Shins explore new sounds, concepts with Wincing

February 12, 2007 —

Change is a good thing on The Shins' latest album, Wincing the Night Away. While keeping the same formula that brought them relative success and notoriety, especially in the world of indie pop/rock, the group's most recent effort is much more experimental, resulting in an entirely different listening experience.

You may remember the 2004 film Garden State, wherein the band was mentioned in one line where Natalie Portman's character declares that the song "New Slang" will "change your life."

Certainly every self-proclaimed indie kid felt a pang of recognition and reveled in the popularity of the movie and its soundtrack, a plethora of hipster tunes that featured two songs by The Shins. 2001's Oh, Inverted World and 2003's Chutes too Narrow enjoyed further success, and the band went as far as to schedule additional tours based on these albums, garnering the group an even bigger following.

Wincing the Night Away is something of a concept album, with each song contributing to a cohesive, thematic listening experience. It is obvious that the time put into the album - roughly three years - was instrumental in this regard.

"Sleeping Lessons," the album's opening track, begins with an odd echoing synth pattern and evolves throughout by using melodic guitar, strange background effects and enveloping vocals.

Wincing the Night Away is an album that explores how desolate one can feel if you reject society in hopes of an afterlife or a greater power in life. This potentially leads the listener to contemplate the question: "Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

While you may ask why you would want to listen to something depressing, Wincing the Night Away doesn't leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. On the contrary, the album plays out as a realization of better things to come.

Mercer's lyrics throughout the album are fantastic if you're committed to deciphering them, but his vocals certainly guide the songs along with delicate harmonies. Rather than sound too much like a singer-songwriter, there is a concerted effort to sound like a band.

"Sea Legs" has a surprisingly hip-hop-type beat and perhaps sticks out the most as an individual track and a mixtape target because of the romantic undertones.

Mercer croons: "Girl, if you're a seascape / I'm a listing boat, for the thing carries every hope / I invest in a single lie / The choice is yours to be loved / Come away from an emptier boat."

Other outstanding tracks are "Australia" and "A Comet Appears." There are no bad tracks on the album, there really aren't. It is a complete album, even if a few songs may feel hokey and a little immature.

Overall, Wincing the Night Away left me wanting more and wondering how they could possibly pull this off live, something I will have to see for myself.