The ten songs that make up Shaking Hands by Chicago’s Birthmark represent a partial collection of almost three years worth of work. After playing in more avant-garde projects such as Make Believe and Joan of Arc through 2006, Nate Kinsella of Chicago began writing and recording for this solo project. Performing on most of the instruments himself, Kinsella amassed several hard drives worth of tracks before actually committing to releasing the final record.

The resulting album is a group of songs that sound completely distinct from one another. Kinsella claims to have wanted to select the ten tracks on Shaking Hands more for their differences than their similarities, and he certainly succeeded in his attempts. From the almost eerie clapping melody of “Socializing” to the long, simplistic piano droning of “OKKT”, each track represents an individuality of thought and expression.

The primary consistency running throughout the album, though, is the focus on instrumentation over vocals. In fact, songs such as “Fossil Record”, “Separation”, and “Balloons” take over a minute to reach the lyrical content of the songs. Certainly in the case of “Fossil Record”, though, the break from singing is welcome. While the brooding vocals work well with the song, the buildup of beat patterns, strings, and stretched effects is incredible and much better when heard standing on its own.

Overall, the first full-length from Birthmark has the texture and feel of something crafted and perfected over time. While I certainly don’t want to wait another three years for new music from Nate Kinsella, his formula appears to be working. My main curiosity now lies in how so many layers of sound and variety in instrumentation can be adapted in a live setting without relying too heavily on pre-recorded tracks. His plight isn’t uncommon, though, and with his level of patience, I’m sure the result is a rewarding live experience.