"The Rifle's Spiral" does an excellent job at kicking off this highly anticipated album. The synthesizer creates a spacy atmosphere, and the lyrics add to the extra-terrestrial vibe with lines like, "You're not invisible now. You just don't exist." Fans of MGMT and Klaxons will want to groove to this.
Another highlight of the album is "Simple Song," which is supported largely by James Mercer's vocals. The way the repetitive guitar part and percussion flow together makes for a beautiful partnership beneath Mercer's high notes. Check out The Shins performance of it from Saturday Night Live below.
The Shins close things out with "Port of Morrow," a slow, dazing 5 minutes of Mercer's haunting voice and incredibly relaxed percussion. Mercer spends a decent amount of the song just oohing and ahhing, making the tune hypnotic. One almost forgets the song has ended by the time his voice fades out.
Port of Morrow showcases The Shins' ability to form their sound to a bevy of tempos and rhythms. Pick up this album if you are looking for a nice and slow summer jam. Mercer will sing you into a sweet state of meditation.
Photo credit: http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/The-Shins-Port-of-Morrow.jpg
The Shins close things out with "Port of Morrow," a slow, dazing 5 minutes of Mercer's haunting voice and incredibly relaxed percussion. Mercer spends a decent amount of the song just oohing and ahhing, making the tune hypnotic. One almost forgets the song has ended by the time his voice fades out.
Port of Morrow showcases The Shins' ability to form their sound to a bevy of tempos and rhythms. Pick up this album if you are looking for a nice and slow summer jam. Mercer will sing you into a sweet state of meditation.
Photo credit: http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/The-Shins-Port-of-Morrow.jpg
