CD Odyssey Disc 1036: The Shins

It’s been over four years since I’ve reviewed an album by this next band and five since they’ve put something out. It was a solid return, and after experiencing a bit of bad luck on albums released in 2017, a welcome upturn in quality.

Disc 1036 is…Heartworms

Artist: The Shins

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? A hot mess of flowers, 8-bit font and a skeleton with what I think is a heart full of worms. The artist is someone called Jacob Escobedo, who is clearly not familiar with the expression “know when to say when.”

How I Came To Know It: I like the Shins, so this was just me buying their new release when it came out and hoping for the best. Finally, it paid off. Great – that’s just going to encourage me.

How It Stacks Up:  We have five Shins albums, which I believe is all of them. Of those five, I rank “Heartworms” fourth, displacing “Oh, Inverted World” in the process.

And while it has been over four years since my last Shins review this is once again the final album in my collection. Let’s recap how they stack up again: 

1. Winging the Night Away: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 366)
2. Chutes Too Narrow:  4 stars (reviewed at Disc 496)
3. Port of Morrow: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 442)
4. Heartworms: 3 stars (reviewed right here)
5. Oh, Inverted World: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 22).

Ratings: 3 stars

The Shins don’t make albums very often, but when they do they tend to come back with a refreshed sound that makes you wish they wouldn’t stay away so long. So it is with “Heartworms” which didn’t grab me on my first listen, but got better and better each subsequent time through.

There are some standard features that span all Shins albums, and those are James Mercer’s high and airy vocals, his innate ability to write catchy pop melodies, and his bravery to give those melodies all manner of crazy studio treatments.

“Heartworms” takes this to a new level, layering synthesizer sounds, backup singers and a joyful busyness that reminded me of Manchester sound of the eighties and nineties. Usually this style doesn’t inspire me, and more often than not all that layered sound is just annoying.

Here, I wouldn’t change a thing. There is a lot going on, but Mercer has the good sense to keep his own vocals high in the mix so even if you’re getting distracted with all the beeps, boings and whirrs, you can always cling to his voice until you find your bearings again. By the third listen you know the songs sufficiently to let yourself drift in them, picking up the many and varied sounds that, when stitched together, make up the complexity of the album.

The opening tracks were OK, but they also sounded like what I imagine you’ll hear on alt-rock radio on a Thursday afternoon. The song that first grabbed my attention was “Fantasy Island,” a lovely homage to the seventies TV show, wrapped in a mix of synth-pop and Caribbean rhythms. Mercer knows how to back off on the production here and there, letting the song strip down, before he loads the sounds back in, creating a swell like the waves on a tropical beach. He also shows a talent for turning a phrase, my favourite being:

“I’ve always had something to hide

My skinny arms, my evil intentions

And back at school hitting the fire alarms

Desperately wanting attention.”

This is followed up by the (comparatively) stripped down “Mildenhall” which tells the tale of Mercer having to move with his family to an RAF base in England. Here he struggles to find good streets for his skateboard, but discovers guitar (and based on the album’s sound, some English pop music as well). This song had me thinking of eighties Kinks as well, with Mercer telling a story that reminded me strongly of “Come Dancing” without feeling derivative.

The album has a throwback quality to it, with Mercer exploring the things that shaped him, and the music that influenced him. While it isn’t all garlands and roses, the album’s tone is primarily celebratory and upbeat, and it put me in a positive mindset.

“Dead Alive” and “Heartworms” both have the early Shins’ signature meandering melodies, and while I enjoyed both songs (particularly “Heartworms”) I didn’t mind it when Mercer lets things get a bit busier than normal either.

 “So Now What” is a touching love song. It is about what it is like to be with the same person for a long time and finding yourself wondering what you’re going to do next, and then realizing you just want to continue the journey with that person. I can relate.

There are times when the album lost me, but those times were rare. Most of the time I was either happy to float on the soup of sound, or catch the melody and let it pull me through the experience.

The Shins don’t put albums out very often, but when they do it is clear a lot of thought has gone into them, discovering new directions to their sound without losing the core of who they are. “Heartworms” is a worthy entry into their discography.

Best tracks: Fantasy Island, Mildenhall, Heartworms, So Now What

CD Odyssey Disc 496: The Shins

It is a windy, blustery day, but apart from a chill in the air, it is actually kind of nice.  I like it windy, and I don’t even mind the rain, but I have a hard time with both of them at the same time.  If I can’t use an umbrella, it means I have to use ear-buds instead of my nice headphones.  The headphones are a bit hipster, but I love them, and they give a nice warm sound to the music that bass-driven ear-buds never do.  Kudos to Sheila for buying them for me!

