Editorial Review

This Seattle-based band was formed from the ashes of the incredibly talented Carissa's Wierd [sic], whose mopey and self-deprecating songs were like some magical and baroque combination of the Magnetic Fields, Cat Power, and Leonard Cohen. Longtime friends of Iron and Wine, few fans in their native Pacific Northwest could understand why Carissa's weren't huge. But they weren't, and after three albums and few folks really caring, they naturally broke up. Band of Horses, led by ultra-charming CW bassist Ben Bridwell, is a remarkably different, though just as radically excellent, brand of indie-pop sulk. These songs are anthems to ambivalence, and Bridwell's lovely high-pitched trill will please any fan of Built to Spill, the Shins, and Modest Mouse. It takes a few listens to sink in, but Read more

Reviews (31)

Yawn
This is boring faceless alt country indie rock. These guys have less outlaw cred than John Kerry at a 1000 dollar a plate dinner. Normally I don't knock bands for doing their own thing, but here the affectation is too much."when we leave this place and drive back to carolinaand down to savannah and
Dreamy, Sad, Happy and Smart
I would hear a fantastic song on our local station KEXP (truly the greatest music station to ever exist) and after a couple more songs played, they would say that fantastic song was Band of Horses. This happened several times, then I saw them on Letterman and realized how incredible this band actually is. The vocals and echoey quality does sound a bit like My Morning Jacket. People have compared them to Neil Young (I don't really see it). Maybe a little of Flaming Lips thrown in. Possibly Arcade Fire. But they stand on their own. I can't listen to the CD enough. If you like dreamy, beautiful, well-crafted indie pop, or are just an open-minded music lover looking for something new and different, then buy the CD. I cannot imagine you'd be disappointed.

**1/2
Despite all the other opinions, I find that they sound much more like Porno for Pyros (Perry Farrell's post-Jane's Addiction band) than My Morning Jacket.They are much poppier and, IMHO, more boring than MMJ.This is very run-of-the-mill stuff that doesn't stand up to repeated listenings.I liked it most after a single spin, and my enthusiasm has shrank with each repeat to the point that I can't imagine a mood that would warrant another listen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

"Upbeat" seems like an odd description of a recording that includes song titles like "Throw It All Away" and "Waiting to Die." Yet fans of Zero 7 (the English sound-design duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker) will indeed discover that the group's third release exhibits a slightly more animated pace--more multitempo than downtempo--than its predecessors, the seductively trippy Read more

Reviews (66)

It needs a chance
It seems there a lot of mixed feelings about this album. I think it is quite good, yes a departure from Simple Things, but different is not bad it is just different. I will admit at first I had mixed feelings about it, but after a few listens it really grew on me. I think it could be their best album yet. I do miss the vocals of Sophie Barker, but change is sometimes a good thing. It is nice to see a band move away from the more typical sounds of this genre. The acoustic guitars really add a nice touch. The most important ingredient is still here, the ethereal atmospheric sounds. If you keep an open mind and give it a chance you may really like it.

I would never have expected this but it's true: "The Garden" is my favorite album of the year
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Elevator Music
This is a boring album.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Ambient Pop    3. Downbeat    4. Downtempo    5. Electronic    6. Pop    7. Rock   

Editorial Review

On his first eponymous effort, Ben Kweller sounds wise beyond his years--and younger than ever. Some songs come on mature and understated, like "Nothing Happening," others surge with youthful enthusiasm, like "I Gotta Move." Then again, Kweller is at that midway point between 20 and 30. His lyrics trod the same fine line between young and not-so-young. Rhyming "losing control" with "rock and roll" ("I Don't Know Why") seems pretty facile, but then he busts out with the infinitely more original, "I'm-a just a penny on the train track / Waitin' for my judgment day / Come on baby girl let me see those legs / 'For I get flattened away" ("Penny on the Train Tracks"). It takes dexterity to combine humor and longing without letting both sides down. Repetitive, if heartfelt ballad "Thirteen" messes with the momentum, but Read more

Reviews (11)

not a kid
I think ben kweller is a great artist, He is very consistent with his work. very lively and uplifting. This album has many great songs on it. Like penny on a train track and sundress. Most of these songs are very realistic and you can tell they straight fomr ben kwellers heart. i think that this would be great album to listen to if your feeling down. It's such a happy sound.

