The Shins
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Mercer, alongside Yuuki Matthews (bass, keyboards), Mark Watrous (guitar, keyboards, lap steel), Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland (drums).<ref name="Pitchfork">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They are based in Portland, Oregon.
The band was formed by Mercer as a side project to Flake Music, who were active from 1992 to 1999. Flake Music released two 7-inch singles and a full-length album, When You Land Here, It's Time to Return, on Omnibus Records and were touring with Modest Mouse when the Shins became signed to Sub Pop Records. The Shins' first two records, Oh, Inverted World (2001) and Chutes Too Narrow (2003), performed well commercially and received critical acclaim. The single "New Slang" brought the band to mainstream attention when it was featured in the 2004 film Garden State. Consequently, the band's third album, Wincing the Night Away (2007), was a major success for the group, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy Award nomination.
Following this, the Shins signed to Columbia Records and Mercer parted ways with the entire original lineup, deeming it "an aesthetic decision". Following a near five-year hiatus, Port of Morrow, the band's fourth studio album, was released in 2012. Their fifth album, Heartworms, was released in March 2017.
HistoryEdit
Early years (1996–2000)Edit
The Shins was formed in 1996 by James Mercer, a member of the band Flake Music in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Flake Music (formerly known simply as Flake) consisted of members guitarist/vocalist James Mercer, drummer Jesse Sandoval, keyboardist Martin Crandall, and bassist Neal Langford.<ref name="RS"/> The group began in 1992 and released a string of singles, the Spork EP, and an album, When You Land Here, It's Time to Return, which was well received.<ref name="RS"/> The band toured with Modest Mouse and Califone.<ref name="AM"/> Mercer formed the Shins for a change of pace and enlisted Sandoval on drums. When asked what it was that began his interest in music, Mercer said "... it got me out of my shell and gave me a social life."<ref name="Clarke">Template:Cite magazine</ref> They began performing as a duo alongside Cibo Matto and the American Analog Set.<ref name="alibi1"/> Mercer became the band's primary songwriter, and consequently, "the group developed a more focused, crafted sound than Flake Music's charming, if somewhat rambling, collaborative style."<ref name="AM"/> His focus on percussive guitar playing still led friends to compare his demos as too similar to Flake, and he focused on taking the music in a different direction. Unlike Flake, Mercer was the band's sole lyricist, and songs were built from his initial structure.<ref name="alibi1"/> The group added Scared of Chaka's Dave Hernandez and Ron Skrasek to complete their lineup, but the two musicians left before the end of the decade to pursue their work with Scared of Chaka.<ref name="AM"/> By 1999, Flake Music disbanded and Neal Langford joined the Shins.<ref name="alibi1"/>
The Shins issued their first release — the 7" single Nature Bears a Vacuum — in 1998 via Omnibus Records. Following the completion of their debut single release, "When I Goose-Step", the Shins embarked on a tour with Modest Mouse.<ref name="AM"/> Mercer became a "hermit" crafting what would become the group's debut album, and became depressed with his life in Albuquerque.<ref name="tnt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Friends of the band, including Zeke Howard from Love As Laughter and Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse sent record labels cassette demos of the band's songs.<ref name="alibi1">Template:Cite news</ref> Mercer sent a demo to Sub Pop Records in Seattle, Washington, and label co-founder Jonathan Poneman caught a concert in San Francisco while the band was on tour with Modest Mouse.<ref name="alibi1"/> He offered the band a one-off single deal, and the Shins' second single, "New Slang", was included as part of their Single-of-the-Month series, issuing a 7" single to fan club members in February 2001.<ref name="abq">Template:Cite news</ref> Positive press for "New Slang" made the group's debut album one of the most anticipated indie rock albums of 2001, and Sub Pop signed the band in full.<ref name="alibi1"/> "Before you knew it, my whole life was upside down: I got signed, I quit my job, I moved out of town, the big relationship I'd had for five years ended. All of a sudden my whole life was up in smoke", recalled Mercer.<ref name="Clarke"/>
Debut and growing popularity (2001–03)Edit