Luckily this morning’s walk was just rain, and this afternoon’s was just wind, so I got to use them both ways.

Disc 496 is… Chutes Too Narrow

Artist: The Shins

Year of Release: 2003

What’s up with the Cover?  In the middle of the oughts, record companies and artists alike were still valiantly trying to keep people from turning to downloads over albums.  Beck did a cover which you could decorate yourself with “The Information” and even the Shins follow up album, “Wincing the Night Away” has stickers.

“Chutes Too Narrow” is a three dimensional fold, where different portions are cut away to create a three dimensional effect.  I thought about folding it out and taking another picture, but it looks like it was drawn by someone in Grade Two.

How I Came To Know It:  As I’ve noted on prior Shins’ reviews, Sheila and I were watching “Saturday Night Live” and we saw the Shins come on to promote this album.  We loved it and went out and bought this album shortly thereafter, so this is the album that launched our interest in the band.

How It Stacks Up:  We have four Shins albums, which I think is all of them.  “Chutes Too Narrow” is excellent, but I have to put it behind the masterpiece that is “Wincing the Night Away,” and so it fall second.

As this is the last Shins album for review in the collection, tradition dictates a quick recap of how they stacked up: 

1. Winging the Night Away: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 366)
2. Chutes Too Narrow:  4 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Port of Morrow: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 442)
4. Oh, Inverted World: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 22).

Rating:  4 stars.

If you live with someone, there will always be albums that your partner or room-mate will play a lot.  Doing chores?  They’ll play a particular album.  Playing games?  Same album appeals to them.  Painting a room?  You guessed it – same album again.  This can be a perilous situation if the album isn’t to your liking.

“Chutes Too Narrow” is one of those ‘play it all the time’ albums for Sheila.  Luckily for me, I also love it.  Like my last review for KISS’ “Love Gun,” this is a tight little record, with just ten tracks and coming in at only thirty-three minutes.  I wouldn’t say “Chutes Too Narrow” leaves me wanting more, but it definitely leaves me satisfied.

The Shins make pop music (don’t let this whole fad for the word ‘indie’ fool you).  They make excellent pop music though, unlike most of the tripe that gets radio play.  I wouldn’t know if the Shins get radio play, since I never listen to the radio, but I hope they do – they certainly deserve it.

Their particular brand of pop puts songs together that embrace the genre’s very traditional and basic music constructions but then orchestrate the various instruments in novel ways.  The result is more about the whole sound, rather than any individual virtuosity.

If there is any standout, it is singer James Mercer, who is also the songwriter and general inspiration for the band (and the only surviving member, which is a bit weird).  Mercer has that modern indie-style voice which is high and tiny like a sixties teen idol, but with an added quaver that makes it feel more vulnerable and heartfelt.  Many of these songs would seem maudlin if it weren’t for Mercer’s delivery making you feel it so deeply.

Everyone else plays well, but the music is mostly rhythmic in nature, without solos or other attention being drawn to them.  Sometimes I miss the dynamics of solo virtuosity in indie music, but “Chutes Too Narrow” does a good job of establishing a thoughtful introspective mood.  It draws you toward it in a trance-like way that would make a squealing guitar solo or bridge just seem oddly out of place or jarring.

As a result, I’m sometimes lulled into the music so far that I don’t pay attention to what the band is singing about.  This is a shame, because unlike their preceding album (“Oh, Inverted World”) this record has Mercer combining the simple rhythmic melodies with some genuinely thoughtful lines.

My favourite song on the album, lyrically and musically, is “Pink Bullets” a song about a failed relationship told in part through the imagery of two kites entangled with each other:

“Cool of a temperate breeze

From dark skies to wet grass

We fell in a field it seems

A thousand summers passed

When our kite lines first crossed

We tied them into knots

To finally fly apart we had to cut them off.”

It is the tale of a relationship where the very things that hold it together prevent the participants from moving forward.  It is deeply depressing, but damned evocative.  Once the tragedy of the situation is understood, and the realization is made that it must end, things turn even worse, as love shifts to self-loathing:

“Since then it’s been a book you read in reverse

You understand less as the pages turn

Or a movie so crass

And awkwardly cast

Even I could be the star.”

There are other great moments on the album, most of which come on the back half of the album which is more introspective and interesting to me.  Notably “Gone For Good,” is another brilliant breakup song filled with the same vastness of regret and relationship disaster.

One minor gripe is that the songs are named things that are overly obscure, making it hard to remember the titles of the ones you like.  Just name it something that makes sense, James!

