The
Shins
Wincing The Night Away
Now
I don’t usually enjoy being premature in any activity, but
when it comes to the new full-length offering from The Shins I
take great pleasure in announcing it my ‘album of 2007’
– it’s now up to every other album to prove me wrong,
if they can.
It could have been so easy for them to rest on their laurels and
produce another Chutes Too Narrow and bask in the enjoyable glory
bestowed on them from their appearance in THAT indie-smash-cinema-hit.
But that’s just not what The Shins are about.
Instead Wincing The Night Away proves why they are the band the
world has been waiting for, taking a their classic blueprint and
morphing it into a work of psych-pop brilliance.
This is a modern-day, indie Pet Sounds – an accessible pop
record, washed in unconventional musical techniques. Rarely is
a traditional instrument used without the addition of synths,
distortions and lo-fi effects. This fact alone doesn’t make
the album stand out, but it is The Shins constraint of their experimentation
some how forcing their music to fit into the acceptable pop template
whilst being something else entirely, that makes for a unique
aural experience.
‘Phantom Limb’ takes a Spector-esque wall of sound,
and adds rock guitar wonderfully fused with some soul-shattering
vocal harmonies to make a floating, optimistic record –
the sound of every positive emotion you’ve ever had. James
Mercer’s vocals trigger something, sending endorphins running
through the mind and body.
‘Sea Legs’ is another highlight and the indication
that The Shins should be on the verge of mass-recognition. It
sinks to eerie depths as a chunky, funky bass line is washed by
strings, windpipes, Tortoise-esque post-jazz and off-kilter electronic
beats.
Other more subdued moments offer an ethereal, dream-like feel
such as majestic opener ‘Sleeping Lessons’ and the
sublime ‘Red Rabbits’. ‘Split Needles’
is an infectious alt-rock number.
I could compliment each and every track as, to my ears, there
is simply nothing wrong with Wincing The Night Away, it is a masterpiece
showing that The Shins are not only one of the best bands on the
planet but they can improve with each release and move in different
directions.
The challenge is set and now someone has the massive task of bettering
this in 2007, or any of the years following for that matter.
by Chris Marks
|
|
|
