Album Review: Jackson Firebird – Shake The Breakdown
2 min read
The little band that could, Jackson Firebird, are back with their second release Shake The Breakdown. Grunge garage band rock isn’t something you hear a lot of in 2015, perhaps because there just isn’t anyone else who does it quite as well as Jackson Firebird, we’ll never really know. But despite the shrinking genre, this two dude duo are building quite a name for themselves thanks to their unique sound, their growing fan-base, and their utter refusal to quiet down.
From start to finish Shake The Breakdown is a loud, loud and loud album, but it’s also utterly enjoyable the whole time and you are simply unable to stop your head from trashing around. The album starts with the impressive Mohawk Bang! which sounds like a weird mix between Blue Oyster Cult and Foo Fighters. It feels like this song exists purely for you to get on your feet, and if so, it does it in great style with those punchy riffs and crashing drums. The best thing about this song by far is that insane solo about 2 1/2 minutes in, which is not only amazing but it does a sneaky job of leading you into a crowd-pleaser of a bridge. Everything in this track is written, played and produced like a well-oiled machine.
The real true highlight of Shake The Breakdown is Jackson Firebird’s cover of Fat Bottomed Girls. Look if you’re gonna cover Queen, you better either replicate it perfectly, or make it your own. Jackson Firebird went for the latter and you know what? It’s absolutely brilliant. The echoey vocals that originally started the Queen hit are replaced with dirty guitars and vocals that sound like they were recorded with a toy mic, inside a cardboard box and it’s actually awesome. What also sets this cover apart, is that the tempo is noticeably notched up a couple of beats and this simple change has such a huge impact because the song sounds so new and modern, while still maintaing its dark grunge edge throughout.
Shake The Breakdown is a loud mix of head thrashing songs that are literally suitable for any mood and any occasion; if you’re mad listen to Get Away, if you wanna dance it’s gotta be Headache Mantra and if you’re just really happy, listen to every single song on repeat. This a great second release from a growing two piece.
