I must say before the Shins I listened to absolutely no 'Indie' music before. There was one issue of
Uncut magazine (
Pink Floyd special!) that featured a free CD, most of it was crap but one track instantly captivated me,
Saint Simon from this album. With its haunting yet cheerful melody, it's an elegantly decorated pop song hard to define by today's bland standards in mainstream music. But the stylishly retro sound that takes from jaunty Britpop to psychedelic former Pink Floyd front man Syd Barrett is toned down on
Chutes too Narrow from their previous album
Oh, Inverted World. Still,
Chutes too Narrow doesn't disappoint. It could be even better than Oh, Inverted World with its eclectic sound varying from song to song.
The most appealing thing about the Shins at the first instant is their ability to create such remarkable melodies, very pure like... dare I say the Beatles! Songs like
Kissing the Lipless,
So Says I and
Young Pilgrims are perfect examples. The first two are the first two singles released. They're two of the heaviest songs on this album, but still very light in that Indie Pop sort of way. Young Pilgrims is stripped down to acoustic guitars, with vocalist/guitarist James Mercer assuming a less emotional voice than his usual wailing voice. The third single
Pink Bullets is also stripped down to an eerie simplicity, with a very calm, maybe even depressing mood. Pink Bullets like
Gone for Good show the Shins' Country/Folk like song. I don't mind it for Pink Bullets, its soothing somberness outlined by the disheartened guitars and harmonica makes it a contender for best song on
Chutes too Narrow. But unlike Pink Bullets Gone for Good is too slow for the album to not deliver anything special, and the pedal steel makes it a bit too country. Overall the second half of this album isn't as good or as interesting as the first.
Chutes too Narrow doesn't ever get repetitive, despite some weak songs. The songs and melodies still sound fresh to me; each song is easily at the least distinguishable. But
Chutes too Narrow is also very short, another reason why the listener might not tire of listening to this a lot. At 33 minutes, with 10 songs, you can see the Shins popiness in song structures. Still, it's a solid album and is a definite buy for anyone who was a fan of
Oh, Inverted World (though they may be a bit let down by the change, while others like it.) Also any fans of bands like
The Decemberists,
Death Cab for Cutie, even
Elliott Smith, will probably like this Indie Pop album. Note that
The Killers are not Indie in any way at all! The Shins cleverly craft various eras of music into short, great songs, without sounding like a rip-off of other bands (you know who you are, members of
the Darkness!) Like the cover, the Shins' music may seem simple at first, but observe more carefully and you'll find more than expected...
Recommended Tracks:
Kissing the Lipless
Saint Simon
So Says I
Pink Bullets
Chutes Too Narrow-----------------> 3.5
(hope it wasn't too short...)
This Message Edited On 10.19.05
