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H-Town Rock
Rock Talk, Vol. IX
It’s been almost three and a half years since The Shins released their last album Chutes Too Narrow. Since that time, their popularity has soared – mainly thanks to Zach Braff for showcasing two songs from 2001’s Oh, Inverted World in the movie and soundtrack Garden State. In that movie, the lead female character explains to Braff that The Shins will "change your life." They may or may not change your life, but they just may change the current state of bland, copycat alternative pop/rock music (i.e., emo).
This week, The Shins released Wincing the Night Away, the first highly-anticipated release of 2007 by critics and various other music lovers. The publicity machine is on: Their faces are currently on the cover of several different music-related magazines; they’ve played SNL and David Letterman this past week. This new album should debut in Billboard’s Top 10, easily (Chutes Too Narrow peaked at #86). And they did this all without leaving their independent record label Sub Pop, despite offers from several majors.
Wincing the Night Away doesn’t stray far from the formula of their last two releases. You still have James Mercer’s unique vocals, and poetic, yet head-scratching lyrics. The varied music styles are there, too: from straight-ahead pop, to Simon & Garfunkel-ish folk/rock, to the just plain weird. The beauty comes in the sequencing of the album – the songs flow well, and clocking around 40 minutes total, you don’t get bored with it.
The album begins with the dreamy “Sleeping Lessons,” reminding you that “you’re not obliges to swallow anything you despise.” It’s unlikely you’ll find anything here that you’ll despise: starting off slow and eerie and perking up in the middle, it’s like they made this song for your clock radio, helping you start your day.
Second track “Australia” begins with a signature Shins “la la la la,.” Basically, a love song, with lyrics that paint an image of its own. A 56-second filler piece, “Pam Berry” follows, sounding like James Mercer is trying to call the ghost of Thom York as much as possible. That track is basically the opening for the first single, “Phantom Limb.” This single sounds as if it could have been included on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds – great pop piece with plenty of layers in the background. (The video for “Phantom Limb” is now available (see below) – it’s cute, but still doesn’t compare to the creepy, sad cow in their older “Pink Bullets” video).
Track five, “Sealegs” is a darker love song with great lyrics like “if you're a seascape
I'm a listing boat, for the thing carries every hope.” “Red Rabbits” is even darker, but more beautiful. The Belle & Sebastian-ist song seems to be a continuation of the male/female relationship that begun at the beginning of the CD, but other people see the track as being about communism or drugs. With Mercer’s lyrics, only he knows.
The next track, “Turn On Me,” is a typical Shins pop song that was first featured on season 4 of the O.C. After that, the album goes in between moody soundscapes ("Black Wave," "A Comet Appears") and pop genius ("Split Needles," "Girl Sailor").
This is smart pop, the type of stuff that you want to hear on the radio these days, but know you won’t. Will Wincing the Night Away change your life? All things are possible. If nothing else, listening to the Shins at least gives us hope in the music industry.
Links:
The Shins official website
Listen to Wincing the Night Away
Download "Phantom Limb" (for free!)
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My favorite track is Sea Legs! Love those Shins!
Sorry to bust your ego bubble, but the Shins aren't emo. Also, it's Thom Yorke. How about you work on improving your grammar, Mr. Hot Shot?
I don't think he was saying the Shins are emo - I think he's saying they are a welcome relief from emo. How about you work on not being such a jerk, Jay?
Hey Eric- some dude thinks you're HOT!!!
Hey, Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel. Can I buy an "E"?