So we’re all modern Americans, right (except for those of you who are not from America, you lucky bastards), and we all have this post-Pitchfork eclectic taste where our Kanye butts up against our Bowie and our Neon Indians or whatever are sandwiched between unironic Hall & Oates playlists and some Norwegian black metal because we’re well rounded, etc. People will go, “What kind of music do you listen to?” and you’ll give them that exasperated sigh / eye roll combo like, “How can I ever fully express how deep and varied and amazing is my music taste to a subhuman Morlock like yourself who probably listens to 101.whatever and thinks My Fall Out Chemical Sevenfold is awesome and please don’t ask me what my favorite band- Oh, lovely. There you went and asked me what my favorite band was like I can possibly narrow it down. I hate you.” And hey, I get it. I ran a record store for eight years. It’s tough trying to explain that you know WAY TOO MUCH about old Motown/Stax/Muscle Shoals soul music and that’s kind of your “thing” but you got hired because you’re freakishly into indie hip hop and will go on and on for hours about how Passage is the most underappreciated guy in modern music or how Def Jux sprang from the ashes of the Rawkus era and took over NYC, but really you sit in your house and either play Songs: Ohia’s The Lioness or old Afghan Whigs records all day, except when you’re having a Nick Cave or a WHY? week or whatever. These things happen. But I have an answer, and it’s truly a liberating feeling. The Shivers are my favorite band. Period. They re the thing I can always put on and just fucking love, no matter my mood or the weather. They hit all of my buttons at once (or ‘tick all of my boxes’ as my overseas lady person is fond of saying). It’s so nice to just skip all the bullshit and drop a single band name. I love The Shivers. Ta da. And I am friends with The Shivers, which is crazy. I basically wrote them  fan letter because nothing has come along in years that just totally blew me away and took over my stereo for WAY TOO LONG like they did. It’s everything I love about music, and for the most part it’s just two people singing and playing their little hearts out. And they responded to my fan letter thing and I booked them in Chicago and we went out to dinner and watched Intervention and when I’m in NYC I call them up and we we do things, like normal people. This makes me happier than anything on earth because that’s incredibly rare and really, really cool (for me at least). And in ten weeks Keith will be playing in the café/venue I manage because that’s how these things work and I love it. And they just got signed. Like, two months ago, which I find ridiculous because they had four of the best records I’ve ever heard that they put out all on their little lonesomes, just floating around unheard and unappreciated except by those of us lucky enough to have stumbled onto them in a stroke of fate.  So now that they’re gaining notoriety (slowly but surely) here is a “best of The Shivers” mix that will hopefully compel you to go out and buy any Shivers LP you can get your hands on, and (also hopefully) fall as hard and as fast as I did. There are a lot more songs hiding out there that are not on it, and 90% of them are … great, I guess. Pretty great. Please enjoy, and if you’re in or around NYC look them up and catch a show. Shoot the shit with them. They’re amazingly nice people. Tracklist (they won’t load in this order): Early Bird Special Money Sounds African Passport Just Didn’t Need To Know Only In It For The $$$ Do You Got The Shivers? Yes And No Nothing At All Instrumental #2 Love Is Good Beauty SoHo Party Love Is In The Air (Daytrotter session) Chelsea Hotel #2 (Leonard Cohen cover) L.I.E. Joanna Borderline* The Ghetto New Direction Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars Horses Half Invisible Love You Like A Dog Shallow Water Love Is In The Air Magazine Lover *warning, best song ever

So we’re all modern Americans, right (except for those of you who are not from America, you lucky bastards), and we all have this post-Pitchfork eclectic taste where our Kanye butts up against our Bowie and our Neon Indians or whatever are sandwiched between unironic Hall & Oates playlists and some Norwegian black metal because we’re well rounded, etc.

People will go, “What kind of music do you listen to?” and you’ll give them that exasperated sigh / eye roll combo like, “How can I ever fully express how deep and varied and amazing is my music taste to a subhuman Morlock like yourself who probably listens to 101.whatever and thinks My Fall Out Chemical Sevenfold is awesome and please don’t ask me what my favorite band- Oh, lovely. There you went and asked me what my favorite band was like I can possibly narrow it down. I hate you.”

And hey, I get it. I ran a record store for eight years. It’s tough trying to explain that you know WAY TOO MUCH about old Motown/Stax/Muscle Shoals soul music and that’s kind of your “thing” but you got hired because you’re freakishly into indie hip hop and will go on and on for hours about how Passage is the most underappreciated guy in modern music or how Def Jux sprang from the ashes of the Rawkus era and took over NYC, but really you sit in your house and either play Songs: Ohia’s The Lioness or old Afghan Whigs records all day, except when you’re having a Nick Cave or a WHY? week or whatever. These things happen.

But I have an answer, and it’s truly a liberating feeling. The Shivers are my favorite band. Period. They re the thing I can always put on and just fucking love, no matter my mood or the weather. They hit all of my buttons at once (or ‘tick all of my boxes’ as my overseas lady person is fond of saying). It’s so nice to just skip all the bullshit and drop a single band name. I love The Shivers. Ta da.

And I am friends with The Shivers, which is crazy. I basically wrote them  fan letter because nothing has come along in years that just totally blew me away and took over my stereo for WAY TOO LONG like they did. It’s everything I love about music, and for the most part it’s just two people singing and playing their little hearts out. And they responded to my fan letter thing and I booked them in Chicago and we went out to dinner and watched Intervention and when I’m in NYC I call them up and we we do things, like normal people. This makes me happier than anything on earth because that’s incredibly rare and really, really cool (for me at least). And in ten weeks Keith will be playing in the café/venue I manage because that’s how these things work and I love it.

And they just got signed. Like, two months ago, which I find ridiculous because they had four of the best records I’ve ever heard that they put out all on their little lonesomes, just floating around unheard and unappreciated except by those of us lucky enough to have stumbled onto them in a stroke of fate. 

So now that they’re gaining notoriety (slowly but surely) here is a “best of The Shivers” mix that will hopefully compel you to go out and buy any Shivers LP you can get your hands on, and (also hopefully) fall as hard and as fast as I did. There are a lot more songs hiding out there that are not on it, and 90% of them are … great, I guess. Pretty great.

Please enjoy, and if you’re in or around NYC look them up and catch a show. Shoot the shit with them. They’re amazingly nice people.

Tracklist (they won’t load in this order):

Early Bird Special

Money Sounds

African Passport

Just Didn’t Need To Know

Only In It For The $$$

Do You Got The Shivers?

Yes And No

Nothing At All

Instrumental #2

Love Is Good

Beauty

SoHo Party

Love Is In The Air (Daytrotter session)

Chelsea Hotel #2 (Leonard Cohen cover)

L.I.E.

Joanna

Borderline*

The Ghetto

New Direction

Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars

Horses

Half Invisible

Love You Like A Dog

Shallow Water

Love Is In The Air

Magazine Lover

*warning, best song ever