Chutes Too Narrow
Don't let the cartoon crap on the cover fool
you; this is no lightweight album. The Shins seem to have found
that perfect balance of retro and modern on this album. I mean,
shit, "Young Pilgrims" is one of my favorite songs of all time
for no other reason than it's just simple and awesome. If you're
ever going to gently introduce your Dave Matthews lovin' friends
to cool music (not that there's any parallel), start with this
poppy album filled with some of the best indie rock has to offer.
It's amazing to me that this album didn't make these guys a
household name, with its catchy 60's tunes tinged with hipster
melody. I mean the smokin' hot Natalie
Portman said that their songs (albeit from a different album
and as a character in Garden
State) would "change your life." If you can't trust a hot
Harvard grad about music, I'm not sure what to do for you. |
Oh, Inverted World
|
Wincing the Night Away
Starting off like the sound of a late 60s
sunken living room with one of those colorful star lamps, this
album morphs into a sort of slick soundtrack to the life of
someone with a fancy belt buckle and a subdued plaid shirt (and
maybe some sideburns). In fact that’s kind of how Shins albums
go. They don’t so much hit you with songs so much as wash over
you with a feeling of nostalgia and good vibes. That was less
evident on their second album Chutes Too Narrow, which
had more pop separation between its songs, but their debut,
along with this album, kind of flow from song to song in a miasma
of reverb and Mercer’s lilting falsetto. There’s also this sound
that they’ve fallen in love with on this album that sounds kind
of like water dripping in a giant Mexican cave (on greatest
display on "Red Rabbits") that makes me feel like
I have to pee. I can’t imagine anyone hating album, but it’s
hard to also imagine anyone jumping out of his shorts after
hearing it either. I think the only adjective that sums up the
first half of the album is “lovely.” Someone the other day said
he found himself using that word (not in conjunction with this
album) and couldn’t for the life of him remember ever using
it before. I’ve used it, I think, but only when trying to be
nice when my mom showed me the curtains she made herself out
of an old bedspread in their guest room. While I would describe
it that way to others, I happen to think it’s a strong addition
to their discography and one that I drag out when I’m feeling
like staring out the window at the rain thinking about that
girl from eleventh grade who “changed my life.” |
Musical Connections:
Broken Bells
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