Skip to main content[INDIE POP] The Shins' third full-length, Wincing the Night Away—an album many think poises the band to take over the world—begins with a spacey, almost liquid-sounding guitar and singer James Mercer's haunting, treble-rich voice telling listeners, "Go without/ Till the need seeps in." It's an apt way to approach fans who've been waiting three years for new material (since 2003's Chutes Too Narrow). And the Shins don't waste any time delivering exactly what such need demands.
At just a tad over two minutes in, Wincing's opener, "Sleeping Lessons" (a song title that, like the album's, nods to Mercer's insomnia) absolutely explodes: A brightly strummed acoustic guitar creeps in, growing gradually louder until the song launches into fuzzed-out noise rock with Mercer triumphantly singing the echoing words, "You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise."
Certainly not, but such advice couldn't apply less to the Shins' latest collection of palpable, soaring indie-pop. While the curious intro of "Sleeping Lessons" hints at the semi-experimental nature that some of Wincing's 11 tracks embrace, the second track, "Australia," fulfills listeners' jonesings, quite immediately, for bombastic, simply awesome pop: After a lackadaisical string of "La la la's" and some intra-band goofing around, "Australia" bursts into Mercer melodramatically crooning the words "born to multiply" in a Mozzer-ish way that, along with the track's wash of atmospherics and shimmering cymbals, is awfully reminiscent of the Smiths. But the Shins quickly reclaim the track, throwing in almost too many catchy tidbits for one song to contain; this all goes without mentioning the intermittent appearance of a rollicking banjo and a surf-rock guitar solo halfway through.
The bait has been set, and the Shins only sweeten the pot with the "Woah woah oh"-laden first single "Phantom Limb" (a track that's so immediate you feel like you know the words the first time around) before delving into a sprawling, bass-heavy interlude on "Sea Legs." Recalling the recent exploration of another local band (the Decemberists) into jam-tastic long-form song, "Sea Legs" shows the Shins traversing new territory, getting a little trippy and, quite welcomely, taking risks.
Like many a great band before them, the Shins are growing, broadening their arsenal of musical tools and inviting you to inhabit new spaces with them and their sandpapery percussion, wah-wah keyboard blips and funk-ish bass lines.
Wincing the Night Away keeps you on your toes, though, never allowing you to space out for too long. "Red Rabbits," which features the Decemberists' Chris Funk on lap steel (the Fruit Bats' Eric Johnson, who's now an official member of the band, and Viva Voce's Anita Robinson lend a hand throughout Wincing, as well) employs a similarly ethereal backdrop but laces it with Mercerian melody, resulting in a subtly infectious, affecting pop number.
The rest of Wincing continues in this fashion, alternately engaging listeners with undeniable vocal turns, slightly hidden hooks and endlessly creative instrumentation. It's at once familiar and new: "Turn On Me," for instance, pretty much rips its rolling beat straight from the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me." But, regardless of any oldies mining, the most refreshing thing about Wincing is the fact that it's most reminiscent of a band we've all missed for quite a while: the Shins.
The Shins' Wincing the Night Away comes out Tuesday, Jan. 23.
WWeek 2015