The Shins : Port of Morrow

The Shins have been around for a long time, since 1996 to be exact. While that was well before I was listening to indie music (and almost before I was in grade school), I've been a fan of the Shins for a long time. As a big fan, I, like most fans, thought a new album was well overdue.  Wincing the Night Away, an album that featured great tunes like "Australia" and "Phantom Limb," was released way back in 2007. Yeah, that's right--the last time the Shins released an album was the same year that the iPhone was released.

Okay, so 2007 wasn't that long ago, but five years is a long time for a big Shins fan to go without a new full-length, or any-length for that matter.

The Shins are back

The year after Wincing's release, James Mercer, Shins frontman and vocalist, announced that they would be splitting from Sub Pop Records, where labelmates included Iron and Wine and The Postal Service and opted to create an independent label Aural Apothecary. Other announcements followed regarding a new band lineup. Mercer replaced the rest of the lineup, citing the need for new bandmates to achieve new production goals.

This is the part of the story where, after having heard the album numerous times now, I start to get confused.

Port of Morrow
- classic Shins album

Port of Morrow is a Shins album, through and through. Did these new production goals really warrant a lineup change? No. Not in this guy's humble opinion. If the real reason was "artistic differences" (an ex-bandmate's polite way of saying they're no longer on speaking terms), then fine. But if Mercer is telling the truth in all his interviews and it really is about taking the band in a new direction, I'm not seeing it. This album is hardly a departure from what they have been doing since 1996.

That being said, it's a great album.

Port of Morrow starts out strong with "The Rifle's Spiral."  This song is light and airy and it features Mercer's typical saucy, playful lyric writing. "May this rail unfurl. / As you rise; rise from your burning Fiat, / Go, go get my suitcase, would you?" Following this is the album's first single, "Simple Song," a great tune within itself. I could go on and dissect each song, but that would be pointless. Each song features that same classic Shins flair that we all have come to know and love.

If it were just about any other band, I'd say that this was a bad thing. It's a shame to lump all the songs together and make a generalization that they're light, airy and witty, but it's what I have to do to keep this review from getting too redundant. The songs aren't similar enough that you can't tell when the song changes. I've run into that issue before and it doesn't make for a good listening experience. Each song deserves its respect, because each song on the album is good. The Shins know what they do well and I don't think that they really strayed from that with this new venture. Take that comment how you want to.

Gems on this album include "The Rifle's Spiral" and "Simple Song," as I mentioned before, but also the second single "Bait and Switch" and the powerfully melodic "September."

Give the whole album a listen though. You'll be glad you did. As I've said before, I think that listening to an entire album is much more rewarding than listening to a single song. While some might think the Shins need to evolve and get out of their element, I think that they're still making great music where they are. But who knows? Maybe the five year lull has made me too excited for new music to give a fair review.