James Mercer and the Shins had it good. Their surprisingly deep first album, Oh, Inverted World, took off in the wake of Zach Braff’s decision to include two of its strongest songs on the soundtrack to Garden State. Their sophomore release, Chutes Too Narrow, was a worthy successor, eliminating most of their psychedelia in favor of more traditional pop. With their newest release, Wincing the Night Away, however, the Shins are merely ‘good’, and stacked up against their first two albums, it just isn’t enough.
The listening experience gets off to a good start with “Sleeping Lessons,” a return to the Shins’ trippy roots with prominent synth textures and fuzzy lyrics. The following track, “Australia”, might be the best they’ve ever written. Like a few other tracks on Wincing the Night Away, with its rolling drums, fluid baselines, and jangling guitar lines, it’s eerily reminiscent of the Smiths.
“Phantom Limb”, the album’s lead single, comes after the worthless interlude “Pam Berry.” It’s a nice, simple song with a few beautiful moments. Unfortunately, it’s followed by “Sea Legs”, a horribly misguided song with electronic percussion and too many power chords to take seriously. It ranks among their worst, and it’s a relief when the whimsical, bouncy keyboards of “Red Rabbits” chime in at its conclusion.
The second half of the album is listenable and enjoyable, but it presents nothing new. Several of the songs – most notably “Turn On Me” and “Split Needles” – seem like subtle reworkings of old songs. Obviously, if you’re a fan of the Shins, this isn’t a bad thing at all. But this album definitely isn’t going to win over any doubters, especially with its overly glossy production and Mercer’s sudden lack of lyrical humor. I’m sure Zach Braff will love it, though.
