The Shins
are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Russell Mercer, bassist Ron Lewis, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Joe Plummer, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, alternative country, and folk. The Shins were formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but are now based in Portland, Oregon.
|
THE SHINS TICKETS
|
History
From Flake Music to The Shins (1992–2000)
The Shins began in
1997 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Neal Langford, both members of the
lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in
1992). By
1999, Flake (now Flake Music) had disbanded and its former members became The Shins. (The name was based on a fictional family in the Broadway show
The Music Man
, a favorite of Mercer's father.) The band released two
7" singles, "Nature Bears A Vacuum" (1998) and "When I Goosestep" (2000) — and embarked on a tour with
Modest Mouse.
[1] During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a
Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.
Signed to Sub Pop (2001–2007)
The Shins' first album was
2001's
Oh, Inverted World
, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft and jangly pop sound. The song "One by One All Day" was featured in the 2003 film
A Guy Thing
, starring
Jason Lee. Two other songs from this album, ("
Caring Is Creepy" and "
New Slang") were featured prominently on the soundtrack for the 2004 film
Garden State
, starring and directed by
Zach Braff, exposing the music of The Shins to a much wider audience. Their music was also featured in the television series
The OC
. Dave Hernandez, former member of
Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. In
2002, the band relocated to
Portland,
Oregon.
Chutes Too Narrow
followed in
2003 to much fanfare in
indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrics, as well as a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.
Oh, Inverted World
appeared at #71 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000–2004
[2] and
Chutes Too Narrow
appeared at #47. In 2006, the band helped to curate an edition of the British
All Tomorrow's Parties festival.
An enhanced single release in 2004 included a live version of "
New Slang" recorded with
Iron and Wine, a studio mix of "Fighting in a Sack," a multimedia tack of "So Says I," and a cover of the
Marc Bolan song "Baby Boomerang". The Shins have also recorded a cover of "We Will Become Silhouettes" by The Postal Service, which was released on that group's 2003 single "Such Great Heights".
In a
Pitchfork Media interview, Mercer announced that Eric Johnson of fellow Sub Pop band
Fruit Bats had joined the Shins.
[3]
The band's third album,
Wincing the Night Away
, was released on
January 23,
2007. It debuted at number 2 on the
Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album released solely on
Sub Pop has ever achieved. The album was leaked to the Internet on
October 20,
2006 and was available for pre-order on
iTunes, with an extra track. It was nominated for a 2008
Grammy award in the category of
Best Alternative Music Album.
[4]
In 2007 the band did a
Take-Away show
acoustic video session shot by
Vincent Moon, and recorded a version of "
Little Boxes" for the
Showtime series
Weeds
. On November 27, 2007, the group was featured on a
Darfur charity album released by
Waxploitation.
On January 24, 2008, "The Past and Pending" was played at the funeral of
Heath Ledger.
[5]
Leaving Sub Pop, Aural Apothecary, the future (2008–present)
On June 20, 2008, the band announced that they were leaving Sub Pop Records for James Mercer's own label, Aural Apothecary.
[6]
According to an interview published on
Pitchfork Media on May 6, 2009, "keyboardist
Marty Crandall and drummer
Jesse Sandoval had been replaced by Ron Lewis from
Grand Archives and
Fruit Bats on bass and
Joe Plummer of
Modest Mouse on drums".
[7] In the same interview, Mercer said the next record "is still in its very early stages" and that he's "aiming for a release early next year". Regarding the lineup change, he commented that "I started to have production ideas that basically required some other people", but that he "wouldn't say I'd never work with them again".
[8]
On August 10, 2009, in a lengthy interview published in
The Portland Mercury
, former drummer Jesse Sandoval claimed that his departure from the band was not due to "aesthetic differences", but rather that he was fired, saying, "I understand he's probably doing it out of respect for me reading interviews, it might be hard for him to say it, but... I got fired. There's no other way of looking at it."
