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opinions were like kittens i was giving them away. -modest mouse
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The Shins
Chutes Too Narrow
Sub Pop
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Imagine a musical land filled with beautiful, meandering explosions of sounds. Where every song lives in its own world, incorporating entrancing melodies with exquisitely crafted lyrics. A place where the streets are lined with sounds of glistening vocals intertwined with haunting instrumentation. In this Utopia undoubtedly Modest Mouse would reside there and I’m guessing The Shins would live next door.
Track listing:
01 Kissing the Lipless
02 Mine's Not a High Horse
03 So Says I
04 Young Pilgrams
05 Saint Simon
06 Fighting in a Sack
07 Pink Bullets
08 Turn a Square
09 A Call to Apathy
10 Those to Come
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The Shins have been described as an example of what separates good pop from bad. The 2001 debut album Oh, Inverted World became one of that years biggest indie rock surprises, as the New Mexico foursome suddenly found themselves being bombarded with praise from critics and audiences alike. That album, filled with influences such as The Kinks and The Byrds, seemed to be homage to the sixties. Whereas Oh, Inverted World was more album-oriented, with each song somehow contributing to a cohesive, similarly-themed listening experience, Chutes Too Narrow moves around and emulates many different musical styles. If you could somehow splice the deceptively sweet melodies of Belle & Sebastian with the intense rifts of Built To Spill what could possibly result is sounds close to The Shins.
Photo by Brian Tamborello
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The opening track on the album, “Kissing the Lipless”, full of falsetto and devoid of re-verb is a perfect example of the fluctuation between the riddling sound of singer/guitarist James Mercer. Ranging between the sounds of mellow, muffled handclaps and slices of sharp angular guitar rifts, this song will keep you on your tap dancing toes. One of the most beautiful tracks on the album, “Saint Simon”, incorporates haunting violins, with a spooky, echoing chorus all along the backdrop of intertwining melodic guitar work. What really ties it all together perfectly is “Gone For Good”, a Wilco-style country rock tune with a chorus of lyrics stating “I find a fatal flaw in the logic of love/ and go out of my head”. The melody and lonely lyrics show the remarkable versatility of their ever-changing sound.
Lyrically the album is both nostalgic and yet hopeful. Many of the songs seem to ooze with setbacks or disappointments, followed by uplifting hope to the future. Phil Ek, who has also worked with Modest Mouse and Built To Spill, actually recorded this Sub Pop release in Mercer’s basement. With the release of Chutes Too Narrow, The Shins prove they’re more than just another indie rock band, by taking their sound into new territory while simultaneously maintaining their genuinely unique focus. Laced with music that is full of depth, wonder and sparks of innocence, this impressive album invites even the most skeptical listener to sing along happily ever after.
-Christine Beals 11/15/03
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