The band's debut LP, Oh, Inverted World (2001), was released in June 2001, with a compact disc version following the next month.<ref name="abq"/> Much of the album was recorded prior to the Sub Pop deal in Mercer's basement.<ref name="alibi1"/><ref name="abq"/> The album received critical acclaim and solidified the band as one of indie rock's definitive artists,<ref name="AM"/> while also placing Albuquerque on the musical map with Oh, Inverted World's "gloriously skewed pop and [how it is] dripping with yearning, whimsy and brittle innocence."<ref>Simpson, Dave. "Friday Review: REVIEW MUSIC: POP CD RELEASES: The Shins Oh, Inverted World: 4/5 Stars." The Guardian [London] May 24, 2002: n. pag. Print.</ref> The album helped re-establish Sub Pop Records as a dominant force in the independent community; the label had been without a marquee artist for many of the prior years.<ref name="RS">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The group spent the rest of the year touring with acts such as Preston School of Industry and Red House Painters.<ref name="AM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "New Slang" proved to be a "stealth hit", helping Oh, Inverted World move over 100,000 copies within two years, considered remarkable for an independent label; Sub Pop had hoped the record would sell 10,000 copies.<ref name="nyt"/> Mercer was positive in licensing the song to a variety of media, confirming to The New York Times that he received more money from touring and licensing than record sales.<ref name="nyt">Template:Cite news</ref> The song was featured in a McDonald's advert that aired during the 2002 Winter Olympics,<ref name="mcd">Template:Cite news</ref> which led to criticism from several corners, among those independent music fans and the band's own hometown alt weekly.<ref name=mcdad>Klein, Bethany (2009). As Heard on TV: Popular Music in Advertising. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, pp. 127–131. First edition, 2009.</ref><ref name="spin2">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The royalties Mercer earned from the commercial allowed him to purchase a home and relocate to Portland, Oregon, where the group built a basement studio and recorded their second album, Chutes Too Narrow (2003).<ref name="mcdad"/><ref name="alibi">Template:Cite news</ref> During this period, the group replaced Langford on bass with Dave Hernandez (from Scared of Chaka).<ref name="AM"/> Having cut ties with a bad relationship and a bad job, Mercer felt his songwriting reflected a broader perspective as a result.<ref name=rs03.2>Template:Cite journal</ref> Although recording in the basement was less than pleasant, the band found it "cheaper than a real studio".<ref name="rs03.2"/> The home was broken into at one point, and thieves stole the master tapes for Oh, Inverted World.<ref name="spin1"/> The album was released in October 2003 to critical acclaim, appearing on numerous music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists.<ref name=rs50best>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=p4k03.1>Template:Cite news</ref> It also became their first album to chart, peaking at number 86 on the Billboard 200.<ref name="RS"/>
Mainstream success (2004–07)Edit
{{#invoke:Listen|main}} "New Slang" was repurposed when it was prominently featured in the film Garden State (2004). In a scene from the film, Sam (portrayed by Natalie Portman) tells Andrew Largeman (played by director Zach Braff) that the song "will change your life."<ref name="spin1"/> The song "changed everything" for the group, causing their first two albums to sell more than twice what they had sold prior to the film's debut.<ref name="spin1"/> "Almost overnight, the Shins became indie-rock icons," wrote Robert Levine of Spin.<ref name="spin1">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The band extended their tour in support of the song and its popularity.<ref name="as">Template:Cite magazine</ref> "We saw a change in our audience. By the time we were done touring for Chutes Too Narrow, there was this new interest", said Mercer. "We toured again almost as the soundtrack to that movie, and colleges were all of a sudden interested in us playing on their campuses. We wanted to consummate the new relationship by touring and having a relationship with them. I mean, it just kept growing!"<ref name="as2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This additional exposure helped Oh, Inverted World move 500,000 units in the United States.<ref name="spin1"/> Fans of the group had mixed reactions at their newfound success; some regarded their unknown nature as an integral part of their appeal.<ref name="RS"/> The band also appeared in season four, episode 17 of Gilmore Girls while Rory and Paris are on spring break in Florida.
