The Shins – Port of Morrow

The Shins – Port Of Morrow
Album Review by Marina Oliver

The Shins’ newest album Port of Morrow seems to be less about The Shins and more about James Mercer, frontman of the band since its creation. A five-year gap between albums and a completely new band lineup besides Mercer make for an album different than The Shins’ backlog of well-known creations.

However, this feeling does not make for a bad album. It will still tickle listener’s emotions and still provides eloquent lyrics with eclectic background beats. It is simply a matter of listeners letting go of their preconceptions of The Shins. Reframe the album into one ruled by Mercer, rather than classic sound of The Shins, and it will seem well worth a listen. Holding too strongly onto the past identity of the band will only pit Port of Morrow against the band’s other famous albums, thus diminishing the quality of the new.

“The Rifle’s Spiral” begins the album on a jaunty note, later joined by “Fall of ’82” and “No Way Down” in forming the rhythmic, driving album core of upbeat songs. The catchy percussion backgrounds lend an air of movement to the tracks, which will interest listeners.

“Simple Song” features subtle electronic layers over rhythm guitar riffs and vocals that switch octaves enough to remain fresh to the ear. The tune was ensnaring with its tempo changes and instrumentation, and stood out as a strong track on the album.

In a more acoustic style, “September” seems to be the most heartfelt track on the album. The song melts wistfully into a fog of easy-listening melodies. It is reminiscent of some of The Shins’ older tracks, which may appease fans who feel the band’s sound has changed greatly. “For a Fool” also demonstrates another slower track dominated by the emotions of the lyrics and the sliding melody akin to clouds lazily floating overhead on a gray day. To round out the selection of slow, drifting tracks, “Port of Morrow” closes the album with gentle falsetto licks layered over dragging cymbals and gentle background ambience.

“It’s Only Life” also attempts to offer the aforementioned heartfelt sound, but comes off less naturally, with cliche-loaded lyrics and a significantly less fluid background. It doesn’t melt like the other slow tracks, instead it falls somewhere between driving forward and falling backward.

Overall, the album offers a relaxing cohesion. It is easy to listen to the whole album straight through as background music; no track stands mightily above others. The product in its entirety is not classic The Shins, but nonetheless will compel a few run-throughs before listeners decide for themselves about the new direction of the group.

Overall rating: 4/5
Website:http://www.theshins.com/home