the shins
The Shins
is/are an American Pop project based on the do it yourself ethic that
past generations have clung to. Like the direction the Lilys have been
going lately? You can't live without this single. Catchy vocal lines paired
with simple keyboard and mature guitar. Check their web site for upcoming
releases.
Check
out some other shins stuff : |
web site |
Write them at...
the shins
421 Broadway SE, #6
Albuquerque, NM 87102
THE SHINS
From: The Seattle Tablet
(Thom Arno)
A fuzzy, beautiful sound, emanating from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is
finding
roots here in Seattle. James Mercer, the singer/guitarist responsible
for
this particular sound, is the high-pitched wunderkind behind the shins,
Somersault, and the now-defunct Flake Music: three bands that have
quietly
reshaped independent pop for the last four years.
If you need a direct comparison to names you may know better, imagine
this-Jeff Magnum's craft, Stephin Merritt's prolificacy, and Mac
McGaughan's
treble.
But James Mercer has created a seamless legacy all his own; his three
bands
have co-existed at certain points and swapped members back and forth,
yet
each line-up is different according to who is writing the songs. With
Flake
Music's eventual demise after 1997's when you land here, it's time to
return
(possibly the best pop album you've never heard), James and keyboardist
Marty Crandall turned their attention to the shins and started churning
out
a long stretch of 7"s and a self-titled EP, released on Omnibus Records
out
of San Francisco.
The songs range from affecting ballads you'll listen to repeatedly
while
crying and calling your exes to swirling testimonials on old fashioned
love
and elephants with optical infections, among other things.
Now the shins have fortified a relationship with Sub Pop, and a record
deal
is rumored to be near completion. Apparently, the two parties have been
sniffing one another out for a while now, and the label brought them up
in
August for a show at Sit & Spin with Love as Laughter and 764-HERO.
Live, the shins are something to behold. At the Sit & Spin show, a
curious
group of skinny-armed boys gathered in front of the stage to hear James
nervously sing about romance and life. We were also treated to the
shins'
full line-up: Marty plinked out squealing Casio tones and rocked a dope
white-boy afro, the strapping Neal Langford supplied memorable bass
lines,
and drummer Jesse Sandoval bashed, smiled, and looked a bit drunk.What
else
could you want from an American pop combo?Their Nature Bears a Vacuum
7" is
back in print and readily available from www.omnibusrecords.com. If you
want
to bear witness before picking up a record, check out their MP3's at
www.artisdead.net/theshins/content.html while you're at work.
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