| The Shins | |
|---|---|
 The Shins performing in London, March 2007
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| Background information | |
| Origin |  Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Indie pop |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label(s) | Sub Pop Transgressive (distributing label) Cargo Records (distributing label) |
| Website | www.theshins.com |
| Members | |
| James Mercer Martin Crandall Dave Hernandez Jesse Sandoval Eric Johnson |
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| Former members | |
| Neal Langford | |
The Shins is an indie rock group comprised of singer, songwriter and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative, alternative country, and folk. The Shins are based in Portland, Oregon.
Contents |
History
From Flake Music to The Shins
The Shins began in 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Neal Langford, both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (now Flake Music) had disbanded and its former members became The Shins. (The name was based on a fictional family in the Broadway show The Music Man, a favorite of Mercer's father.) The band released two 7" singles on Omnibus — "Nature Bears A Vacuum" (1999) and "When I Goosestep" (2000) — and embarked on a tour with Modest Mouse. During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.
Signed to Sub Pop
The Shins' first album was 2001's Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft and jangly pop sound. Songs from this album featured prominently in the film Garden State, exposing the music of The Shins to a much wider audience. Their music was also featured in the episode of the television series "Gilmore Girls" entitled "Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist". Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrics, as well as a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity. Oh, Inverted World appeared at #71 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004[1] and Chutes Too Narrow appeared at #47. The band's third album, Wincing the Night Away, was released on January 23, 2007. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album released solely on Sub Pop has ever achieved. The album was leaked to the Internet on October 20, 2006. It was available for pre-order with an extra track on iTunes. On July 6, 2006, The Shins played a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, with Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. Both bands described playing at the venue as a career highlight. During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments. In a Pitchfork Media interview, Mercer announced that Eric Johnson of fellow Sub Pop band Fruit Bats had joined the Shins. In the interview Mercer spoke about wanting to work with different people, making it appear that Johnson has signed on as a collaborator and not just as a touring musician.[2] The Shins were nominated for three mtvU Woodie Awards: "Woodie of the Year", "Alumni Woodie", and "Viral Woodie". The Shins recorded a version of "Little Boxes" for the Showtime program Weeds. On November 27, 2007, the group will be featured on a Darfur charity album released by Waxploitation. The album will be available on iTunes for only 90 days. 100% of the profits will go towards alleviating the crisis in Darfur. Wincing the Night Away is nominated for a 2008 Grammy award in the category of Best Alternative Music Album. The Shins collaborated together to create a t-shirt design for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for the Nature Conservancy.
Discography
Albums
- When You Land Here, It's Time to Return (as Flake Music) (1997)
- Oh, Inverted World (June 19 2001)
- Chutes Too Narrow (October 21 2003) #86 (US)
- Wincing the Night Away (January 23 2007) #2 (US) #2 (CAN) #5 (AUS) #16 (UK) #2 (Global Album Chart) #8 (Ire)
EPs and Singles
- Spork (as Flake Music) (1995)
- Nature Bears a Vacuum (1999)
- When I Goose-Step (2000)
- Know Your Onion (2002)
- So Says I (2003)
- Fighting in a Sack (2004)
- Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive) (2007)
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Main- stream Rock | UK singles | Album | B-sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "New Slang" | - | - | - | - | Oh, Inverted World | |
| 2001 | "Know Your Onion!" | - | - | - | - | Oh, Inverted World |
CD B-sides My Seventh Rib [Live] New Slang [Live] Sphagnum Esplanade |
| 2003 | "So Says I" | - | - | - | 73 | Chutes Too Narrow |
CD B-sides Mild Child Gone For Good [Alternate Version] |
| 2004 | "Fighting in a Sack" | - | - | - | - | Chutes Too Narrow |
CD B-sides Baby Boomerang New Slang [Recorded Live Featuring Iron & Wine] So Says I [Video] |
| 2006 | "Phantom Limb" | 86 | 16 | - | 42 | Wincing the Night Away |
CD and 7" B-sides Nothing At All Split Needles (Alternative Version) |
| 2007 | "Australia" | - | - | - | 62 | Wincing the Night Away |
CD B-sides Sleeping Lessons [The RAC Mix] Saint Simon [Radio 2 Live Session] Girl on the Wing [KCRW Session] - 7" B-sides Girl Inform Me-Performed By Jeremy Warmsley Caring is Creepy-Performed By Polytechnic Phantom Limb [Radio 2 Session] So Says I [KCRW Session] |
| 2007 | "Turn on Me" | - | - | - | - | Wincing the Night Away |
7" B-sides Little Boxes Australia (Peter Bjorn and John remix) - Download B-sides Little Boxes Sealegs (DJ Nobody remix) |
| 2007 | "Sea Legs" | - | - | - | - | Wincing the Night Away |
7" B-side Strange Powers (Live) |
Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music
- (Flake) 7" 1993 Resin
- (Flake) 10" 1995 Spork Science Project
- (Flake) 7" split with Henry's Dress 1995 Omnibus Records
- (Flake) 7" Been There Done That compilation 1995 Science Project (80's covers)
- 7" 1996 Headhunter/Cargo
- 7" split with Scared of Chaka 1997 702/Science Project
- 7" compilation w/ Luxo-champ, the Rondelles, and more...Pocket Protector Records
Compilations
- Garden State (soundtrack) (2004 · Sony Records) songs: "Caring Is Creepy", "New Slang"
- Wicker Park (soundtrack) (2004 · Lakeshore Records) song: "When I Goose-Step"
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (soundtrack) (2004 · Sire/Warner Bros.) song: "They'll Soon Discover"
- Live at KEXP, Volume 1, 2005, song: "Kissing The Lipless" [1]
- (2002 · Rhino Records) song: "Know Your Onion!"
- Sprout (soundtrack) (2005 - Brushfire Records) song: "When I Goose Step"
Awards and Nominations
- Nominated: (2008) Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Wincing the Night Away
External links
- theshins.com, official band website
- theshins.co.uk, The Shins official UK fansite
- [2], Interview with James Mercer
| The Shins |
|---|
| James Mercer | Martin Crandall | Dave Hernandez | Jesse Sandoval | Eric Johnson |
| Inactive members: Neal Langford |
| Discography |
| Albums: Oh, Inverted World | Chutes Too Narrow | Wincing the Night Away |
| EPs: Nature Bears a Vacuum |
| Singles: "When I Goose-Step / The Gloating Sun" | "New Slang" | "Know Your Onion!" | "So Says I" | "Fighting in a Sack" | "Phantom Limb" | "Australia" | "Turn on Me" | "Sea Legs" |
| Related articles |
| When You Land Here It’s Time to Return | Sub Pop Records |
