For those not up to digging around the net for leaks, The Shins have posted another track from their upcoming Wincing the Night Away on their MySpace page. Wouldn't it be mindblowing if they went all techno? Or metal? Well they don't. The Shins sound is quickly becoming a brand, and this is simply version 3.0. After a buzzy intro, the song settles into mid-tempo rock. James Mercer remains the biggest proponent of the jangly tambourine since Stevie Nicks. As if the first 9/10ths of the song didn't sound enough like "New Slang," The Shins wrap it up with a chorus of "ooh-ah-oohs." All of it brings to mind Toad the Wet Sprocket, who I still say don't get enough cred for their tender-boy indie.
Track Review: "Phantom Limb," The Shins
For those not up to digging around the net for leaks, The Shins have posted another track from their upcoming Wincing the Night Away on their MySpace page. Wouldn't it be mindblowing if they went all techno? Or metal? Well they don't. The Shins sound is quickly becoming a brand, and this is simply version 3.0. After a buzzy intro, the song settles into mid-tempo rock. James Mercer remains the biggest proponent of the jangly tambourine since Stevie Nicks. As if the first 9/10ths of the song didn't sound enough like "New Slang," The Shins wrap it up with a chorus of "ooh-ah-oohs." All of it brings to mind Toad the Wet Sprocket, who I still say don't get enough cred for their tender-boy indie.
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[...] I usually enjoy Alec Hanley Bemis’ “Psychic Hipster” column in the L.A. Weekly, if just for the funny icons labeling things “Blog Bait” or “Butt Shakin’.” But I had to take objection with his claim this week that yindie, a term he himself coined that combines “yuppie” and “indie” and describes O.C.-friendly alterna-rock like Death Cab and The Shins, is on its way out. Bemis cites as evidence this year’s poor crop of Sub Pop releases, but conspicuously fails to mention the valedictorian of Sub Pop Class of ‘07, Band of Horses. Not only was that the best release on that venerable Seattle label this year, it’s a contender for overall album of the year, and one of the best (at least to my ears) in recent years. He still sticks up for the “ardor” of The Shins, but what’s been heard off Wincing the Night Away fails to impress. And Bemis calls Stereogum “indie culture’s blog of record.” Hmmm…here’s to guessing Fluxblog or the good ol’ ‘Fork might have something to say about that. [...]