My guess is that P4k will give it a 7.7, and while it wont make "best new music", it will get the "recommended" tag.

I think it's really good. Sleeping Lessons is my favorite, although I'd probably get rid of the effect on his vocal. Sea Legs is really cool with a very, very strong chorus.

The Shins know how to get it done. They took the amazing melodies from Chutes and recorded it a little rough-around-the-edges like Inverted World. I think it's loose, but purposfully so. The songs that I like the least are the ones that sound like they could be on Chutes.

I'll give it an 8.1

There has to be a grammy in here somewhere.

Chance that the review mentions Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, and/or Garden State in general: 85%

There's NO WAY pitchfork would like this album unless it was amazing. From initial reviews (from other people, I haven't heard it), it sounds good/ok, but not brilliant.

Remember, this is The Shins' first post-Garden State release. P4K has made sure to mention the movie EVERY FREAKING TIME they mention The Shins.
Chance that the review mentions Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, and/or Garden State in general: 85%

Score guestimate: 7.2-7.6

I read an interview with Mercer recently (I don't remember where it was) but he basically said that the production on the leaked version is nowhere near what it sounds like on the finished product. So maybe that vocal effect on Sleeping Lessons will be gone. Hopefully.

I'm not going to speculate on what P4K will give the album, and I really don't care, but from what I've heard of this album, it's really great. The songs are as catchy as anything on their previous albums and the production sounds way better than their previous albums.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnsofats:
I read an interview with Mercer recently (I don't remember where it was) but he basically said that the production on the leaked version is nowhere near what it sounds like on the finished product. So maybe that vocal effect on Sleeping Lessons will be gone. Hopefully.

Hehe. Don't suppose that could be a ploy used to increase album sales?

I don't know what everybody's beef is with the vocal effect on "Sleeping Lessons". It's not anything really weird, like Thom Yorke on "Kid A" or anything.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
I don't know what everybody's beef is with the vocal effect on "Sleeping Lessons". It's not anything really weird, like Thom Yorke on "Kid A" or anything.

That's kind of my point. It doesn't seem to have a purpose. It's just there, barely there. It's a flange effect. The same thing Robert Plant uses on his voice in No Quarter...although that's a pretty kick-ass song. I think that Mercer's clean voice would be just fine.

Pitchfork loves the Shins. They gave Chutes an 8.9. They'll give this a good rating.

I think it's a very, very good album. Maybe their best, but it's hard to separate three albums that are all so good. They continue to evolve while still writing brilliant pop songs.

My favorite is "Turn on Me." Also like "Australia." "A Comet Appears" is a terrific closer. The whole album is beautifully put together.

quote:

Originally posted by Musicalifragilistic:


That's kind of my point. It doesn't seem to have a purpose. It's just there, barely there. It's a flange effect. The same thing Robert Plant uses on his voice in No Quarter...although that's a pretty kick-ass song. I think that Mercer's clean voice would be just fine.

Man, I love the effect. The song is about insomnia and it really makes me feel that uncomfortable drifting that I get when I can't sleep. It just works perfectly with the lyrics.

To be honest, after several listens, I don't know if I love or hate it. I think the biggest problem for me is the bit-rate of my copy. It's 128 kbps, and you can hear the poorness of the quality. I can't wait to get my hands on the real thing. Then, I'll let you know.

Same thing goes for a Comet Appears. The guitar has an effect that seems unnecessary to me, but maybe that's just because of the lesser sound quality. For anyone who thinks that 128 bits is acceptable, you are dead wrong. The crazy thing is that 128 is how iPod advertises. My 30 gig iPod was advertised to hold 10,000 songs (at 128 bits). It is 100% full and there's just under 4,500 songs. Why would anyone ever want to lose that much quality? I feel bad enough using an mp3 player in the first place. /rant

I really liked Oh Inverted World in that blatant-60s-pop-tribute way. Not a fan of Chutes Too Narrow.

quote:

Originally posted by Portable Joystick:
I really liked Oh Inverted World in that blatant-60s-pop-tribute way. Not a fan of Chutes Too Narrow.

Well, definitely get your hands on Wincing the Night Away. Much less polish than Chutes, and looser as well. They recorded the album themselves just like they did with Inverted. Check it out.

I think it's a pretty good record. Not mind-blowing, but pretty strong across the board. Red Rabbits, Turn on Me, and Phantom Limb are my personal favorites.

Still, though, I would have expected something more after three years of hiatus.

quote:

Still, though, I would have expected something more after three years of hiatus.

I wouldn't consider a continous world tour a hiatus, those boys have worked damn hard.. And pulled off yet another class album.

I think the first 6 tracks are as good as anything on their first 2 albums. After that the quality drops a little, but I can't really say anything bad about the last few songs either.

The bass line on Australia is probably the best thing they've ever created. Perfection.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Mago:

quote:

Originally posted by Portable Joystick:
I really liked Oh Inverted World in that blatant-60s-pop-tribute way. Not a fan of Chutes Too Narrow.

Well, definitely get your hands on Wincing the Night Away. Much less polish than Chutes, and looser as well. They recorded the album themselves just like they did with Inverted. Check it out.

I am concerned about the whole fans of inverted love Wincing/fans of chutes no love for wincing thang. I have seen it expressed in a number of blogs/fora etc.

I am dying to get this one - but I am much more of a fan of Chutes than Inverted - in fact though I heard it many times through friends etc I never felt compelled to actually buy Inverted - I'm a heathen, I know. I did and do think that Chutes was/is the best thing I've heard in many years. Is there a way into Wincing for Chutes fans? I think Phantom Limb is understated but wonderful so there may be some hope?

It's really weird to say that Wincing is a "Inverted-esque" record when the band only has three records. Yeah, there are parts of it that sound similar to Inverted but this is its own thing. Wincing is "Wincing-esque".

quote:

Originally posted by thetreesgetwheeledaway:
It's really weird to say that Wincing is a "Inverted-esque" record when the band only has three records. Yeah, there are parts of it that sound similar to Inverted but this is its own thing. Wincing is "Wincing-esque".

Not that helpful.

I am glad to hear wincing is its own animal - but how one draws on the past matters - even if it is only a short history. I will likely buy it regardless but I was just curious (while I stubbornly wait for its release) given that I have seen this analogy come up a number of times from shins fans.

Listen to what you want here, whenever you want. It sounds pretty good to me.