Shark [band]
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Shark [band]

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"Best Alternative Rock Albums of 2009"

iTunes lists Shark's self-titled debut album as one of the Best Alternative Rock Albums of 2009.

Shark is the only unsigned band to have an album on this list. - iTunes


"Shark album review"

Shark (Shark; myspace.com/shark). Somehow Shark has written and performed a track that sounds like a circus without being totally annoying. In other words, this disc is a pleasant surprise. "Intro," the circus track, gives way to "Harmonix," which starts quietly with insistent guitars and keys playing staccato notes with a propulsive drum beat underneath. The track builds to a breakdown in the last third that sounds like an entirely different piece. Shark works, from the vamp-melody at the end of "Feel the Fear" to the feedback-only "( - )" to points between.

There's a 1970s prog rock feel (think Genesis with Peter Gabriel in attitude, if not sound) that makes this music a good candidate for listening in the car late at night or putting on the headphones and drifting off to wherever you want to go between your ears. And prog naysayers shouldn't be scared off. The disc doesn't feel self-conscious or pretentious. The vocals are the lone weak spot, but they're wisely kept to a minimum and low in the mix.

—David Riedel - New Haven Advocate


""5 for '10" - New Locals to Love Right Away"

SHARK | Shark aren't quite a baby band. Brothers Joseph and John Mordecai formed the project in Connecticut with childhood friend Josh Bleeks in 2004, and it's since survived Bleeks's move to Providence, Joseph's relocation to Boston and his moonlighting as Chaplinesque, John's double duty as bassist for the auspiciously awesome Apse, and a three-year hiatus.

The "unique chemistry" at the heart of Shark and their slow, selective approach to committing stuff to tape have paid off: last year's self-released Shark debut was named by iTunes as one of the Best Alternative Albums of 2009, and it's easy to hear why. Big, growly mats of guitar are held up to the light in "Feel the Fear," a gorgeous sprawling mix of Flaming Lips quirk and druggy Spiritualized drama. "Turducken" gets a bit goofier on the prog tip, quickly collecting itself into a writhing post-punk ditty that wouldn't have let Jawbox down. But don't let those '90s references throw you — Shark sound new. If there's one direct carryover from that tumultuous decade, it's Shark's love of volume. Joseph explains, "We utilize everything at our disposal — effect pedals, keyboards, our voices — to convey the torrential feel of the music while still keeping the emphasis on the raw sound of three people playing together, and just how loud a three-piece can be."

They've got no shows lined up in town at the moment, and no definite recording plans for the follow-up ("We're not too big on planning things"), but if their early offerings are any indication, Shark's uncertain path is well worth following.

by Michael Brodeur
January 20, 2010 - Boston Phoenix


Discography

Shark (released June 11, 2009)

• All of the tracks from our self-titled debut album are available for full streaming on LaLa.com.

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Bio

Shark is a three-piece ethereal prog band from the New England region of the United States of America. Having played in various incarnations throughout the 1990s and influenced by bands as disparate as King Crimson and Slowdive, its members - Joe Mordecai (vocals, guitars, keyboards), John Mordecai (vocals, bass, keyboards), and Josh Bleeks (drums, guitars, instruments) - formed Shark in 2004.

The band self-released its self-titled debut recording in June of 2009 to positive reviews and a summer-long prominent placing on iTunes' "Rising Stars of Alt Rock." (Links to purchase the album in physical or digital formats can be found on the band's MySpace page [http://www.myspace.com/shark]). The band performed primarily in the Northeastern US through the summer and fall to promote the release, which iTunes eventually named one of the Best Alternative Albums of 2009 - the only album by an unsigned band on the list.

Bassist John is also a member of Apse, who released their hotly anticipated sophomore album "Climb Up" in November of 2009 on the esteemed ATP-R label.

For more information and links, please visit the band's MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/shark