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The Shins, "Chutes Too Narrow"
Things have changed since 2001's Oh, Inverted World. The first full-length from this group took a while to sink into my bones, but after it did, it became one of my favorite albums. Their newest full-length just isn't different enough from their first album to evoke the kind of excitement that every song did on their debut.Sub Pop
Everything has been stripped down a bit and where there was a psychadelic taste to the first album there is now a stripped down and somewhat bare base for each song. "Kissing the Lipless" just doesn't have the power and exotic center that "Caring Is Creepy" did and right away that left me feeling a little disappinted. In fact, a majority of the tracks sound as if they are uncomplete or are at least missing some key elements that could make them grand. Comparing this album to the last isn't entirely fair, though. The Shings obviously wanted to go for a new sound and they both succeed and fail with Chutes Too Narrow. "So Says I" and "Saint Simon" both serve as improvements on and developments of what was found on The Shins previous release. They're both full of hip-shaking rhythms and intoxicating melodies and they both have an aura of wonder around them, yet they both remain more atomic and basic than anything that appeared on Oh, Inverted World. This is where each song hinges on beauty and simple decency. At points, like on "Pink Bullets" and "Turn A Square," everything comes together so perfectly that it's impossible not to be dragged in by the raw melancholy or the glistening and jarring guitar parts. But when the stripping doesn't work out, what remains is just mediocre. I have to admit, though, that just average for The Shins is a step above and beyond a lot of the other backwards-looking rock outfits I've heard. This isn't the best album I've heard all year, but it does feature some outstanding tunes. "Fighting In A Sack" and "Gone For Good" are both wonderful and the latter is a particularly great tangent: the slide guitar works excellently with the strained and urgent vocals of James Mercer (his voice is still one of the most attractive things about The Shins). This isn't a bad album, but it is slightly disappointing as compared to the first. That fact won't stop me from keeping this disc around. The Shins are one of the finest bands around and all the minor flaws on this album can't hide the fact that they're superb writers and musicians.
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