Mercer began writing the band's third record in late 2005, employing ideas and riff fragments collected over the band's various tours.<ref name="spin1"/> Suffering from insomnia, he would often wake up in the middle of the night and piece together songs in his home studio until dawn.<ref name="spin1"/> For their third album, the group for the first time turned to an outside producer: Joe Chiccarelli, who produced Frank Zappa. Inspired primarily by a painful breakup and the group's newfound success, the album was initially set to be released in the summer of 2006.<ref name="spin1"/> It was later pushed back to fall, and finally released in January 2007. Wincing the Night Away represented a major jump for the Shins in terms of commercial success: the album peaked at number two (in comparison to its predecessors' peak of number 86), setting a record for Sub Pop.<ref name="AM"/> It moved over 100,000 copies in its opening week, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album.<ref name="AM"/> Following the success of the album, The Shins left their longtime label, Sub Pop, for Mercer's own label, Aural Apothecary.<ref name=p4k1>Template:Cite news</ref>
Hiatus and one-man band (2008–13)Edit
Having worked on The Shins for nearly a decade, Mercer felt exhausted and ready to quit the band. "Mainly I was tired of being right in the middle and everything sort of revolving around me, including the friendship dynamics-slash-bandmate dynamics and the creative aspect", Mercer explained in 2012.<ref name="mj12"/> Noting that the band had never been bigger, some aspects of the limelight made him uncomfortable.<ref name="mj12"/> Mercer was approached by Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) around this same period regarding a possible collaboration on a new project, which became Broken Bells.<ref name=mj12>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Enjoying the fresh approach with Broken Bells in regard to meeting new musicians, Mercer desired to continue that feeling. Mercer parted ways with longtime bandmates Dave Hernandez, Martin Crandall and Jesse Sandoval, terming it "an aesthetic decision".<ref name="p4k1"/><ref name=mtv>Template:Cite news</ref> Sandoval instead told The Portland Mercury he was "unequivocally fired" from the group by Mercer.<ref name=p4k2>Template:Cite news</ref> Mercer would later relate that his decision was "tremendously difficult", but instead wished to view it as a new phase.<ref name="spin1"/>
Working with Burton on Broken Bells helped Mercer overcome fears of collaboration, which in turn influenced the rotating "cast of characters" that grouped together around him to record Port of Morrow, which became the Shins' fourth album upon its March 2012 release. Mercer returned to The Shins as the only original member. "I always loved these auteurs who presented themselves as bands", Mercer later explained, referencing Neutral Milk Hotel and Lilys as examples, which led to him feeling as though he could pursue something similar, allowing the concept of The Shins to carry on.<ref name="Clarke"/> Producer Greg Kurstin had a particular influence on Port of Morrow, encouraging Mercer to experiment in the studio.<ref name=avclub1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=nyt12>Template:Cite news</ref> Mercer began touring with an all new backing band, including fellow songwriters Jessica Dobson and Richard Swift, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer, and Yuuki Matthews from the Crystal Skulls.<ref name="AM"/> Port of Morrow debuted at number three on US charts,<ref name="US-albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and lead single "Simple Song" represented the band's best chart performance, peaking within the top 10 on the Alternative Songs chart.<ref name="US-Alternative-singles">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Recent events (2014–present)Edit
In 2014, The Shins recorded and released a new song, "So Now What", for the soundtrack of Wish I Was Here (directed by Zach Braff of Garden State). Mercer noted to Billboard that he was immensely proud of how the track came out: "I think it's one of the best things I've ever done."<ref name=bb11>Template:Cite magazine</ref> That November, a reissue of Flake Music's first album, When You Land Here It's Time to Return, was released.
