SectionsContent on latest Shins album not going to change your life
Kevin Ehlers
Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: Features
"You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."
You're probably rolling your eyes by now, thinking, "Another Shins reviewer quoting 'Garden State'?" I would be, but honestly there was no other way for me to start this review than to quote Natalie Portman.
The truth is, The Shins has never changed my life. The first two albums were both excellent, but they never ranked among the best album I owned and usually went a few months without a listen until something Shins-related happened, and I'd dig them out again. "Garden State" was the obvious one that rekindled my love for The Shins, but last summer I interned at Sub Pop, The Shins' record label, and had the chance to meet the band personally. The answer to your question is yes, they are as laid-back and friendly as their music would suggest.
That being said, I was more than excited to hear their newest effort, "Wincing the Night Away," wondering how James Mercer and The Shins would respond to all the "Garden State" hype. Three years in the making, "Wincing the Night Away" became that answer, and quite frankly, it is exactly the kind of response I had expected. Nothing changed.
It is clear from the very first song, "Sleeping Lessons" that James Mercer never planned to follow up the critically acclaimed Chutes Too Narrow with anything life changing. The Shins troop begin the album with mellow vibraphones over James Mercer's vocals, adding the rest of the band soon after to create a mini-climax that never reaches too much higher than the vibraphones that began the song. This seems to be a constant theme throughout the album that initially turned me off of the album, but became the very reason I kept coming back time and time again. Mercer's gift for melody is undeniable, and even the slowest of songs on Wincing the Night Away will get stuck in your head. Whether or not you know what "On the faith of ruddy sons/And the double-barreled guns/You better hurry/Rabbit, run, run, run" even means, it's still fun to sing along with.
You're probably rolling your eyes by now, thinking, "Another Shins reviewer quoting 'Garden State'?" I would be, but honestly there was no other way for me to start this review than to quote Natalie Portman.
The truth is, The Shins has never changed my life. The first two albums were both excellent, but they never ranked among the best album I owned and usually went a few months without a listen until something Shins-related happened, and I'd dig them out again. "Garden State" was the obvious one that rekindled my love for The Shins, but last summer I interned at Sub Pop, The Shins' record label, and had the chance to meet the band personally. The answer to your question is yes, they are as laid-back and friendly as their music would suggest.
That being said, I was more than excited to hear their newest effort, "Wincing the Night Away," wondering how James Mercer and The Shins would respond to all the "Garden State" hype. Three years in the making, "Wincing the Night Away" became that answer, and quite frankly, it is exactly the kind of response I had expected. Nothing changed.
It is clear from the very first song, "Sleeping Lessons" that James Mercer never planned to follow up the critically acclaimed Chutes Too Narrow with anything life changing. The Shins troop begin the album with mellow vibraphones over James Mercer's vocals, adding the rest of the band soon after to create a mini-climax that never reaches too much higher than the vibraphones that began the song. This seems to be a constant theme throughout the album that initially turned me off of the album, but became the very reason I kept coming back time and time again. Mercer's gift for melody is undeniable, and even the slowest of songs on Wincing the Night Away will get stuck in your head. Whether or not you know what "On the faith of ruddy sons/And the double-barreled guns/You better hurry/Rabbit, run, run, run" even means, it's still fun to sing along with.
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russian girlfriend
posted 3/21/10 @ 6:45 AM CST
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