This album has come dangerously close to overplayed for me, but it is a testament to its excellence that even as I think to myself, that same album again” I still feel excited to hear it yet again.

Best tracks:  Young Pilgrim, Saint Simon, Pink Bullets, Gone For Good, Those To Come.

CD Odyssey Disc 422: The Shins

This next review has disrupted the naturally random order of things as a “NEW” album, as per rule #5 (see sidebar).  I don’t usually invoke rule #5 these days unless I’ve just seen the tour associated with the album.  That’s what’s happened here, so like with my recent reviews of Lyle Lovett and Janelle Monae, I’ll also review the concert.

Disc 442 is… Port of Morrow

Artist: The Shins

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover?  I’m not entirely sure, although it’s decidedly creepy.  Some kind of alien rabbit, or maybe a Kachina doll seems to be emerging from a mystical portal.  I wonder if considering the album title, the cover is a veiled reference to Donnie Darko, which featured a rabbit (of sorts) from the future.

How I Came To Know It:  Sheila and I were already established Shins fans when this album came out, so this was just us drilling through the collection.

How It Stacks Up:  We have four Shins albums, which I think is all of them, not counting James Mercer’s other projects.  Of the four, “Port of Morrow” holds up nicely, and I think it is second or third best, depending on my mood.

Rating:  4 stars

When “Port of Morrow” was released it had been five years since the last Shins album (the five star masterpiece “Wincing the Night Away”).  In between, James Mercer had teamed up with Danger Mouse to make an album under the name “Broken Bells” which was also pretty awesome, so the expectation levels were kind of high for “Port of Morrow.”

Of course, with the exception of singer and creative force James Mercer, the band had been pretty much completely replaced since 2007, so for me that expectation was muted.   A great band is a bit of alchemy, and you mess with the formula at your peril.  In the case of the Shins, it seems to have worked out, which is a significant testament to Mercer’s amazing talent.

The songwriting is still there, exceptional melodies that are like ghosts in the ears; hauntingly present when you’re listening, but ephemeral and hard to hang on to as soon as they stop.   It’s hard to explain, but it is a quality I feel in every Shins album; like Mercer is a preacher on the shores of the River Styx, full of an eerie compulsion that is then forgotten in the very act of drinking them in.  At least that’s how they are to me, maybe I just need to listen to them more and they’ll stick.

Lyrically, I’ve complained about early Shins albums being deliberately obtuse, but on this record and “Wincing the Night Away” Mercer seems to have corrected this affectation, and is now content to sing full thoughts.

A lot of those thoughts are sad and troubled, and I think “Port of Morrow” is at its best when covering troubling topics.  “No Way Down” is a song about the gap between the haves and the have nots.  My favourite line is:

“Out beyond the western squalls

In an Indian land

They work for nothing at all

They don't know the mall or the layaway plan.”

The tune is fast and fun, the perfect juxtaposition to the topic.  If you aren’t careful you’ll find yourself dancing along mindlessly to the catchy tune, and not pay attention to the deeper message.  I think Mercer wants some people to do this, just to prove his point.

In addition to the songwriting, Mercer’s voice still amazes me.  He hits high notes no man has any right being able to hit, and still has enough power in the high register to fill them with deeper import, with plenty left over.

“Port of Morrow” doesn’t have the same depth as “Wincing the Night Away” lyrically, and it doesn’t haunt me the same way when the last song ends, but it adds a nice element of pop/disco jump that I can only assume Mercer learned from his time in “Broken Bells.”  I like this new flavor, which shows that great bands are only great when they’re willing to always add something new to their sound.

The Concert, September 24, 2012 – The Royal Theatre

Sheila and I took in the Shins concert at the Royal Theatre on Sunday night and it was a mixed bag, but most of the problems had nothing to do with the Shins.

Firstly, the opening act, “Washed Out” was not up to the task.  Admittedly it is hard to be the opening act, with the sound all set up for the guys who come on after you, it can sound pretty muddy up there.

That said, the words of every song were unintelligible, and without them it was even more painfully evident that every song essentially sounded the same.  That sameness took the form of heavily derivative eighties beats, which Sheila correctly pointed out sounded like a re-imagined “Simple Minds.”

On top of this, the light show regularly shone floods into the audience directly into my eyes.  There were five lights, and by the end of it I felt like Jean-Luc Picard being interrogated by the Cardassians (although in my case, there actually were five lights).

Anyway, I’d have preferred the road that brought the band to town to have been washed out.

