking the eerie feel of a Blue Oyster Cult song and making it sound authentic and actually cool.