Should go down as a classic
Ben Kweller's latest effort is outstanding, and should perhaps be listened to multiple times before judged. On the first listen I liked it about as much as On My Way, which gets only a moderate amount of play time on my playlist. Now I like it as much as Sha Sha, if not more.
Kweller is Growing Up...
First off i liked "On My Way" alot. I thought there where alot of stand up tracks, but also some crap. Whereas this album doesnt have the songs that blow your hair back the first time you hear them (except maybe "Run") it has songs that reward you listen after listen. I find it to be alot better than "On My Way", because it cuts the fat and is filled with alot of gems, i dont know why Ben would release "Sundress" as his single there are alot of contenders. Some of my fave tracks are "run" "i gotta move" "thirteen" "penny on the train tracks" "i dont know why" "until i die" "magic" and "this is war".So basically this album is the sound of Ben Kweller growing up, i am excited to hear what comes from him in the future, this is a really great album!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

After two expansive yet winsome epic albums like Read more

Reviews (103)

Listen Again...
I think the Lips suffer a similar fate as all the great acts that constantly reinvent themselves (Dylan, U2, Beatles...).That is that some folk love a certain album so much they want it again and if they don't get it then the band has failed.I have so much love for Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi.No two albums from the last 20 years are so close to me and my own dilemnas.Certainly the song "Race for the Prize"is enough to endear them to any scientist.Which brings us to At War.When I first listened I had certain expectations, immediately met by The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.Then the rest was so different from my expectations I set it aside.Then in making a mix tape for the Lab recently, I listened again and found myself adding so many of these songs to it!"Yeah,Yeah,Yeah" of course, but also "Mr. Ambulance Driver", "Vein of Stars", and "The W.A.N.D."This album stands proudly for me with each of classics they made since Clouds...But just remember, it wasn't always so.Suddenly Everything Has Changed...

Cliche? The Lips?
I'll give this 4 stars for a Lips album, as some of the songs sound like they were tossed off rather than crafted (Free Radicals, for instance). Compared with anything else currently being made, it'd have to be a 5. But what I really want to say is that anyone who dismisses anything the Lips have done as cliche doesn't understand the band. Go back through their entire oeuvre for long, repeated listenings, and you should discover that the Lips have never done anything based on industry or fan expectations, or genre pigeonholes. They do what they want, and it's almost always a combination of undeniable tunefulness, outright goofiness, and masterful musicianship (well, at least in the last decade), with some element of okie (guitar) noodling usually lurking underneath. They can sound like a drugged-out heavy-metal band, Prince, or Floyd, but they're always just themselves.
Such a Let Down
I write from the perspective of a life-long fan. This was one of the first modern bands that I loved and I followed their every release from my preteen years onward. They seemed to never miss the mark creatively or sonically, and the increasingly strong imagination and coherence behind each record was only matched by the increasingly complex production. But on this release, they seem to have run out of ideas and melodies and passion. That hurts to say, but it is painfully true. I'll accept this as their auto-pilot record. The reason I give it two stars is because it makes me appreciate Yoshimi, an album I initially viewed as a disappointment in the shadow of the Soft Bulletin, as a proper album (albiet a lateral move). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Dream Pop    3. Experimental Rock    4. Neo-Psychedelia    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Reviews (68)

Zzzzzz
I don't usually buy a CD by someone I never heard of w/o listening to the clips, but I'm from Mich. and I just wanted to hear what this one was like no matter what. Besides, it has those weird titles peppered with all those exclamation points!!I thought it was probably going to be a lively rockin' little tongue-in-cheek CD with some songs that were even borderline novelty tunes! Oops! No question these people are great musicians, and I like indie/folkie stuff, I really do. But (and you knew there was a but coming) these songs don't say Michigan to me. I think you could almost insert state/cities of your choice in each one and no one would notice. And maybe it's because I'm a first-wave boomer teetering on the brink of old foggie-dom, but I expected/wanted more from this CD. These songs are just a little to bloodless for me. But hey, I grew up on Seger and Smokey, so cut me some slack, 'kay?