Once the Shins started playing, things improved dramatically.  These guys are very tight live, and the songs sounded as good as the studio recordings.  They didn’t do a lot of innovative stuff with what they played, apart from minor phrasing decisions on the vocals of a couple of the older songs, but I think it is a positive when the band that can sound as good live as on the recording.

The set list was a good mix.  It was a healthy dose of the new album, with the favourites from previous records sprinkled in.  Both Sheila and I were disappointed that some of our more obscure favourites (such as “A Comet Appears”) didn’t make it into the show, but that’s always a hazard of liking an obscure track.

Their encore was not as well selected, featuring one recognizable song followed by about ten minutes of atmospheric noodling.  I like atmospheric noodling as much as the next guy (OK not quite as much, but I’m tolerant of it).  However, timing for this stuff is important in a live show.  Any artsy stuff should come about three quarters of the way through the show, after the audience is good and warmed up, but leaving room at the end to go out on a high with some crowd faves.  You also want to save some of those faves for the encore.  Closing the show with a bunch of atmospheric wankery was the concert equivalent of drunken sex; ending the show with a sleepy resignation, rather than a bang.

Worst of all, was the audience experience.  Some guy in the back was shouting “woo!” about once every bar, and when he wasn’t “wooing” he was loudly insulting the crowd for not standing up enough.  Standing up at a concert is a spontaneous and joyful thing; you wreck it when you demand its appearance prematurely.  Also dude – it’s rude.

The area near us had people talking through the concert, although mercifully not as loud as Standalone Guy.  It made me wonder why they bought tickets – you could do that just as easily at home while listening to the four singles you downloaded from iTunes.

To be fair, a lot of the fans were as rapt as Sheila and I, and it was nice to see other people came for the music, and were equally aghast at the bad behavior of an unhappy few.  However, even legitimate fans had no defence from the legions of bad, out-of-time clappers.  These folks took up their cause even during slow parts of songs where clapping would’ve been awkward even if it was on the beat.

Still, I’m glad I went, and the Shins were good enough to ‘shine’ through the challenges and deliver a generally solid show.

Best tracks:  Simple Song, It’s Only Life, No Way Down, Fall of ‘82

CD Odyssey Disc 366: The Shins

Greetings, Odyssey sailors! Great news - my doctor advises me they've found some bug in my bladder (Klebsiella Pneumoniae). Apparently it is quite a tough little fellow, and I took no small amount of pride in him telling me I must be "one tough customer." The good news part is that I'm now on antibiotics (for only the second time in my life) and I shall hopefully soon be feeling much better.

Also, I received my first comment from someone that I'm pretty sure I don't know (QueensJenn commenting on the Arrogant Worms - thanks for reading!) This is a good time (paradoxically) to again note that I rarely reply to comments, since I've alread had my say, and I want you to have yours. I take a fairly modernist approach to reviews, so I focus on my reaction to the music alone, and my personal experiences or associations with it. Consequently, there will be times when I know a lot less about any given album's background than readers. So it goes...but if I'm going to get through my whole collection before I kick the bucket, I've got to keep plugging on. I appreciate the extra information readers provide.

OK, on to the next album!

Disc 366 is...Wincing The Night Away

Artist: The Shins

Year of Release: 2007

What’s Up With The Cover?: This is the kind of stuff I used to draw on my binders in high school and university during boring classes - only way better. I'm not sure how you make doodling into good art, but the person who did this cover has managed it. I wonder if the fern/tree things are part of the creature, or some kind of parasite like my friend, Klebsiella Pneumoniae? If it is the latter don't despair, Doodle Creature, they've got a pill for that.

How I Came To Know It: I haven't reviewed a Shins album since way back at Disc 22 (where I used to be a lot more succinct, I note). If you've been reading since then, you'll know Sheila and I discovered the Shins when they performed on Saturday Night Live a few years ago. I can't remember if it was to promote this album or the previous "Chutes Too Narrow" but whatever the case, we got this record shortly after seeing them.

How It Stacks Up: This is one of Sheila's favourite albums, and with good reason. We have three Shins albums, and I'd put this one first among them.

Rating: 5 stars.

"Wincing the Night Away" is a great record, and it is a shame that it was the last one from the Shins (although apparently there is a new one out/coming out in 2012 with a revamped lineup).

This album wastes no time drawing you in. The first notes on the opening track, "Sleeping Lessons" are atmospheric; muted and diffuse like they are being heard deep under the water. I'm not sure what the instrument is that makes them - a synthesizer? A strange set of small gongs? A xylophone with an ungodly amount of reverb? - it doesn't matter. Before your ear can finish considering, the song breaks into a more contemporary rock arrangement.