In 2016, the group recorded a cover of the Beatles' "The Word" for the Netflix show Beat Bugs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During this time, Mercer was at work on the band's fifth album, which he felt was closer in sound to the Shins' earlier work than Port of Morrow: "I made a concerted effort on certain songs to fit the palette, to use the palette that I've used historically for the band."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The group announced their new album, Heartworms, in January; it was released on March 10, 2017.<ref name="Pitchfork"/> In January 2018, they released The Worm's Heart, an album which reimagined their previous album Heartworms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Former band member Swift died on July 3, 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was admitted to the hospital in June for hepatitis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On September 24, 2020, the band released a new single titled "The Great Divide".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In April 2021, a 20th anniversary reissue of Oh, Inverted World was announced for release on June 11, 2021. The reissue was remastered by Bob Ludwig, with Mercer serving as an assistant.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A "21st birthday" tour of North America was announced in May 2022, where The Shins played Oh Inverted World in its entirety.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Former bassist Neal Langford, who played on Oh Inverted World and in Flake Music with Mercer, died on July 21, 2023, at the age of 50. Mercer announced his death on July 27, describing him in a post to social media as "one of the best friends I've ever had".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Musical style and influencesEdit
Mercer described the Shins as a "pop project" from the beginning.<ref name="alibi1"/> The group were inspired by any and all music that they discovered. "Everything we listen to [...] makes its way in somehow, but we've been inspired by a bunch of bands who basically just keep reinventing the same thing", said Mercer.<ref name="alibi1"/> The group received comparisons to the "pop revivalists" at the Elephant 6 Recording Collective early in their career,Template:Clarify such as The Apples in Stereo,Template:Clarify whilst Mercer's vivid, often surrealist lyrics and infectious melodies drew comparisons to the songwriting style of Robert Pollard from Guided by Voices.<ref name="alibi1"/> Rolling Stone credited the band with bringing "the pop traditions of 1960s pop bands—groups like the Zombies, and the Beach Boys—to a new generation of music fans."<ref name="RS"/>
MembersEdit
- Current<ref name="Pitchfork"></ref>
- James Mercer – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass (1996–present)
- Yuuki Matthews – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2011–present)
- Mark Watrous – guitar, keyboards, lap steel, backing vocals (2012–present)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Jon Sortland – drums, backing vocals (2016–present)
- Patti King – keyboards, backing vocals (2016–present)
- Former
- Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion (1996–2009)
- Martin Crandall – keyboards, backing vocals (1998–2009), bass (1998–2000, 2003–2009)
- Dave Hernandez – bass, guitar, backing vocals (1998–2000, 2003–2009)
- Neal Langford – bass (2000–2003; died 2023)
- Eric Johnson – guitar, keyboards, piano, banjo, backing vocals (2007–2011)
- Ron Lewis – bass (2009–2011)
- Joe Plummer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2009–2016)
- Jessica Dobson – guitar, bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2011–2013)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Richard Swift – keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizers, bass, guitar, percussion, drone box, backing vocals (2011–2016; died 2018)
- Casey Foubert – guitar (2016–2018)
TimelineEdit
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id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:lines value:black legend:Studio_albums
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BarData =
bar:Mercer text:"James Mercer" bar:Johnson text:"Eric Johnson" bar:Dobson text:"Jessica Dobson" bar:Watrous text:"Mark Watrous" bar:Foubert text:"Casey Foubert" bar:Crandall text:"Martin Crandall" bar:Swift text:"Richard Swift" bar:King text:"Patti King" bar:Hernandez text:"Dave Hernandez" bar:Langford text:"Neal Langford" bar:Lewis text:"Ron Lewis" bar:Matthews text:"Yuuki Matthews" bar:Sandoval text:"Jesse Sandoval" bar:Plummer text:"Joe Plummer" bar:Sortland text:"Jon Sortland"
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</timeline>
DiscographyEdit
- Studio albums
- Oh, Inverted World (2001)
- Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
- Wincing the Night Away (2007)
- Port of Morrow (2012)
- Heartworms (2017)
- Remix albums
- The Worm's Heart (2018)
- Extended plays
- Nature Bears a Vacuum (1999)
- Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive) (2007)
- Port of Morrow Acoustic EP (2012)
Awards and nominationsEdit
- Nominated: (2008) Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Wincing the Night Away
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Official site
- {{#if:The Shins|Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at Discogs|{{#if:Template:Wikidata|Template:Wikidata Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at DiscogsTemplate:EditAtWikidata|Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at Discogs}}}}
- Template:Imdb name