[9]
Discography
Albums
- When You Land Here, It's Time to Return
(as Flake Music)
(1997)
- Oh, Inverted World
(2001)
- Chutes Too Narrow
(2003) #86 (U.S.)
- Wincing the Night Away
(2007) #2 (U.S.) #2 (CAN) #5 (AUS) #16 (UK) [10] #2 (Global Album Chart) #8 (IRE)
EPs
- Spork
(as Flake Music)
(1995)
- Nature Bears a Vacuum
(1998)
- Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive)
(2007)
Singles
Year
| Song
| U.S. Hot 100
| U.S. Modern Rock
| U.S. Main- stream Rock
| UK Singles Chart [11]
| Album
|
2001
| "New Slang"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Oh, Inverted World
|
2001
| "Know Your Onion!"
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2003
| "So Says I"
| -
| -
| -
| 73
| Chutes Too Narrow
|
2004
| "Fighting in a Sack"
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2006
| "Phantom Limb"
| 86
| 16
| -
| 42
| Wincing the Night Away
|
2007
| "Australia"
| -
| -
| -
| 62
|
2007
| "Turn on Me"
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2007
| "Sea Legs"
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music
- (Flake) 7" Mieke 1993 Resin
- (Flake) 10" Spork 1995 Science Project
- (Flake) 7" split with Henry's Dress 1995 Omnibus Records (Henry's Dress/Flake 7")
- (Flake) 7" Been There Done That compilation 1995 Science Project (80's covers)
- Sue Defender 7" 1996 Headhunter/Cargo
- When You Land Here, It's Time to Return 1996
- 7" split with Scared of Chaka 1997 702/Science Project
- 7" compilation w/ Luxo-champ, the Rondelles, and more...Pocket Protector Record
Compilations
- Music from Scrubs
(soundtrack) (2002 · Hollywood Records) song: "New Slang"
- "Such Great Heights" (compilation) (2003 · Sub Pop Records) song: "We Will Become Silhouettes"
- Garden State
(soundtrack) (2004 · Sony Records) songs: "Caring Is Creepy", "New Slang"
- Wicker Park
(soundtrack) (2004 · Lakeshore Records) song: "When I Goose-Step"
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
(soundtrack) (2004 · Sire/Warner Bros. Records) song: "They'll Soon Discover"
- Live at KEXP, Volume 1
(compilation) (2005 - KEXP) song: "Kissing the Lipless"
- Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls
(soundtrack) (2002 · Rhino Records) song: "Know Your Onion!"
- Sprout
(soundtrack) (2005 - Brushfire Records) song: "When I Goose Step"
- "Causes 1" (compilation) (2007 - Waxploitation) song: "Turn On Me (Clint Mansell Remix)"
- Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One
- "Never Gonna Wipe My Butt" (cover of a song on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
)
- The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show
(2007) - "Breathe"
- Chuck (Episode 1 Season 1\TV series 2008) "A Comet Appears" plays while Chuck and Sarah sit on the beach.
- "Music from Weeds" (soundtrack) (2008 · Lions Gate Entertainment) song: "Little Boxes"
- song: "Plenty Is Never Enough" (Tenement Halls cover)
Awards and nominations
- Nominated: (2008) Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Wincing the Night Away
References
- http://www.theshins.com/
- Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004 on Lists of Bests
- The Shins | Pitchfork
- 50th annual Grammy Awards nominations - Entertainment News, Award Central News, Media - Variety
- Kent, Melissa. "Heath's goodbye is a celebration of life". ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Feb. 10, 2008. http://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/heaths-goodbye-is-a-celebration-of-life/2008/02/09/1202234225490.html
- The Shins Releasing Next Album On Frontman's Label
- Shins' James Mercer Spills About Lineup Changes, New Album, Other Projects
- Tactical Reshuffle For The Shins
- Portland Mercury, Interview with Jesse Sandoval.
- Everyhit.com - accessed April 2009
- British Hit Singles & Albums