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:: Track list & details
Upon the release of their album debut, 2001's Oh, Inverted World, The Shins enjoyed a buzz commensurate with their talent. They weren't set to take anything over, they weren't the key to the new cool; it was simply acknowledged that they'd made a very good record. Smart, semi-baroque guitar pop with great melodies and emotional resonance—nothing wrong with it then, nothing wrong with it now. Some will surely complain that, with Wincing, The Shins have now made the same record three times. That's partly true, but when we think about shelf-life artists, the list is populated with plenty who've nurtured a sound over several early releases before trying something new. (The Beatles, R.E.M., and Tom Waits come to mind immediately.) Wincing adds strings, horns, and keyboards to the mix, but that doesn't equal a significant departure when taken in context. It's not that The Shins didn't try. The quality of the writing just looms so much larger than production considerations. "Phantom Limb" and "Turn On Me" are upbeat chimers with vocal melodies cut from the finest selection of notes imaginable. "Spilt Needles," "Red Rabbits," and others are notable for their emotional ambiguity, saying that human complexity isn't too much for capsule art forms. On the whole, there really isn't a bum track. The richness of Wincing lies beneath the surface. As with most good records, it invites you into a relationship that isn't superficial. Excuse its humble appearance and let it be your friend.
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