PLAY

Even though thus far I have only reviewed albums by non-American bands, I am very willing to make an exception for The Shins new album Wincing the night away.
After touring with Modest Mouse and signing with sub pop records, the Oregon based band’s popularity significantly increased after Zach Braff picked up two of their songs in his oh so popular indie film Garden State, in which he didn’t just use them in the soundtrack but actually made Natalie Portman’s character a Shins fan. (“this song will change your life, I swear”) And after listening to their new album Wincing the night away, she doesn’t seem to be so far off.
In this album, which title refers to vocalist and guitarist James Mercer’s insomnia, the experiments with sounds and styles that the band was going through on their first two albums seem to have paid off resulting in an album that is solid from start to finish.
The songs tend to be more poppy, but still vary in sound by the inclusion of an eighties sounding synthesizer, a xylophone, haunting violins, eerie guitars, and Mercer’s voice that reminds one of Morrissey.
The lyrics have a dark ironic undertone that seems to be in complete contradiction with it’s upbeat melodies and rythms, yet it is precisely this element that makes the album so strong. The songs tend to bring up dreamy and sleepy images, but break this fantastical illusion by using harsh and dark lyrics like in Australia: You don’t know how long I’ve been,/Watching the lantern dim, Starved of oxygen,/So give me your hand,/And let’s jump out the window.
If Mercer’s insomnia leads to these kind of albums, I hope will never sleep again.

Even though thus far I have only reviewed albums by non-American bands, I am very willing to make an exception for The Shins new album Wincing the night away. After touring with Modest Mouse and signing with sub pop records, the Oregon based band’s popularity significantly increased after Zach Braff picked up two of their songs in his oh so popular indie film Garden State, in which he didn’t just use them in the soundtrack but actually made Natalie Portman’s character a Shins fan. (“this song will change your life, I swear”) And after listening to their new album Wincing the night away, she doesn’t seem to be so far off. In this album, which title refers to vocalist and guitarist James Mercer’s insomnia, the experiments with sounds and styles that the band was going through on their first two albums seem to have paid off resulting in an album that is solid from start to finish. The songs tend to be more poppy, but still vary in sound by the inclusion of an eighties sounding synthesizer, a xylophone, haunting violins, eerie guitars, and Mercer’s voice that reminds one of Morrissey. The lyrics have a dark ironic undertone that seems to be in complete contradiction with it’s upbeat melodies and rythms, yet it is precisely this element that makes the album so strong. The songs tend to bring up dreamy and sleepy images, but break this fantastical illusion by using harsh and dark lyrics like in Australia: You don’t know how long I’ve been,/Watching the lantern dim, Starved of oxygen,/So give me your hand,/And let’s jump out the window. If Mercer’s insomnia leads to these kind of albums, I hope will never sleep again.