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The Shins
The Shins
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A classic guitar pop group almost nine years in the making, Albuquerque, NM's the Shins began in 1997 as the side project of singer/songwriter and guitarist James Mercer's primary band, Flake. Mercer formed Flake in 1992 with drummer Jesse Sandoval, keyboardist Marty Crandall, and bassist Neal Langford; they eventually changed their name to Flake Music, releasing several singles, a well-received album, When You Land Here, It's Time to Return, and touring with friends like Modest Mouse and Califone.

Soon after the release of When You Land Here, Mercer and Sandoval formed the Shins as a change of pace, playing as a duo with Cibo Matto and the American Analog Set. With Mercer as the Shins' primary songwriter, the group developed a more focused, crafted sound than Flake Music's charming, if somewhat rambling, collaboratory style. Crandall, as well as Scared of Chaka's Dave Hernandez and Ron Skrasek, filled out the Shins' lineup; however, Hernandez and Skrasek left after a short while, due to the success of their main project. By 1999, Flake Music essentially disbanded and Langford also joined the Shins.

With a couple of 7"s on Omnibus -- 1998's Nature Bears a Vacuum and 2000's When I Goose-Step -- under their belts, the Shins embarked on a tour with Modest Mouse. Sub Pop's Jonathan Poneman caught the San Francisco date of the tour and asked the Shins to contribute a single to the label's Single of the Month Club, which eventually became an offer to release their 2001 single New Slang and their debut album, Oh, Inverted World. The group spent the rest of the year touring with acts such as Preston School of Industry and Red House Painters. The release of singles such as "Know Yr Onion!" and "The Past and the Pending" kept the Shins' success going into 2002, cementing Oh, Inverted World as one of the definitive indie rock albums of the early 2000s and the Shins as one of the style's definitive bands.

By the time the band recorded their second album, Chutes Too Narrow, Langford was replaced on bass by Dave Hernandez (ex-Scared of Chaka). Chutes Too Narrow was released in fall 2003. The Shins' profile increased drastically the next year when actor Zach Braff included several of their songs in his 2004 movie Garden State with one of the main characters going so far as to proclaim that the song "New Slang" would "change your life." Its follow-up, Wincing the Night Away, appeared in January 2007 and sold over a staggering 100,000 copies in its first week. The Shins had never before hit higher than number 86 on the Billboard charts, but the album's sales snagged the guys a debut spot of number two. This was also a record for Sub Pop itself, as the label had only previously peaked at number 79 with the Afghan Whigs' 1996 album Black Love. ~ Heather Phares, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

The Shins
Our story begins in Albuquerque, NM, in 1996. Brought together by a genuine love of pop music –...
Songs: 4, Videos: 4, Playlists: 2, Blog Posts: 1, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Fan Comments

Nov 8th, 4:36pm
I've been a fan of yours for quite some time now, and I just started getting into the Smiths.
I was listening to "Sheila Take a Bow" and when they started "la la la la la la-ing" it sounded oddly familiar. Then it hit me, I listened to "One by One All Day" and said "aaaahhhhh. this is why."
(:
It was an awesome moment.
Jun 22nd, 3:15pm
You guys are an awesome band! When will you tour next?
Dec 10th, 8:18pm
You and the morning benders should tour together that'd be more than perfect :)
Nov 11th, 9:39am
If you like this great band (love the shins!), stop by and let us know what you think of our music.
Oct 7th, 9:09am
I absolutely L-O-V-E your mus-ack.
and the lyrics as well :)
Sep 25th, 3:06pm
You guys are AMAZING. You need to put more of your songs up though. Just a friendly suggestion. :)
Jul 13th, 11:50am
u guys are fanfukintastic
cant wait till the band performs near me so i can go see it
Jun 29th, 2:02am
I've listend to their songs since i was 6
May 25th, 12:06pm
my homeboyz
May 23rd, 8:22pm
jusT lOve Ur sOngs!!^_^