At the beginning of the next track, a German voice demands that it is "time to put the ear goggles on!" but if they aren't already on by the end of "Sleeping Lessons" then start over, because you're doing it wrong.

I don't listen to the radio, but listening to this album I kept thinking, 'this must be a hit.' The songs are so ear-goggle friendly, and well constructed there is no way they couldn't all be big hits. I was therefore shocked to find that the only 'hit' was the equally excellent "Phantom Limb" and apparently a minor one at that. I knew there was a reason I hated listening to the radio.

That said, the Shins are one of those bands that music geeks will often praise, and "Wincing The Night Away" is their finest hour.

It's not just the sing-along quality they have, as you get an emotional high singing along with the series of drawn-out "ohs" in "Phantom Limb" - although there is that. It certainly isn't the guitar riffs, which are mostly back in the mix. If anything, the Shins have mastered creating a single sound out of all the instruments. It isn't that they're playing tight (they are) it is that the song constructions more resemble an orchestra in how the pieces compliment one another than a more traditional four or five piece rock band.

Because of this, I found concentrating on the lyrics difficult, but I didn't find that difficulty annoying. Phrases bubble up into your consciousness out of songs, but without Herculean mental effort, they eventually slide back into the mix as you groove along. When I do listen to lyrics (or cheat and read them out of the liner notes) I find them carefully crafted and evocative.

None more so than the record's best song, "A Comet Appears" a depressingly inspirational dirge that could be about aging, terminal illness or just losing touch with yourself. Maybe because I'm not terminally ill, and feel fairly in touch with myself, for me it always seems to be about aging. Here's just a sample:

"One hand on this wily comet
Take a drink just to give me some weight
Some uberman I'd make, I'm barely a vapor
They shone a chlorine light on a host of individual sins
Let's carve my aging face off
Fetch us a knife start with my eyes
Down so the lines form a grimacing smile."

Because of the 'arty' liner notes, I'm not sure where the line breaks should go, so this is a rough approximation (yes, I feel a deep need for line breaks). Regardless, I love all the assonance in this section of the song, and the feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness they convey. I like to imagine this is the story of an old man, seeing Halley's Comet for the second time in his life, as he prepares for death, and thinks back on regret and lost opportunity. I have no idea, but that's how it speaks to me.

I was going to end by saying this is a five star song (which it is) but that the album could only achieve four. But the truth is, while this record didn't really change me, it doesn't have any weaknesses. You could pull any song off of it, and I'd enjoy hearing it. So for that reason, and for the brilliance of "A Comet Appears" I'm going to go soft, and give it five.

Best tracks: All tracks, but of particular note: Sleeping Lessons, Phantom Limb, Spilt Needles, and A Comet Appears

CD Odyssey Disc 22: The Shins

It has been a tough week of CD Odyssey. Firstly, I haven't enjoyed knowing what CD is next (having had to roll 8 in advance before the CDs were packed away for home renos). Second, the renovations have sapped all my free time, making keeping up a little difficult. This weekend I will catch up.

And in that process, "indie rock" (whatever that is) makes its first appearance.

Disc 22 is...Oh, Inverted World


Artist: The Shins

Year of Release: 2001

How I Came To Know It: Sheila and I discovered the Shins simultaneously when they were the musical act on Saturday Night Live. We really liked them. Although "Oh, Inverted World" is their first album, it was the last one to join the collection.

How It Stacks Up: We have all 3 Shins albums. I have to say I really like the other two, but this one is the worst of the bunch.

Rating: 2 stars with a thumbs up.

I am not a huge indie rock fan, but there are good bands in the genre, and the Shins are one of those bands. They have a great ethereal quality to their music is is sort of indie pop, more than indie rock.

This particular album is simply blah, however. Most of the songs are not memorable, nor are they particularly distinct. One kind of runs into the next, but not in a good way, like with a concept album.

There is no denying the Shins' talent though, and I think they are a pretty innovative act musically. Or at least they sound that way to my untrained ear.

The 'hit' off this album "The New Slang" is a pretty good song, but just not good enough to pull this album into 3 star territory.

Also, I don't like how these edgy "arty" bands like to name their songs something obscure. How about picking a noticeable line in the song, rather than an obscure line. Making it hard for me to find the tracks I like does not make me like those tracks more.

Bottom line: There are two very good Shins albums out there ("Chutes Too Narrow" and "Wincing The Night Away"). Go get those. "Oh, Inverted World" is for completionists only.

Best tracks: The New Slang, Caring is Creepy, The Past and Pending