new shins

[Bedfordstop]

Opinions are all over the map on the new shins record. And indeed it is uneven. But I'll say this, the first time i heard Australia i almost shat myself with euphoria. That is indie pop music at its most joyous. James Mercer can write musical circles around any songwriter out there today. At first i was listening for the melodic hook in that song, but it slowly dawned on me, the whole damn song is a melodic hook. The hook is fully 3 minutes long! Outrageous i say, OUTRAGEOUS!

That said, as is true with any great risk taking artists, there are some misfires here. But Dylan is allowed to make "Self Portrait" because he has also written "It Takes a lot to Laugh it takes a train to Cry" . And so we forgive the shins for their electronic drumbeat misadventures (read: Sea Legs - i find this song to be totally uninspired, uninspiring, and full of bad ideas) because they also give us "Australia."

Come to think of it, one of my favorite Kinks songs is also called Australia. Theory: Perhaps the secret to writing a brilliant song is simply calling it "Australia"? Discuss...

[mertmo]

Bedfordstop, that's funny I think "sea legs" is one of the most interesting and
inspired songs on the record!

I agree that the record production sounds "ultra glossy" as someone said
earlier. I do really like some of the music. Songs 1 and 2 totally rock,
now that's how you open a record! The single doesn't do much for me, but "sea legs", and a
couple others are really good. But some of it is pretty flat and the production
just doesn't do it for me. I do think the record sounds nice, but
in the end that's the problem for me. It sounds TOO nice. Glossy really is
the perfect term. Everything is perfectly processed, perfectly balanced, there is nice pillowy reverb everywhere.
I mean, there is huge 80's reverb on the snare drum half the time!!???
There is not a lot that is immediate or intimate about this
record to me, it all exists in a grandly presented form that is very polished and
very conciously "displayed" or something. The sound of it doesn't actually have any impact to me.
Basically, I think the production sounds nice but is very safe. I don't
hear them taking any chances sonically.

But having said all that, I am enjoying listening to parts of the record and of
course, being an albuquerque resident, I am definitely enjoying their world
conquest moment.
"Chutes too narrow" is still my favorite though. Totally focused and full of
great songs.

[Coco]

I really like it and I enjoy the glossy recording. I can actually crank it on my stereo and it won't distort. Nice!

I think this is my favourite Shins offering to date.

[bigideas]

does anyone else think this tune when you hear the opening guitar riff on Turn on Me?

"so he walked up to me and asked me if i wanted to dance..."

[JamesHE]

The Shins are the new The Smiths

[andrew]

Its certainly the most polished out of the three albums so far. Very toppy mind. Through headphones, it hurts to listen in places!

It's lacking the charm of the first record but it's a natural progression. You know - it sounds like the third Shins album.

[japmn]

I think the new record sounds like shit. I can't even put my finger on exactly why. I almost expect to hear Click track come out of my speakers. It feels very constructed as opposed to performed. I don't know... makes me feel funny.

[these_go211]

...kind of like when you used to climb the rope in gym class............

[BenBrodin]

Ditto on the synthetic vocals.

-Here is a thought, probably not original, but something that has bugged the last couple years to no end.
This record is certainly more "processed" than previous Shins records. I think it sounds absolutely terrible, and here is why. The old Flake stuff and the Shin's first record (and maybe their second, to a degree) had a sense of spontaneity and discovery to it, and also experimentation. As the music becomes more and more studio-dependent (i.e. more studio processing involved in the finished record - see "synthetic vocals") it certainly feels less spontaneous, sounds less like I am listening to a band playing their songs, and has less a sense of "magic". And for the record, I don't reserve this criticism for the Shins.

-I'll also note that Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie, both northwest bands that came from a generally DIY aesthetic, have seemed to follow the same particular path to mediocre, watered down versions of their former selves, all the while insisting major label sponsorship does nothing to their creative process.

-And finally, I'm a fan of good-sounding records, and there is obviously a time and place for "studio" records, i.e. records where there are more tracks/instruments than musicians. It CAN be cool, but this is NOT cool. I hope this Shins record is the beginning of the end for this so-called "indie" consumer movement. Ugh.

-Don't mean to be rude, love this board!

[Fieryjack]

Everyone's obviously entitled to their opinion, but I disagree with Optionben...I think it's their most adventurous yet, sonically and musically. They are growing so much (beyond the so called 'indie world!!! Yikes!!!!).

Joe Chicarelli is brilliant and the Shins needed him to take them to the next step.

I have to agree with other posts that Mercer's lyrics are too oblique, bordering on non-sensical. What good is it to even have lyrics if nobody else will understand them or if they are so strange that you need a PHD in linguistics to uncover their meaning? You can be simple and deep at the same time, after all.

This lyric issue is kind of a pandemic throughout the 'indie" world. Bands trying too hard to be cool hiding and posturing behind oblique lyrics.

Take a lesson from Brian Wilson, the man--simple is better. Really

[BenBrodin]

Just a quick reply...the "indie world" as it is today, and I think others will agree with me here, is a consumer movement. There is a clear distinction between consumer-driven "indie" and just plain old "indie" (i.e. friends in a basement working on their songs, making 7"s, playing local shows, etc.). And of course, indie isn't a musical genre. Just to be clear.
I'll be the first to agree with FieryJack that there are singers who hide behind obscure lyrics. Maybe James Mercer qualifies. But I just think it is important to note that being lyrically adventurous (i.e. trying to tell stories in a different way) is altogether different from posturing. One kind of lyric-writing is done by artists, the other is not. I think James Mercer is a great artist, writes wonderful melodies, AND he doesn't write direct lyrics. Big Deal.

[ludwig_van]

And of course, indie isn't a musical genre. Just to be clear.

Well, that's a whole other can of worms. I'd agree with you in theory, the term indie shouldn't represent a musical genre. But it's come to be used that way, especially in the UK, and so if you're a descriptivist, you have to admit defeat in this battle. But it's basically used as a stand-in for "indie rock," i.e., anything you'd read about in the NME or what have you.

Also, I like The Shins a lot, although I've not much listened to the new record, and though I often find James Mercer's lyrics interesting, I do think they suffer from being too oblique. But they probably aren't as bad as the New Pornographers, whose lyrics feel like mostly nonsense to me.

[these_go211]

mercer writes what he writes. i don't believe for a second he's "trying" to be so oblique as to show us what a linguistic genius he is. to me, the shins are about feeling the mood of the music as opposed to following stories in the songs. i haven't a clue what mercer is talking about usually but i don't care as i love the music so much.

i think they have become more polished. but the guys have been playing together now for years, and had 2 albums under their belt when they went in to record this one. clearly they are good musicians and will develop accordingly. and they had a bigger budget with this one. it all makes sense. same goes for modest mouse and death cab.

[timbaier]

Not here to dissect the Shins themselves but the sound of the the album itself - particularly the fact that its WAY TOO LOUD. Its totally distorted!!! Maybe I have a bad copy (not sure how that could happen) but my guess is its mastered too loud. I thought I noticed this a while back, but I was only listening to it in my car with the windows down, so... Now that I'm listening on headphones I hear it clear as day. Has anyone else noticed this?

BTW, I like the record. Not phenomenal, but an above average pop listen. Lyrically its fantastic, maybe their best yet in that department. Musically its a little less thrilling but that may be nitpicking...

[K.Hendriksen]

he lives in elliott smiths old house. there is a lot of eliott's presence in that album. black wave is one that stands out the most. i read an interview with him saying he wrote most of the songs under this stair case. it's quite the beautiful record.