Brilliant
Hey, "Music I Am," Sufjan Stevens and Cat Stevens are not the same person.Cat Stevens (who changed his name to Yusuf Islam) is nearly 60 years old, and Sufjan himself is in his 30s.
Thank heaven for CDs!
...else if Michigan was on vinyl I would have worn it out by now.
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Subjects:  1. Ambient Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Rock/Experimental    6. Progressive Folk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Channeling the evocative storytelling of Laura Nyro and the soulful sexiness of Dusty Springfield, singer/songwriter Jenny Lewis skips all contemporary studio gimmickry to proffer a near-perfect solo debut. The front-woman for indie darlings Rilo Kiley breaks away from the songwriting democracy she shares with that band's co-leader Blake Sennett (also of the Elected), drawing inspiration from the crackling vinyl albums of her youth. And from the opening notes of "Run Devil Run," an acapella gospel hymn sung with the Watson Twins, through the note-for-note cover of the Traveling Wilbury's "Handle With Care" (with Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard), Lewis verifies this is her record. Her goose-bump voice can be as mournful as it is optimistic, but remains perpetually mesmerizing on Read more

Reviews (59)

Takes Me To Another Place
This record reminds me so much of the old records that my grandparents and parents used to play for me, and it reminded me of the folk pop albums i listen to today.It has so much soul.Just hearing Rise With Fists for the first time inspired me to buy not only this album but all of the Rilo Kiley albums.Jenny Lewis is truly inspired.This CD is simple and pure. And in its purity it takes you away, just like that music i have grown up to love and you don't see anymore in the days of my humps and sexyback.

On the RISE!
If you haven't caught the video for the tune Rise up with Fists found on this cd...SEEK IT OUT!I caught the video on cable a couple times and immediately got into the tongue-in-cheek-this-isn't-country-well-ok-maybe-just-a-little-bit groove that Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins deliver so effortlessly.This cd accompanied me on a 1200 mile road trip and let's just say that I wanted to drive another 1000 miles just to listen to this cd.Heads Up! This cd came out months ago.What are you waiting for? ;)

Lyrics that speak to my grungy 70s folk craving
I was so suprized to hear the cute little red-head from "Troop Beverly Hills" put out this amazing album. The whole thing is a work of art. The lyrics are astoundingly soulful and leave you wanting to sing along. Jenny Lewis is like that girl down the street thats kinda depressed and scary, but totally hot and mysterious. She put a lot of heart into these songs and the lyrics are indicitive of some of her hollywood history, which is always nice of a former child star putting out an album to do, because we are all curious.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Americana    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

If the idea of basement tapes made by Billy Corgan and Doug Martsch appeals to you, say hello to your new favorite band. Silversun Pickups are fairly early adopters of the 1990s revival, but they're not grunge dorks or anything, and they're from L.A. so they dress nice. Their music updates the anthemic but gauzy heavy rock sound that Veruca Salt and the Smashing Pumpkins had down pat. Thankfully, they strip it down and add plenty of finely distorted guitar leads to the whole thing. It's nice. With a spacey, laid-back sound due in no small part to knob-twiddlers Tony Hoffer and Dave Cooley, repeated listens are mandatory. Just don't pass out on the couch. Read more

Reviews (21)

Don't understand the hype.
..I've given this a listen to about 5-6 times now and can't understand the fuss. While there are some great tracks on the album like Melatonin and Lazy Eye I find most of the album just sounds so contrived and has a lack of originality. Similarities to Smashing Pumpkins are obvious but in this day and age of musical regurgitation that doesn't bothers me. What did bother me was the contrived and cringe-worthy lyrics..it just sounded like an "I'm too cool 15 year old" singing in front of the mirror...

