The Shivas - Dark Thoughts (Vinyl)

Facts Vinyl LP pressing. For The Shivas, the show has always been the thing. That thing being a bombastic, explosive and thoroughly communal live rock and roll experience where barriers between the performers and their audience seem to dissolve into the sweat and sound. It's the stage - or the basement, or the living room - that's the Portland band's true element. It's their raison d'etre. It's their religion. The album is a defining sonic achievement for the band, which began booking their own tours in high school. Dark Thoughts is the sound of a tight-knit band whose members have learned not just how to trust each other, but how to grow together. "Being adults now," Leonard says. "We're starting to talk a lot more philosophically about why we do what we do. Some of my favorite music came from people needing to find a space. Music is just such a visceral place to find a release." That's what The Shivas are here for: to help people get free, if even just for an hour. If they drop a few great albums along the way, so be it.