This garage rock rates high on the old Richter scale

The Shake comes out of the same New York City indie scene that also gave the world The Strokes. But you won’t hear any of The Strokes’ bored and disjointed rock coming out of this new band. Instead, Kick It plays it straight, with plenty of immediately likeable garage rock. Tracks like “8 O’clock” mix The Yardbirds’ guitar crunch with The Kinks’ keen melodic sense, making this music oftentimes more British than American. As “Devil’s Side” attests, the group isn’t at all afraid to throw in wailing electric guitar whenever the mood suits them. Eliad Shapiro even adds soulful organ to “Devil’s Side”, which only increases the fun factor. Witty song titles like “Dyin’ Ain’t the End of the World” shows that the group also has an overt sense of humor. So with all they’ve got going for them, who wouldn’t want to kick it with The Shake?

• "Manic Boogie" MP3