The already solid sound in The Shins’ debut album, Oh Inverted World, continues to capture indie rockers in their newest album, Chutes Too Narrow.
In 2001, The Shins entered the indie rock scene with a fresh sound that was expressed throughout their entire debut. Chutes Too Narrow explores a new area in the sphere of music.
Considering the importance of a solid beginning, The Shins placed “Kissing the Lipless” at the starting line. It captures the listener with catchy vocals and familiar sound before breaking into “Mine’s Not A High Horse.” Marty Crandall uses his creativity on the keys to create a beautiful scale that overpowers the song to make it truly poppy. The Shins speed things up on the well-crafted organ-smashing “So Says I,” The Shins’ plea to save humanity. “Save our own lives, so says I, we are a brutal kind,” James Mercer sings. He also sings of the beheaded Sir Thomas More’s failed attempt to change the world one step at a time. Who knew there were historically intellectual musicians?
“Young Pilgrims” is a good tune for the release time. It captures acoustically the essence of the cold November dawns that we have experienced the past few weeks. It gives an impression that The Shins planned the lyrics for the release date. It is a simplistic song that, like all of the others, changes the feel as soon as the track break.
“Saint Simon” is a harmonious melody with “la, la, la, las” featured in the background. It is the same sound that can be found in numerous Beatles’ songs, including “Rocky Raccoon” from The White Album. The Shins also had violinist Annemarie Ruljancich follow the melody to create one of the album’s highlights.
“Fighting in a Sack” is a short track that will remind any Lemonhead fan of the album It’s a Shame About Ray. Actually, the whole CD will be a delight for any Lemonhead lover.