This post will change your life.
There's been a lot of ballyhoo surrounding the Shins' latest record, Wincing the Night Away, what with it reaching number two on the Billboard album chart despite the fact that it's on Sub Pop. It's receiving a huge marketing push for such a record. Any time I see indie rock (essentially, both in style and record label) being advertised on television, I take notice. Obviously, the world wants me to buy this record.
So I did.
Upon first listen, I'm rather impressed. I'd heard a couple of their earlier tunes, and remembered them as a quasi-catchy twee-pop band with a decent singer. The production has gotten much tighter, creating a truly pop record that sounds both unique and familiar. It's got the '60s California sound (borrowing as much from the Byrds as the Beach Boys), the late '70s Bowie/Eno/Fripp/Visconti synth vibe, an '80s Tears For Fears precision and cadence, '90s indie lyrical nonchalance, and 2000s digital sheen without overt Auto-Tuned, chop-edited trickery, all washed in post-NIN/post-Radiohead ambience. The songs themselves vary in style, and the attention to detail on the recording side of things never crowds out the melodies and hooks themselves. I wish I could say I was surprised that the Shins are a largely autocratic band, with James Mercer writing all the songs and arrangements and taking producer credit, but after listening just once, I can't claim surprise at all. This was a singular and single vision, and it's a lot easier to focus a record like that.
In reference to the title of this post, I can't claim that this Shins record will change your life, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable record where I expected empty hype, as with the Wolfmother album. Here is a band that is not afraid to sound like a throwback in the most modern way possible, a compliment I can only pay a scant few bands in the indie rock arena. Have a listen to this record if any of this sounds good to you. If not, you'll survive without it, I suppose.
So I did.
Upon first listen, I'm rather impressed. I'd heard a couple of their earlier tunes, and remembered them as a quasi-catchy twee-pop band with a decent singer. The production has gotten much tighter, creating a truly pop record that sounds both unique and familiar. It's got the '60s California sound (borrowing as much from the Byrds as the Beach Boys), the late '70s Bowie/Eno/Fripp/Visconti synth vibe, an '80s Tears For Fears precision and cadence, '90s indie lyrical nonchalance, and 2000s digital sheen without overt Auto-Tuned, chop-edited trickery, all washed in post-NIN/post-Radiohead ambience. The songs themselves vary in style, and the attention to detail on the recording side of things never crowds out the melodies and hooks themselves. I wish I could say I was surprised that the Shins are a largely autocratic band, with James Mercer writing all the songs and arrangements and taking producer credit, but after listening just once, I can't claim surprise at all. This was a singular and single vision, and it's a lot easier to focus a record like that.
In reference to the title of this post, I can't claim that this Shins record will change your life, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable record where I expected empty hype, as with the Wolfmother album. Here is a band that is not afraid to sound like a throwback in the most modern way possible, a compliment I can only pay a scant few bands in the indie rock arena. Have a listen to this record if any of this sounds good to you. If not, you'll survive without it, I suppose.