DEATH SONGS, HOOKERS, WILL STENBERG
(Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny) Before closing out the year at Backspace with his band the Shaky Hands, Nick Delffs plays a set with his other band, Death Songs. Conceived as a side project with brother Nathan Delffs (a former Shaky Hand himself), Death Songs recorded a self-titled debut that was released on cassette in very limited quantities by U|H|U Tapes in 2009. Showing a slightly more tarnished aspect of Nick Delffs' songwriting but in no way as dark and dirge-y as the name suggests, Death Songs is every bit as good as a Shaky Hands record—meaning very damn good indeed—and would be well worth reissuing in a greater capacity someday. With a new Shaky Hands record on the horizon, that probably won't happen anytime soon, but tonight's a fine chance to check out some tunes you may have missed. NED LANNAMANN
Complete show listings can be viewed here.