Continuing on the thread of paying respects to creative individuals my own age (see Alex Ross, Britt Daniel), I have to give props to James Mercer, the founder and lead singer/songwriter for the band, The Shins. I have been slow to come around to this band--in fact, I really didn't care for what I heard from their last record... it seemed a little too pretentious (see "Phantom Limb"), and I think all the praise I had heard about the band (see the film, Garden State) made me skeptical.
But I have to say... their newest material, lead by such tracks as "Simple Song" and "It's Only Life," has me playing their latest album, Port of Morrow, over and over again... these are sublime, pure pop songs, both melodic and slightly melancholic--just the way I like them. Here's a track that I adore, "40 Mark Strasse":
Reportedly the song is about a German prostitute, which makes it all that more intriguing (sorry, Mom). Perhaps this and the other songs off Port of Morrow reinforce my belief that intelligent pop music can still be made... by my fellow forty-somethings, no less! Learning that Mercer was also part of the recent side-project Broken Bells, which had some excellent songs of their own, makes me think it might be time to stop shunning the Shins... but I'll still hold some caution, like any good hipster would... thank you very much, Natalie Portman.
www.theshins.com/home
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