On the face of it the Shins appear to be one of the best exponents of indie pop around but with 3 albums under their belts they have yet to make a consistently great long player. The Portland outfit are led by James Mercer and originally started out as a side project away from his main band Flake. When Flake short-circuited Mercer concentrated his efforts on the Shins, which heralded an onslaught of jangly retro classics. A quick glance over their back catalogue would easily free up at least a half dozen mix tape favourites with universal appeal. Their last album ‘Wincing The Night Away’ was typically full of rewards but still failed to add up to what a great Shins record should be. Until their masterpiece arrives we’ll have to cherry pick the best bits like ‘Sleeping Lessons’, which displays a slightly more experimental side without ever losing sight of the melodies that make this band so special. KD
The Shins – Sleeping Lessons
More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Shins
Year: 2007
My thoughts exactly, a great band with all the potential in the world but have not yet made a true masterpiece. Sleeping Lessons is also my favorite song of the Wincing album and one of my top 5 shins songs. Do you know when their next album is scheduled to release???thanks-junior