If you’re looking for some tunes to jam while taking that long-awaited summer road trip in the coming months, look no further than Port of Morrow, the newest full-length studio album from The Shins.
If you’re looking for some tunes to jam while taking that long-awaited summer road trip in the coming months, look no further than Port of Morrow, the newest full-length studio album from The Shins.
Originally from Albuquerque, N.M., the Shins relocated to Portland in 2001, so chances are you have heard them. If you’re having trouble remembering them, it is their song “New Slang” that Natalie Portman’s character called “life-changing” in the 2004 film Garden State.
Formed in 1996 by James Mercer (the sole permanent member), the Shins have released four full-length albums as well as an impressive number of seven-inches and EPs. The Shins’ last album, Wincing the Night Away, was released five years ago and was highly praised, earning the band a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album as well as the adoration of audiophiles everywhere.
This time around, Mercer worked with a new producer, Greg Kurstin, and an entirely new line-up of musicians including members of Modest Mouse and the Fruit Bats. While all of their albums have held on to the jingly, melodic indie-pop style the band is known for, Port of Morrow explores a greater emphasis on electronic instrumentation. More so than any of the Shins’ previous albums, Port of Morrow sounds like it doesn’t belong to any one decade or style.
Rather, it blends a myriad of styles and sounds to create songs that are sweet and new-wave, like “Bait and Switch” or good ol’ American pop-rock like “No Way Down.” There’s even a track reminiscent of Chicago (the band, not the windy city), “Fall of ’82,” that has a muted trumpet solo.
Lyrically speaking, the album is just as good as the Shins’ older albums. The words are sometimes nonsensical, but they work well with the melodies Mercer has created. Wincing the Night Away was full of dark undertones drawn from Mercer’s personal life, but Port seems to leave his darkness aside. The songs are mostly upbeat, basically perfect for summer.
My personal favorite is “September,” an honest tune about awkward affections with a beautiful couplet hidden inside the lyrics: “Love is the ink in the well/When her body writes.”
Basically, if you want some nice indie pop to be the soundtrack to your summer, get this album. The Shins are one of the biggest bands to come out of Oregon and are partly responsible for Portland’s bustling and diverse music scene. Just think of lazy summer days and driving with your windows down.
