It’s a good day in my office, PopWatchers: My buddies at SubPop sent over the new Shins album, and I have now listened to it 6 times. I need to listen to it 6 more times before I form a real opinion, because people keep walking in here and the phone keeps ringing and the e-mail is dinging and I keep having to write stuff and I can’t concentrate… Oh, PopWatchers, my life is hard.
But the Shins! The Shins have returned to save us all! For those of you unfamiliar with the band, they are — wait. Some of you are unfamiliar with the band?? Sheesh. Okay, as much as I hate to say this, desperate times call for desperate measures: Go rent Garden State, come back when you’re up to speed. (Your other option is to go to the record store, purchase copies of Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow, go home, lie down on your bed, put the records on, and let them wash over you for about 3 weeks straight, then take them to your car and drive around in Northern California for a while, but we don’t have time for that.)
Anyway, their third album, Wincing the Night Away, is SO IMMINENT that you can actually pre-order it on iTunes RIGHT NOW. You should do that, if you are the sort of person who doesn’t careabout holding things. And then, but wait, there’s more! The band willbe on SNL next week, Letterman at the end of the month, and doing acouple special promo appearances… plus, starting Jan. 18, you canstream the whole album on MySpace! Again, a super option for those whoconsider holding things to be inconvenient!
Get all your Shins news here. And expect me to get this hysterical throughout the spring as albums bysome of my favorite bands in the world hit shelves. Coming up:ClapYourHandsSayArcadeFallOutPattyGriffinEtc.
This is indeed fantastic news. I have no sympathy for a person who gets free music and then has to write about it in blurb form on a blog. Especially when my Navy job – your tax dollars hard at work – has me in front of a computer all day able to respond to such blog posts. *evil grin* Whit, you and Slezak are my heroes!
Natalie Portman’s character from “Garden State” is squealing with delight.
yum, i heart your taste in music. the shinsclapyourhandsarcade are some of my favorites too. i’ve been listening to a sooper-sekrit copy of the shins album for awhile, and i love love love it! i promise to buy it for reals, though–it’s already been pre-ordered from amazon.
I might have to give the new stuff a try, but I really was not at all that impressed with what I have heard (even though they’re classified in my fave genre of music).
I’ve been listening to the album for the past three months. Indeed, it does live up to the hype.
Let’s say our favorite Shins songs. You’re allowed 3 per album:
Oh, Inverted World- Caring is Creepy, Know Your Onion, New Slang
Chutes too Narrow- Kissing the Lipless, So Says I, Young Pilgrims
Wincing the Night Away- Sleeping Lessons, Sea Legs, A comet Appears
I absolutely love them! Despite the fact Zach Braff is such a jerk over them.
New Patty single, “Heavenly Day,” is just that: It’s heavenly! And so happy! And it makes me wanna slow dance! Mmhmm.
I have been living with The Shins new album for about a month (what! I live in Seattle! I know people!) It’s the first great album of 2007! YAY! I can’t wait to get a physical copy. I already have my ticket for the show next month!
Go Shins!
I’m loving the album more with every listen. There’s some really glorious stuff on there, and they manage to sounds like the Shins without being a retread of their old material.
The Shins are great, and by all means see them on their upcoming tour – the equally great Viva Voce are opening for them.
Your excitement is infectious. Can’t wait for the new album!
Now only if NBC could spell the host’s (Gyllenhaal) name correctly on their website. I guess that’s what the difference is between winning a BAFTA and winning an Oscar. When you win the Oscar they spell your name right.
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/
If you like the Shins at all, then you need to listen to their first album “When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return”. It came out back when they were still called Flake Music (1997), and it is way better than the new one.
-Rich
I should also mention their excellent 1998 EP “Nature Bears a Vacuum”. “Eating Styes from Elephant’s Eyes” is a really fun song.
This album was available for purchase on iTunes yesterday. Luckily, I picked it up. It is awesome.