What I listened to on the Way to Work Today: Jack Snider’s Sharks Keep Moving

Sharks Keep Moving

Woke up this morning feeling groggy and devoid of energy, dragged my feet in the darkness, through the cold, to my car to make my way to work in the routine, highway traffic.  While in a state of robotic autopilot-ry, I put on a cd without much conscious decisiveness, and the sounds woke me up. “Hey, that sounds like Jack Snider’s vocals..., but this is much better than anything by Minus the Bear!” I quickly removed the cd; it was an album burned by a friend: Sharks Keep Moving’s EP Desert Strings and Drifters (1998 Second Nature Recordings).  Sharks Keep Moving was a short-lived project involving Jack Snider of Minus the Bear fame that played and recorded during the late 90s.  They released one self-titled full-length in 1999 on Static Records as well as some EPs and 7”s.  I have had recordings of this project for a while but paid little attention to it.  After today, I’ve ordered their aforementioned Ep on Vinyl and their full-length on CD to add to the ever-growing library.  The sound is what one would expect: Emo-Math Rock sensibilities with a mature sense of songwriting composition.  What attracts me to this more than Minus the Bear is the tendency to experiment with freeform Jazz sounds.  Check out the song “Cashmere, Washington”:

The song is off of the EP mentioned before.  I apologize for the sound quality; it’s the best YouTube could provide.  There is less pop here and more experimentation than the songs of Minus the Bear; I love the horn sounds with the guitar lines and effects... there’s definitely a lot of layers of instrumentation here.  Check out the magnum opus of the Ep release, “Arizona”:

I’m definitely a sucker for the strings when it comes to Emo-influenced Math Rock.  I cannot recommend this band enough.  A definite listen for fans of Minus the Bear, June of 44, Owls, Rockets Red Glare, and many other bands mentioned on this site.

Sharks Keep Moving - s/t - http://www.mediafire.com/?0bmfjxpjcby

Sharks Keep Moving - Desert Strings and Drifters - http://www.mediafire.com/?nzmfgua3kum