I
am pumped up for the new Shins release in March. After 5 years, I am ready!
The hipsters here in
Los Angeles (and there's some sort of collective consciousness worldwide) have turned their backs on Mercer and The Shins. The band crossed that one-way threshold of popularity, had their songs in a movie, maybe a commercial or two. The brutal death of an indie band. But face it, when you are as good as Mercer people of all tastes are going to start liking you. And eventually, sadly, even people with no taste. But if you step outside of who likes what music and just listen, there is a master at work here. I am kind of in awe of his musical prowess.
Let's discuss.
Songwriting. You get the sense that there must be some formula for writing Shins songs, but it eludes you. Each are completely absorbing on their own and as part of a pack. There's a signature Shins sound, no doubt, Mercer's singing voice and the melody of his lyrics, but each song is a new and different idea. I can listen to all of the albums in a row and not get bored with it, that is a feat.
Instrumentation. The craftsmanship of each song and how all of the pieces fit together is really seamless.
Vocal Track. What I really love about The Shins is the way the singing acts as another instrument, rising and falling within the song as if it is a third guitar or keyboard track. In most pop songs, the singing is a separate layer apart from the music. You can hear the struggle between the two and how they were laboriously composed to fit each other. The vocals here take unexpected turns and accompany the instruments like part of the gang.
Singing. What can I say I really like his singing voice. I mean this is just luck, I guess. There are some bands that have great songs, great lyrics, great-great, awesome-awesome, then the lead voice starts wearing on you, and then you start getting annoyed with how he is pronouncing
time. Mercer's voice is all over the place, strangely high if need be and low, but he's got it, whatever it is.
Lyrics. They are quirky and a little loopy, but there's just enough sense to make you think. And sometimes when you are having a really inexpressible thought, you might fall into one of these songs and think, aha that's what he meant. I really get it now. Even if you've completely misheard the lyrics. Which happens all the time, and it's great.
Consistency and change. What I am really drawing attention to here is the fact that they've put out three incredible studio albums. You can hear an evolution in the drum beats and complexity of the songs, but you can still listen to the first albums with the same enjoyment that you had the first time. Growing, changing, and making fulfilling music throughout; I take my hat off to it.
Now the pressure is on. Ports of Morrow. The time is near at hand! But I will always love you no matter what the hipsters say.
Love, DJ Slobek
