Band of the week number 3 - The Shins

ShoulderChip

Week 1: Of Montreal
Week2: Final Fantasy
Nominations thread

This week's band : The Shins


The Shins are an indie group consisting of singer and guitarist James Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and, as of 2007, keyboardist/singer Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats. They formed in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Sandoval, who were both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake Music (formed as Flake 1992). The band was signed to Sub Pop following a successful tour in 2000 with fellow college-rockers Modest Mouse.



Phantom limb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkITsv3Nk6M

New Slang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11Kr1-q-pA

Australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHTSxw6zN1E

Last.fm page

sink

First got into this band when I watched the film Garden State. Quality film and quality band.

yevveh

Quite like the Shins. Haven't listened too much though. Friend of mine took them out for drinks post-gig when they were here - lucky bint

Xavi6

Their early stuff is unlistenable for me but the latest album is quality.

'A Comet Appears' is a beautiful song.

Sinfonia

I really like Tony The Shins!

Oh, Inverted World would still be my favourite release of theirs, New Slang, Know Your Onion!, Girl On The Wing and Pressed In A Book being the highlights for me, but it's an album that I can happily listen through start to finish, which is always nice! A great throwback to 60s pop imo

Chutes Too Narrow never got to me as much, I preferred the sound of OIW, but the highlights for me nevertheless would be Young Pilgrims and Saint Simon.

I've only had a cursory listen to Wincing The Night Away, but I am now prompted to go and absorb it this week!

DerekD Goldfish

Without wanting to sound Dunfey-esque the are a good band not a great band
I quite likes the early albums new one if decent without being great
they can write a great pop song but their albums do contain a lot of filler and live they are adequate without being brilliant

If you are a fan of the Shins you should get Big Star's records if you haven't already probably the greatest power pop band there ever was.

PrivateEye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqo8sxQ5puA
*Never mind the video.

The Shins cover of The Postal Service is fantastic, even better than the original- and completely different.

Very fond of this band, get a fair bit of play on the MP3 player. I would agree with DerekD Goldfish about the earlier albums too.

lordgoat

DerekD Goldfish wrote: »

If you are a fan of the Shins you should get Big Star's records if you haven't already probably the greatest power pop band there ever was.

Big Star, Great band. Mr. Smith loved them too.

Won't you let me walk you home from school?...


Shins are grand, next album will make or break them, although i do love Mercers backing vocals on We were dead before the ship sank by MM.

guitarsongs

Sinfonia wrote: »

I really like Tony The Shins!

Oh, Inverted World would still be my favourite release of theirs, New Slang, Know Your Onion!, Girl On The Wing and Pressed In A Book being the highlights for me, but it's an album that I can happily listen through start to finish, which is always nice! A great throwback to 60s pop imo

Chutes Too Narrow never got to me as much, I preferred the sound of OIW, but the highlights for me nevertheless would be Young Pilgrims and Saint Simon.

I've only had a cursory listen to Wincing The Night Away, but I am now prompted to go and absorb it this week!

Must admit they were a slow-burner for me, until I had to keep checking the MP3 player everytime one of their songs from the playlist came on - every song sounding better than the last.

I've created a Shins page on my chords site, only 6 songs so far but there will be many more...

PJ

Kold

They're very 'alright' in my books. It all kind of melds in to me.

jf852003

Xavi6 wrote: »

Their early stuff is unlistenable for me but the latest album is quality.

'A Comet Appears' is a beautiful song.

Sorry, but i have to disagree mate, unlistenable?
The first album Oh, Inverted World is in my humble opinion one of the best albums of the last ten years. Its one of those rare albums where i liked every song the first time i heard it.

I liked Sleeping Lessons on the last album but overall i was disappointed with it. Coming after two really good albums, i just thought it wasn't as good.

Great band though, really good live, i would recommend them to anyone

johnny_ultimate

Another Garden State shin convert, I think the two songs featured on the OST and a couple of others off Oh Inverted World are fantastic. Unfortunately, the rest of the album just blends into itself when I listen to it: songs are far too similiar. Wincing the Night Away has some fantastic songs (Australia, Turn on Me, Sleeping Lessons) and overall a stronger album. One of the dullest live acts Ive ever seen though.

dh2007

I used to love The Shins and listened to their first two albums all the time until my boyfriend pointed out that their drummer was crap and then they were actually ruined for me. I'd never noticed til it was pointed out and then it was all I heard. Very annoying.

Have a listen - the drums sound HORRIBLE!

no idea what their latest album is like though