By snoadmin
When The Shins first signed to Sub Pop Records some seven years ago, the legendary indie label anticipated that the band would eventually sell in the neighborhood of 20,000 albums. Since then, the Portland, Ore.-based group has sold more than 400,000 CDs, thus becoming Sub Pop’s biggest commercial act since the heyday of Nirvana in early ’90s.
Of course, The Shins got a huge boost when the sound-track to the hit 2004 film “Garden State” included two of the band’s songs. It also helped that in the movie Natalie Portman tells Zach Braff that The Shins “will change your life.”
So it was no surprise that there was plenty of anticipation leading up to the recent release of The Shin’s long awaited third album, “Wincing the Night Away.” It’s been four years since the band’s last CD, 2003’s breakthrough hit “Chutes Too Narrow,” was introduced to the public.
The lengthy gap between albums had a lot to do with The Shins’ touring obligations, which undoubtedly increased with the popularity of “Chutes Too Narrow.”
Some musicians can write well on the road. But for The Shins’ vocalist-guitarist-songwriter James Mercer, creating new material is something that requires his undivided attention in a more domestic setting. Already a perfectionist, Mercer may have also felt the pressure of following up an album that some critics have hailed as an indie masterpiece.
The adjective masterpiece is unlikely to be applied to “Wincing the Night Away,” The Shins’ third CD. But it is an album with many virtues and plenty of appealing pop song craft. The group’s music has often been described as a cross between ’60s pop-rock and ’80s English new wave. While this is true to an extent with “Wincing the Night Away,” it is Mercer’s seeming affection for Beatles-era pop that shines through most on this 11-track disc.
The Shins have even looked like the Fab Four on occasion. When it appeared with Scottish folk minstrels Belle and Sebastian last summer at the Hollywood Bowl, the quintet performed in matching outfits that brought to mind the mop top Beatles of 1965.
Pure pop and trippy psychedelia merge on the album opener “Sleeping Lessons.” The track begins as a slow, dreamy song with plenty of airy atmospherics and vocals that sound as if they were recorded underwater. Like The Beatles, The Shins employ a wide palette of instrumental colors. The unit is also occasionally prone to sudden dynamic shifts. Half way through “Sleeping Lessons,” the band ups the tempo and transforms the song into a dramatic rocker.
“Turn On Me” is another ethereal pop song that at times incorporates harder guitar chords. Meanwhile, “Red Rabbits” spices its fetching melody with quasi strings and what sound like spacey slide guitar textures. “Sealegs” even carries a funky bass groove and some jazzy keyboard textures.
It’s all pretty inventive stuff that reflects a band that refuses to become stagnant. This sense of adventure may also be due to the presence on this album of producer Joe Chi-carelli, who had previously worked with such inventive artists as Frank Zappa, Beck and U2.
Imaginative song arrangements and dreamy atmospherics aside, “Wincing the Night Away” is also memorable for its piercing melodies and Mercer’s heart-on-his-sleeve singing. It’s the vocals that tend to bring to mind ’80s English icons The Cure and Morrissey. The difference is that unlike The Cure’s Robert Smith and Morrissey, there’s less angst and more lilt to Mercer’s vocalizing.
While it may not eclipse or match “Chutes Too Narrow,” “Wincing the Night Away” is unquestionably a worthy follow-up and an early highlight of the new year in rock.