You'll be picking it up over and over and over and over and over and...
Silversun Pickups get a lot of Corganishishness thrown their way for the sake of vocal inflection, but on their new record "Carnavas," they've pinned down that elusive "love in neutral" tone that only bands like My Bloody Valentine have managed in the past, and spitshined it with a melodic Guided by Voices sheen, yielding white noise-pop that sparkles from the glint of all the fuzzy edges.
Best CD of 2006
I can't quite put my finger on what they sound like. Yeah, some emo/shoegazer in there. Maybe a splash of Pumpkins but I don't see the overwhelming Corgan references. It's really a unique CD. As soon as I heard a 30 second clip I felt I was home. Simply the best CD I've bought in a long time. Probably since Radiohead's Hail to the Thief. That's it. It's like Radiohead if they were a rock band and with more coherent vocals. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

How do you condense 15 years of music down to 76 minutes? In the case of this survey of the second phase of R.E.M.'s career, the answer is: Exceptionally well. The dangling carrot for diehards is two new songs; the rapid fire "Bad Day" hurtles along like the kissing cousin of "It's the End of the World as We Know It," while "Animal" is anchored by a majestic drone reminiscent of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." In a surprising, but gratifying move, the rest of the program shortchanges the band's breakthrough, Read more

Reviews (164)

good but what if.
With the remarkable IRS compilation just released, the question has to be presented...could this cd have been as good as that one is?
Too much missing
No "Radio Song", "Turn You Inside Out", "Crush with Eyeliner", or, most shockingly, "Shiny Happy People"? Guess I'll wait a few more years for Warners to put out a better best of, like IRS just did of REM's early years.

Recurring Best
There are endless ways to assemble an R.E.M. anthology, let alone one from any other group, but this selection is marvelous. It is not only put together for their best work; it is arranged like an album. Many fans have lamented the absence of some big songs, like "Shiny, Happy, People," but this collection works well together.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Underground    3. College Rock    4. Jangle Pop    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Reviews (12)

Bringing back the good stuff!
Well, I'm always searching for great new music, from early 1900s jazz to modern experimental electronica.I LOVE early 60s music, so this band really stands out to me.This album has a great late 1950s-early 60s pop/bop/folk/motown/rock flavor to it;The vintage sounds as well as the progessions and melodies.There is a really honest feeling to the vocals that I don't hear in much music since the turn of the century.I liked it the instant i heard it.It makes me think of the Smiths with a female singer and a more vintage sound.Nothing wrong with that!

Kind of Fun...up to a point
I do like this new record from Camera Obscura, but not so much that I'd leap to recommend it--one might do better just buying the single "Hey Lloyd" or a track like "Let's Get Out of This Country" from iTunes.
Very sweet
A mix of saccharin, poppy melodies fronted by Tracey Anne Campbells heartbreaking voice and dreamy lyrics. The single is strong, as well as "Come Back Margaret" and the title track, all with lots of orchestra and catchy choruses. I wonder how long this band will last since I'm sure the male members of the group probably hate the fact that the two girls get all the attention. I dont care, as long as my drinking buddies don't know I'm listening to this stuff. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Scotland   

Editorial Review

People tend to confuse the band Mazzy Star with it's singer Hope Sandoval. Truth be told, they've been right all along. Sandoval's languid, weeping willow voice Read more

Reviews (84)

Fade Into You we know is a suicide note
However, I did hear some more of this back in my days of working at a trucking company, and I would go to this corner store to buy stuff for the people, and this 17 year old girl who was called "Flower" would play this, and now I think she's near 30. I know if you wanted to paralyze me, and make me docile as a pussycat, or make me curl up in a fetal position is to play "Fade Into You". I remember hearing this after May 27th, and after my car accidents, and I just fell apart. The slide guitar, the soft singing, and the slow movement it just made me think of girls/women laughing at me, and this is from where I know that a couple of girls had stood me up a couple of times, and it just reminded me of this. The rest is just as bad.

Good Sound
this album is pretty good. i don't have any of her other cd's, but if you like your ears listening to a fuzzy, strung out on heroin sound, this is the album of all album's to get.

