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The Hum and the Beat

The Shins’ ‘Port of Morrow’ lavish yet stays true to roots

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Sam Fichtner

Columnist

April 6, 2012

"What are you listening to?"

"The Shins. You know them?... You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life."

Its been eight years since Natalie Portman slid a pair of big clunky headphones onto Zach Braff's head in "Garden State," effectively introducing many listeners to The Shins. Following the film's success, many a listener fell in love with the group's 2001 debut album, "Oh, Inverted World." Eleven years later, the same album encapsulate the Portland, Ore. group's distinctive style: bright melodies, simple guitar riffs, and clever, whimsical lyrics reminiscent of '60s Brit rock. Songs from that record, especially "Girl Inform Me," could easily pass for singles by The Hollies or The Turtles, and many comparisons have been drawn between the direct and amateurish vocal styles of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum and Shins' front man and songwriter James Mercer.

After a solid follow-up, "Chutes Too Narrow" (2003), The Shins released their Grammy-nominated record "Wincing the Night Away" in 2007. Creatively drawing upon the stylistic eccentricity of contemporaries like Of Montreal and Modest Mouse, "Wincing" sounded like The Hollies, had the group discovered angst and joined a circus. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts upon release—the highest position a Sub Pop album has ever reached. The Shins then went on a five-year hiatus, during which time Mercer teamed up with high-profile producer Danger Mouse to form Broken Bells, who released their self-titled debut in 2010. Finally, the hiatus ended with The Shins' fourth studio LP, "Port of Morrow," released on March 20.

If nothing else, the deftly produced and intricately arranged "Port of Morrow" benefits from the electronic sensibilities and polished production Mercer explored with Broken Bells. Mercer's greater freedom on the production end results in a more lavish touch in the use of instruments and sounds. Strings float across the outro of "For A Fool"; a muted trumpet solo wanders in and out of "Fall of '82"; atmospheric noise permeates the album's eponymous concluding track.

Though these touches feel novel for The Shins, there is still plenty old fare to spare. The acoustic texture of "September" is reminiscent of the primarily guitar-driven ditties "Pink Bullets" and "Those to Come" from "Chutes Too Narrow," and "Simple Song" is chock-full of the same pop sensibilities and bursting energy of songs like "Australia" and "Phantom Limb."

The Shins have always thrived on exploring the mundane. They don't have the elaborate lineup of Arcade Fire, the atmosphere or the legend of Bon Iver, the hardcore bluesy sound of The White Stripes, or other niche-specific indie-rock classifiers. Their ambitions never seem tremendously far-reaching, yet their simplicity seem to possess a great depth.

In "Port of Morrow," the band's song structures remain effortlessly straightforward. Their lyrics, sung by Mercer with delicate yet passionate candor, still mix fanciful musings and trifles about quotidian life. That their new lead single is titled "Simple Song" shows us that the group hasn't strayed far from the sound that brought them fame.

Modern bands generally don't tend to strike gold beyond their first few releases, after which point their shtick is likely to go stale. Radio play, record labels, and Grammy nominations seem to take away the novelty of a debut and bands tend to drift away from what made them exciting in their infancy.

On "Port of Morrow," however, The Shins show that their craftsmanship has aged well; the new release recaptures the simple and eccentric spirit that made their previous albums popular and exciting.

The Shins aren't going to challenge your conception of what popular indie-rock music can be. Rather, they embrace what we already know and love about it. Their music still sounds as sweet as it did in that pair of clunky headphones eight years ago.

This week's five hum and beats:

The Shins—"Phantom Limb"

Beach House—"Myth"

Best Coast—"The Only Place"

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs—"Phenomena"

The White Stripes—"There's No Home For You Here"

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