January 29, 2007

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

A real hit and miss unlike their previous 2 stellar albums, The Shins' newest release "Wincing the Night Away" is a little tougher to swallow. The first few songs make you wonder if The Shins could ever miss, then the last few make you realize that yes, they can. One would think that with his recent marriage that front man James Mercer would find even more cheerful melodies to put into this highly anticipated third album. Yet this album contains many more slow and somber tunes that I wasn’t really expecting. ‘Wincing’ hints at the magic that we Shins fans have come to love so dearly, but doesn't deliver the same quality. However the songs that are magical are some of the best songs The Shins have ever made, which makes it hard to love or hate it. On one hand it lacks that long lasting feel good ambiance. On the other, it has some truly incredible songs. Tracks such as “Red Rabbits”, “Phantom Limb”, “Sleeping Lessons”, and “Turn on me” will leave you begging for more. Sadly, there isn’t that much more. “Wincing the Night Away” is a little disappointing, but did you really expect their magic to last?...Ok so did I.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good post.