Good Stuff!
Mazzy Star is so unique it is hard to describe her talent. A little throaty, a little ethereal - she is incredibly talented. This is a perfect CD for just chilling - especially good for relaxation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Dream Pop    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording reissued

Reviews (43)

Sharing the Blessing
There are some bands that one is happy to hear the first time, and there are others that make one feel blessed. Listening to this Decembrists' CD, I reveled in my good fortune; what a wonderful world we live in that can yield music this good.
We live this close to death
An astounding debut album, CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS became the foundation upon which the witty, eloquent Decemberists six began to build their empire. Trying on this album is like buying new clothes (a shopping metaphor, witness me aghast!) - at first they're stiff, they don't fit comfortably, and you look a little awkward in them, but once you've broken them in after a few wears they're worth their weight in gold.
A Contemporary Classic
This album is the total package that 1 looks for in an album.First, musically, it's pop music, but a different kind of pop.Kind of like the Beatles doing Sea Chantys of the mid 1800's.Lyrically it follows many of these same themes.It is interesting to note that Collin Meloy, the lead singer, wanted to be a novelist before forming the band, and it shows with the lyrics.Every song tells a story that is humorous, ironic, and heart wrenching in every way imaginable.It truly takes the listener along for an experience; a rarity these days, when everyone is so concerned withdeath and trying to be serious, then getting in the way.Overall, a great buy, and soon to become revered as a classic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Sadcore   

Editorial Review

On first listen, Wolf Parade is just another Canadian buzz band that plays fun, keyboard-heavy, new wave-y indie-rock and sings in weird, affected, high-pitched tones. Upon further listening, the songs reveal a lot of strange and fuzzy little details, and the lyrics have more depth than most bands do on their debuts. The Montreal-based group was brought to the Seattle-based Sub Pop label's attention by none other than Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, modern rock radio's king of affected vocalizings. Brock even recorded much of the album in Portland, OR. The vocalist has more than a passing affinity for David Bowie, and if you love the Arcade Fire and Frog Eyes, you probably are already a fan. Read more

Reviews (63)

Clever, infectious, blisteringly fun album
Hmmmm. So I see there are comparisons to Arcade Fire abound, and I must say, if it's worth anything, Wolf Parade takes my vote. Well, at least in terms of their two latest albums -- 'Funeral' and 'Apologies'. Perhaps the comparison is in many respects irrelevent, but even so I find it an interesting debate. I know, I know -- you're about to have a panic attack because your anticipation for my reasonings is uncontrollable -- but let me tell you, I am probably the least convincing guy in the world with regard to supporting an argument maintaining some sort of poise, within ANY subject, so your adrenaline glands are pumping bodily juices for no reason at all... better go buy some xanax.
4.5 stars, For Indie Hipster or Indie Kids, only?
This album is worthy to be called one of the best of 2005 because of the harmonizing vocals, beautiful keyboard and guitar arrangements that mesh together so well and a spunky edge that comes out at you like a fairy tale. Now you may be saying what the hell is this guy talking about? Well, I'm pondering on whether Wolf Parade's "Apologies to the Queen Mary" is a success or just old news. Wolf Parade are an intriguing band none-the-less even if this effort consists of two catchy but highly inconvienent voices. You maybe uncomfortable at first (I wasn't, I dove right in) with the artistic dialogues and the expressions of the music but still you will have a good chance of finding one of your new favorite bands if you pick up this debut.

simply amazing
I'll Believe in Anything is an epic song. All around great songs on the record, also do not miss them live! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

A singing duo of Amanda Barrett on mandolin and dulcimer, and Abby DeWald on guitar, this is the second release by The Ditty Bops. They draw liberally on genres of yore, hopping from western swing to vaudevillian theatrics, jazz, and folk music. They mine a vein similar to what Dan Hicks was doing with his Hot Licks in the early seventies, though their compositional sensibilities embrace a wider realm. Sympathetically produced by Mitchell Froom (who also plays keyboards, including a dazzling turn at the piano on "Aluminum Can"), they're joined by some of the finest players to be found in Los Angeles, including the ever-apt percussion of Elvis Costello's longtime drummer, Pete Thomas. While the title song opens the set on a quaint note, by the third number, "Fall Awake," it becomes clear that The Ditty Bops are not to be pigeonholed. The set's one cover, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant's "Bye Bye Love," is sweet but breaks the parade of their own resonant and mysterious songs.Read more

Reviews (14)

