Notes on Port Of Morrow by The Shins

Lots of people think they know a lot about The Shins. They dismiss this band almost immediately after they hear the name because The Shins are a "hipster band" from Portland "land of the hipsters" weird huh? Well its true well the part were they're from Portland well at least now they are but they're actually from Albuquerque, NM. Yeah from what i heard its pretty cold and rainy there sounds depressing. Oh well Portland may have depressing weather (opinion not fact) but this record doesn't have that same feel its very happy even when its not intended to be. There's the Shins sound still in the record even if its new material and yes sometimes that gets old but from listening to it it doesn't seem to affect the album that much and its not tiring.


Track review:

1. The Rifle's Spiral: Sounds like the Shins so far, the vocals haven't changed. The sound is a little bit different but i can't quite put my finger on what it is that changed. There's a vocal effect somewhere in the middle of the song that makes his vocals sound like they are being passed under a water filled tube. The rest of the song mainly has a lot of repetition.



2. Simple Song: The ahhhhsss get the song started and then the guitars get in. Well the sound is very good i like it not just because its a single but because the catchy lyrics sound a lot like the stuff the shins usually do its just as daring and packed with emotion. The little weird buzzing its different not necessarily bad just something else. This song has gone through a lot to be how it is essentially and that's good its very well defined.

3. It's Only Life: This song sounds really "lovey dovey" type sound and that really describes the song. Basically Mercer is giving advise to a girl who gets her hopes crushed. He is basically trying to get her happy again. The music isn't very happy sounding but it does actually help the lift you mood up. The lyrics do the same. Basically its says life sucks but get over it except it says it in a less rude way than i just did.



4. Bait And Switch: Bruuuunnnggg!!! wow that was loud and powerful i actually like this song its more appealing to me than Simple Song because it sound so smooth. If there was a lable for this sound "CRISP" would be the best word to describe it. The vocals are great the music is great what isn't there to love? The ending is really great too and Mercer totally nails the end! 



5. September: This song is really nice its slow but its in a perfect spot in the album. It has a sort of in the same room sound as if he was preforming right in front of you. Very warm feeling song overall.



6. No Way Down: The sound is happy the recording sounds like that of the song before. The song is Flowing right into your ears it is a very easy listen all you need to do is play it and you won't mind it even if there are strange pluckings during the guitar solo and almost abstract lyrics.


7. For A Fool: Eh its not as good as the songs before it and it is very slow. There's a big gap between the energy in this song and the song prior. I don't really like it because it isn't really as thick as the songs before and the drumming is very dry and repetitive it lacks any real flavor. The lyrics are same as usual so there's no surprise there.



8. Fall Of '82: When you can start tapping to this song by 10 seconds then you already know its a good song. The good thing is you can hear it get really thin but it comes back up and does it in such a fine fashion its catchy. Not to mention the trumpet solo which is bland and not as improvised as it would seem but it is pretty good it should be a little more aggressive though.



9. 40 Mark Strasse: Whistling is good it gives it a very nostalgic feel but then it goes and fades away which made me sad. Its slow and thin which is something i just don't like and the volume is low. The best thing in the song would be Mercers vocals which actually show a hint of the really talented scale of singing he can do.



10. Port Of Morrow:
 This is probably the weirdest song on the album and i kind of wish there was more of this sound in the album. It sounds a lot like Broken Bells and you can hear a lot of similarities between the two projects. Its probably the song with the closest hint that Mercer was still in a Broken Bells mood. i really like the song it reminds me of the great sounds in Broken Bells.


Verdict: I'm kind of mixed with what i should think about it its almost like a love/hate thing but only not as strong more like a like/dislike relation with the album. I know that i am not gonna listen to this full album for a while and that's it i think its great but it really could be better maybe if Mercer wasn't trying to do everything and actually getting the whole band in line to make the record with him and not try to orchestrate it all himself then this album could sound a little better but overall its a really great Shins record. It just seems to have something missing.

Rating: ♪♪♪/♪♪♪♪ ThREE OuT Of FoUr EiGhTh NoTeS