Wincing The Night Away
Sub Pop
2007
Rating: 7 slobbering goats out of 10
The new Shins album is mostly more of the same, but would you really want anything different? After they got picked up by the mainstream due to their inclusion in the film “Garden State”, it seems only natural that longtime fans would be a bit concerned that the band might try to cater their style to fit better into the mainstream. Luckily, they’ve decided just to do what they do best – write simple, catchy pop songs with a hint of 1960’s nostalgia, all wrapped up in a pretty package that is James Mercer’s signature voice. The record starts off very strong with “Sleeping Lessons” and “Australia,” my two favorite tracks on the album and some of the most upbeat material they’ve released in a while. Another fine song is “Red Rabbits,” which sounds as if it was recorded during the “Oh, Inverted World” sessions, got lost, and was recently rediscovered. One track stands out like a sore thumb on the album though – “Sea Legs” - comes off like the band got drunk one night and tried to write a Beta Band song. It isn’t really good or bad, just a strange inclusion into this otherwise smooth sailing of pop goodness.
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