The Shins — Wincing The Night Away

While too many of today's most popular bands spend all their time trying to reinvent their sound, it's refreshing to see a group who know what they do best and simply try to write good songs around it. The Shins aren't going to change the way you think about music, and they figured that out a long time ago. Wincing The Night Away won't make believers out of non-Shins fans. It's a record for the legions who are still spinning Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. In fact, it's a combination of the best elements of both of those records. James Mercer's vocals are a little less visceral, more like the way they were on Inverted World, while the songs still have the pop and power of those on Chutes. A lot of reviewers said after CMJ that The Shins put on a show that wasn't life-changing. But they're a band who aren't focused on changing lives. They're happier if you hum along when their songs pop up on your iPod shuffle sessions. What's the point in alienating the people who made you famous, anyway?

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