Shiver + Shake

The title track of My Goodness’ debut LP, Shiver and Shake, feels a bit like stripping off a layer of grime from prime Black Keys or classic White Stripes, but you can forgive the Seattle band as soon as you detect the almost-buried organ notes punching their way through. They use a well-worn, dirty-to-the-point-of-muddied springboard to leap into the pool of raw, retro blues-rock. Yet they serve up a few surprises and some impressively tight, concussive sounds. Joel Schneider’s gravelly howl is sublimely roadhouse-raw, and when he detours, it’s into surprisingly effective classic hard rock territory; “Check Your Bones” and “Hot Sweat” would make Aerosmith's Steven Tyler proud. They go back even further for inspiration; the foundations under “Pay No Mind” recall great blues-inspired ‘60s bands like Ten Years After. The crunch of Schneider’s guitar speaks to the band’s Grunge City roots, though that sound is tempered with a blues streak that has tunes like “Sweet Tooth” and “C’mon Doll” bristling and stinging with all the indignation of a wronged lover or a barroom brawler itching for a fight, instead of the pained introspection the original grunge crowd celebrated.