Song of the Day: Shake Some Action! - Waiting for the Sun

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Waiting for the Sun” by Shake Some Action! from their 2017 album, Crash Through or Crash, out now on Satellite 451 Records.

Shake Some Action! - Waiting for the Sun (MP3)

At the heart of all great pop tunes is one thing: a memorable melody. James Hall, the Australian-born, Seattle-based mastermind behind local jangle pop favorites Shake Some Action!, understands that truth better than most. He and Shake Some Action! have been treating this town to timeless tunes since 2007, when they released their self-titled debut. The strong, Beatles-esque songwriting on the release earned the band some serious airtime on KEXP, while Shake Some Action!’s remarkably energetic performances -- at places like Bumbershoot and the Sunset Tavern -- helped the group amass an intense local following.

Shake Some Action!’s sixth album, Crash Through or Crash, released earlier this year, shows that, a decade later, the band still have the magic touch. Today’s Song of the Day, “Waiting for the Sun,” a tightly-packed nugget of jangle pop joy, starts the album on sure footing. Warm and instantly familiar, it’s the kind of tune you want to tuck in your pocket and save for later. The sound of a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar -- a staple instrument of the jangle pop genre -- shimmers like light dancing across water, while the insistent smack of the snare drum gives the song just the slightest edge of urgency, a feeling sometimes left wanting in the breezy music of Shake Some Action’s jangle pop peers. If music could clear the sky, this song would do it. “Waiting for the Sun” is pure light.

No dates mentioned yet on Shake Some Action!’s nifty-lookin’ official website, but, as the tour tab of the site advertises, “stay tuned….” Check back there or the band's Facebook page for updated listings and, in the meantime, enjoy the video for “I Can See Where This Is Going Now,” below.