I'm enjoying some new purchases and also looking forward to the new release by "The Arcade Fire" due out in March.
Bought the new Shins album on its release day like a gleeful teenager. It is a departure from there first two albums. I've seen a lot of reviews on this album, and surprisingly they have been very inconsistent. If there has been anything consistent about the reviews is that the album has a lot of good qualities but perhaps isn't as good as the first two. This album still is a good listen, and if you are a Shins fan, don't overlook it.
On earlier albums the shins were compared to Brian Wilson, The Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkle. On Wincing the Night Away, I don't think these comparisons are valid any longer but people continue to make them. (That says a lot coming from me, because I tend to find Beatles influences where they probably aren't there.. at least not directly) This album I feel has jumped on the tails of the New Wave revival, which has fizzled a bit recently only to be replaced by disposable pop/over produced acts like "Panic on the Dancefloor" & "Fall Out Boy". I'm hoping this, along with the sets from "The Arcade Fire", and "Clap your Hands Say Yeah's" new release "Some Loud Thunder" will bring some attention back to music that hasn't be influenced too much by record companies. (see Arcade Fire's link above [to myspace] for new song samples)
I read one review on "Wincing the Night Away" that called it a clash of Brian Wilson & The Cure, and I suppose this would be the most accurate of the many, I feel, inattentive reviews out there. More than the Cure, The Shins are calling on Morrisey, and several songs sound like they are almost covers of "The Smiths" namely "Sea Legs" with its drum machine, and repetitive base lines. Vocal fluctuations throughout the album recall Morrisey. The song writing style which is a collision of non repeating verse reminds one of the Crowded House's atypical stand out "Don't Dream its over" and is more difficult to sing along to than REM's "End of The World". And truthfully while these are the very qualities which will alienate many, they are also the qualities that make these songs unique and great. Revisiting past work of "The Shins" reveals more of the 80s balladeer influence than I perhaps noticed in the face of the plethora of "60s" comparisons out there, however on their third effort they fully embrace this unusual style. The musical foundations of Wincing's tracks rather than the overwhelmingly absent chorus structures are what make these gems special. The music is grounded in simplicity while the lyrics and vocals are steeped in complexity. The Shins take a strategy contrary to that of a typical band and make it deliver.
I downloaded "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" "Some Loud Thunder" and this is yet another gem by this word of mouth indie label phenomenon. "Satan Said Dance" will likely be a hit for them if released. It is the odd ball of the CD, however it still captures their quirky style, and sets up that "evil" mystique that has worked for so many others in Rock, from "The Rolling Stones" to "Marlyn Manson". "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" for those unfamiliar has a sound in the vein of the "Talking Heads" and the NYC band likely has a lot of "Arcade Fire" fans amongst its ranks. I looked up their myspace page and discovered the "pre-release" deal where I got to download the entire album, and they are sending me a copy in the mail. Pretty cool....
MY WEEKEND: Kate and I hung out Saturday Night and Sunday. Saturday I baked a Harrow's Chicken Pot Pie, which I highly recommend to anyone who is close enough to Reading, MA to pick one up. Sunday I went shopping and after a bit of an exhaustive search bought myself two pairs of new jeans. I looked for new sneakers, but nothing called out to me except one pair, which they did not have my size in. Figures. Kate & I went to abundant chain restaurant, "The Macaroni Grill". I'd never been to one of these before. It was a good affordable lunch, I had lasagna, and Kate stuffed pasta. For only $1.79 extra on their lunch menu I had a Caesar salad with my meal. Can't beat that! Not certain I'll be a regular there but it was a decent meal. Kate also partook in the shopping experience and bought herself a new pair of gloves. Her last pair had a couple of missing finger tips.
Anyway... here I am on the eve of yet another exciting week. Oh boy.
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