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Sounds Like
SHINS VIDEOS
Sleeping Lessons (live)
Turn On Me
From the album 'Wincing The Night Away'
Australia
From the album 'Wincing The Night Away'
Phantom Limb
From the album 'Wincing The Night Away'
Wincing The Night Away
To play music for a long time, you have to surprise the people that love you—while also surprising yourself. Recorded in singer/guitarist James Mercer's basement studio, Phil Ek's Seattle digs, and in Oregon City with veteran producer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2), Wincing the Night Away is The Shins' third full-length album. It's also the sound of a band growing up and out. Mercer's infectious, indelible melodic style is still at the core, and unfaltering. But anything can happen around it—and in this case, it does. While the vocals channel the spirit of Morrissey, "Sea Legs" pairs a loping hip-hop beat with lush melody and searing guitars. Elsewhere the band toys with tweaked-out, liquid piano steeped in kaleidoscopic strings ("Red Rabbits"); fractured synth samples ("Spilt Needles"); gauzy, arpeggiated keyboards cloaking thunderous anthems ("Sleeping Lessons"); and, taking cues from early Jesus and Mary Chain albums, sweeping, fuzz-toned epics ("Phantom Limb"). Finally, "Turn on Me," "Girl Sailor" and "Australia" are the lilting, thrilling, rollicking, rock-solid pop songs we've all come to covet from The Shins. Consider yourself surprised.
Chutes Too Narrow
The Shin's debut full-length, 2001's Oh, Inverted World, was a stunner; resoundingly well-received and landing itself on numerous year-end best-of-lists. MOJO placed it at ..14 of the year and commented, "This quartet from Albuquerque, New Mexico captured our hearts this summer with their pristine pop perfection." And, Seattle's The Stranger went even further with, "...a referential, brilliant record which had better blow up, or the world has forgotten what pop music is all about." As far as we're concerned it did blow up - seems there's still some hope for the world and its conception of pop music. Since that first record, singer/songwriter/guitarist James Mercer and drummer Jesse Sandoval moved from Albuquerque to Portland, OR and bassist Neal Langford was replaced with original member Dave Hernandez (ex-Scared Of Chaka), who played bass on the stand-out track from the first record, "New Slang." Chutes Too Narrow, their heavily anticipated follow-up, was recorded in James' basement home studio, with later mixing assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). And, with 10 songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the new record is a brief yet entirely scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective and perfectly skewed pop innovation.
Oh Inverted World
Originally hailing from Albuquerque, NM, The Shins sprung from the ashes of Flake/Flakemusic in 1997 (though those previous incarnations date back nearly a decade) same members, different instruments, different approach. Counterpoint guitars have given way to a single guitar pitted against calculated keyboard passages; swarming indie rock machinations led to pop-based melodic endeavors (who knew?).
My friend and I are writing a series of articles on bands that don't get enough mainstream attention for our high school's online newspaper. We both admire your music and wanted to write one of our articles about you guys!
One of the great things about having an online paper is that we can use different forms of media to get our point across. So, we were wondering if we could upload some of your songs to accompany the article.
I saw the trailer for Some Days Are Better Than Others, I must say it looks great!:) I am ready and pumped to see it!:) I do hope that you do sing for the movie. I mean for the soundtrack, that would be great:)! Even if it is just you, you are amazing singer and song writer:) Keep up the awesome work dude!:)
Hey..so i'm the freak that keeps sending you comments about not being able to send you a message because it says you guys are marked as away. The point of my message was to obviously express my love for you guys but also I started on a painting of James and I would really love to know what you think...since I couldn't send it in a message or a comment, I put it up in my photo album. It is under "My Photos" If you can take the time to check it out it would be amazing to get some feed back (: (: (: Much Love <3
