Motto for 2007

A guy I work with told me yesterday his motto for 2007: If it ain’t The Shins, it’s s#@%!

I burst out laughing, patted him on the shoulder and told him he was a good man.

Seriously. I bought “Wincing the Night Away” like two months ago, and no matter how hard I try I can’t bring myself to remove it from my car's CD player. And the couple nights I have managed to bring it in the house, I always wind up bringing it back with me the next morning. I’ve listened to at least a portion of the disc every day I’ve owned it. And I’m still not sick of it. It’s that great of an album …

The band rocks a bit harder on “Wincing” than it did with the acoustic, jangly pop songs that laced “Oh, Inverted World” “Chutes To Narrow,” but the signature elements remain. Singer-songwriter James Mercer’s soaring vocals often evoke thoughts of Brian Wilson in his heyday, while the light and simple melodies may draw comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel — with the edge of Weezer.

Between their vintage rock ‘n roll riffs and simple pop hooks, the band also wears influences of alternative, country and folk. They even insert looping hip-hop beats backed by a flute on “Sea Legs” ...

… “Sleeping Lessons” might be the best lead-off track I’ve ever heard on an album -- the way it starts with that mind-bending keyboard arpeggio intro and piles layers of instruments before that huge crescendo and burst of guitars that seem to say, “Hey, listen up 'cause this is big!”

…Then there’s the catchy “Australia,” which features a sweet base line, some great guitar work and that lyrical hook that I cannot knock from my head: “Been alone since you were 21 / You haven’t laughed since January ... ” Just watch the video ...



... Mercer's falsetto is at its best on “Phantom Limb,” and if the song isn't wonderful enough, it's made even better with the addition of Anita Robinson's lovely voice ... and the vocal duo raises the bar even higher on “Turn On Me,” which gets the nod as my favorite song on the album (barely, because they’re all good!) …

... “Red Rabbits.” Wow. Gorgeous music box chimes and a haunting violin section that makes it the perfect song for sitting on your porch and reminiscing on a lazy summer night. The first time I listened to this track, I could have sworn Brian Wilson had invaded Mercer's body ...

There’s so many smart lyrics and guitar hooks on this album, I'm discovering new pieces to the puzzle every time I listen to it. This album, my friends, is an instant classic ...