other titles...
the shins
port of morrow
columbia
james mercer takes the reigns for another slab of indie rock but this time with a more relaxed & assured approach.
with a well-documented, territorial approach to making records, mercer again cherry picks from a cast of musicians with help of multi-instrumentalist & producer greg kurstin. things shuffle along nicely with a somewhat broader appeal, with dad of 2 mercer seeming positively cheery at times, accompanied with some lush production & deft musical touches, be it the steel-guitar inflection of ‘september’ or the upbeat nature of ‘bait & switch’. truly great, effortless-sounding indie-rock-pop brimming with confidence & destined for much wider acclaim. “the intermesh of emotion & technique is a rare trick to pull in pop yet the shins – whoever they are – have just made it look easy” 4/5 – mojo.