Angels with an attitude
The Ditty Bops stalwartly ignored the typical pop conventions in their self-titled debut -- and they continue ignoring in "Moon Over the Freeway," their second album of jazzy folky ragtimey cabaret pop.
Yes to the Bops
Darn those Ditty Bops for songs that you can't get out of your head.A better, beautiful and more hauntingly gorgeous melody than Moon Over the Freeway - if it exists, it must be in another universe.Very seldom would I buy a 2nd CD unheard but after that first incredible debut cd, there was no doubt that I was going to love this one too and I do but in a much different way.The only true comparrison I can make about the two is that I loved every song passionately on the first and the "Moon" isn't a "10 for 10" but a good "6" and what tunes they are.
Tough to describe, tougher to turn off
These two young ladies continue with the innovative, pleasing and humorous ways.For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing the "Bops" live, you are missing a true theatrical treat.I mean, after all, how many performers can you listen to while one of the members of the troupe carves a pumpkin on stage during several of the songs?
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Oh to be free and frivolous, like Stuart Murdoch and his extensive cast of players as they engage Read more

Reviews (83)

A new swagger
Confident and sparky, 'The Life Pursuit' is the sound of a less self-conscious band hitting their stride on their 7th album. Their sound continues to expand, taking in Motown and even funk in addition to their standard folk, 80s indie and 60s guitar-pop influences. There's nothing here as revolutionary as between-album single 'Your Cover's Blown', which saw the long-overdue union of 60s pop and punk-funk, but 'We Are The Sleepyheads' is a leaner and less epic version of that same union, and there's a touch of bluesy funk to 'The Blues are Still Blue', and a swaggering glam to 'White Collar Boy'. 'Another Sunny Day' and 'Dress Up In You' are classic Belle & Seb, harking back to their best upbeat and downbeat tracks respectively; the latter is one of their most gorgeous since 'Sleep The Clock Around'. Most surprising is the 'Song For Sunshine', which features a Stevie Wonder-esque synthesiser and is white-boy soul of the first order. But the best track is the joyous 'Sukie In The Graveyard', which is brilliantly playful, with amusing lyrics a driving sound that sparkles with major-key pop melody. Though perhaps not their very best album, 'The Life Pursuit' is certainly Belle & Sebastian's most expansive and confident to date, despite slightly thin production after Trevor Horn's huge addition to 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress'. For those that have always wanted to hear them do the upbeat pop thing more, this will be perfect.

Absolutely Fabulous!
I'm a long time Belle & Sebastian fan, I've been listening to them since Tigermilk, and I just cannot get enough of this album.It's my favourite album of theirs to date, and it's also the very best album I've heard so far this year.It takes all the elements that have made this band so wonderful over the years: Witty lyrics, Bacharach-esque melodies; but there's a new sense of humor and fun, and even some funky 70's glam rock swagger to boot.It's the most fun album that I've heard in ages, and it just makes me want to get up and sing and dance.Amazing that a band so known for it's retro mod sound has come out with one of the freshest sounding albums of the year.

snobyyyyy
first of all this album is good, its really good actually, its Belle and sebastian good.i can say that it is my opinon that this is not their greatest album, but its smart and funny and poppy and catchy (everything i love about this band).so there that is, this album is good
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Scotland    7. Twee Pop   

Editorial Review

The Shins' sophomore album is a joy from start to finish, though it's rather different from their 2001 leftfield pop genius stunner Read more

Reviews (295)

Great Pop (Which May or May Not Change Your Life)
The Shins are truly unique. It's as if they are visiting us from a slightly parallel universe where whimsy and beauty are more highly prized.

the shins are mindblowing
The thing that stands out most in this exceptional album are the lyrical depths that this band manages to reach. Although most tracks are not immediately catching, once you listen to the lyrics it is impossible not to be hooked. I can't compliment this band enough, and anyone who appreciates music should definatly own this album!

Stroke of Genius
These guys are the real deal.Comparing The Shins to The Beatles is not far fetched at all.If Mercer and the gang keep producing albums of this quality, they could easily attain legendary status.However you've managed to stumble upon The Shins, I congratulate you; it's only a matter of time before everyone jumps on the