Port of Morrow

The Shins: quintet from the United States

The story of The Shins started back in 1996, when James Mercer decided to set up a side-project. At that moment the artist was a member of a band called Flake Music, but it was The Shins that gradually turned into something that took the bigger part of James’ attention and time. In 1996 Mercer and musicians who were in the very first line-up began writing new material. These songs were later included into the rockers’ first EP titled Nature Bears a Vacuum. That mini-album saw the light in 1998 and it was followed by a great number of other EPs and singles; however The Shins released their full-length studio attempt in the new century. Nevertheless, the album was totally worth waiting. Thereby the studio attempt Oh, Inverted World proved to be original, so numerous critics acclaimed the creation of Mercer and company. Of course, listeners just could not ignore such a bright and stylish record with distinctive sound. Quite soon it was followed by Chutes Too Narrow (2003), which proved to all the skeptics that The Shins is not a band that would be satisfied by a one-time-only success. These musicians had come to the stage with the serious intentions.

Port Of Morrow of five-year aging

It took the musicians five long years to prepare and record the material for the new album. Obviously, a lot of things have changed within the band’s members’ consciousness, and music lovers who had already enjoyed The Shins’ previous long plays will get this point quite fast. Of course, all in all the quintet’s sound remains distinctive, but at the same time it is impossible to ignore the fact that it has become more delicate and brushed in comparison with previous works. Well, everybody is moving forward, and The Shins are not an exception. Almost an hour-long album is started by composition The Rifle's Spiral, which is a good demonstration of all the following tracks’ character. We got soft rock sound with a huge volume of electronic atmospheric arrangements that will be highly enjoyed by many music lovers. The next song with quite a symbolic title Simple Song proved to be not so simple, actually. This is a rhythmic act with the signature pushiness of indie-rock and melodiousness, which lets the vocal part feel comfortable between notes of accompanying instruments. The major Bait And Switch got a shade of dance composition. Sure, The Shins is not the band that provides music for raving dance floors, bit the rockers know how to deal with various tempos and rhythms, from slow and thoughtful songs to vivid and energetic tracks.

Atmospheric record and twelve components

The Shins did not waste their time, and obviously they really needed five years to record the new album. Well, anyone can make sure of it just by listening to Port Of Morrow carefully. The irreplaceable frontman of a band James Mercer and the company once again managed to create an incredible atmosphere, even in spite of the fact that Port Of Morrow is very distant from the quintet’s previous works. It presents renewed and, if you prefer, sleeker sound, however the band’s style did not lose the smallest amount of its charm. A great landmark for music lovers is a title song, Port Of Morrow. It is a mid-tempo composition with beautiful arrangements, and generally the whole album was performed in that key. Thereby you will not find fast songs on The Shins’s fresh studio attempt. The point is that this album is intended for thoughtful and careful listening. Indie-rock is multiformed, but still it has got something that is tricky to catch, but which unites many bands. The Shins have its unique style, but there is no doubt that the quintet’s creativity is an excellent example of indie-rock, with its specific melodiousness and dreaminess.