#21 The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)
Every piece of writing about this nigh perfect sunshine-pop album is obliged to mention a scene in the movie Garden State where Natalie Portman tells the dork from Scrubs that the song 'New Slang' will change his life. Said scene (which is toenail-curlingly terrible by the way) has since become cultural shorthand for a certain sort of clichéd All-American 'indie' existence - the overthought and awkward young life and its soundtrack. Interestingly, and in spite of the now unavoidable association, The Shins' first record doesn't fit easily into such a pigeon hole. The scene in Garden State would have made a lot more internal sense if Natalie Portman's character had recommended your man a Smith's song or something by Death Cab for Cutie because 'New Slang', like all of James Mercer's songs on Oh, Inverted World, is both lyrically obtuse (though quite expressionistic) and emotionally remote - the work of an enigmatic songwriter smitten with both the classic UK and US '60s pop sound. He's a man who you feel is a lot more concerned with a song's aesthetic form rather than its emotional pay-off.
So we've established that Oh, Inverted World is unlikely to change your life. What it most likely will do, however, is give you goosebumps, such are its marbled merits. It plays out like a best-of playlist constructed from a successful afternoon spent bargain bin diving in Amoeba records or some such place. Actually, in that way, Oh, Inverted World reminds me of The La's classic debut due to the obvious amount of fussing that went into achieving its prettily faded aura. The production arrests you from the first breathy lines of 'Caring is Creepy' then hangs like a mist over the rest of an album which, for all its artfully constructed delicacy, is constructed of more songwriting steel than a truckload of its contemporaries.
Reading back, this appraisal makes Oh, Inverted World sound a bit emotionally bereft doesn't it? It's not. The songs are slippery with Mercer's surrealistic lyrical style, where odd couplets and unusual images can tug you from all sorts of funny angles (sample WTF lyric - godspeed all the bakers at dawn/ they all cut their thumbs/ and bleed into their buns) especially in the context of the gorgeous music. Speaking of which, 'New Slang' is about as gorgeous as music gets. It bubbles up from a long sigh of an intro, hangs around for a couple of exalted moments, then tapers back away into the same sigh, leaving you feel like it goes on in both directions for ever.
MP3: The Shins-Caring is creepy
So we've established that Oh, Inverted World is unlikely to change your life. What it most likely will do, however, is give you goosebumps, such are its marbled merits. It plays out like a best-of playlist constructed from a successful afternoon spent bargain bin diving in Amoeba records or some such place. Actually, in that way, Oh, Inverted World reminds me of The La's classic debut due to the obvious amount of fussing that went into achieving its prettily faded aura. The production arrests you from the first breathy lines of 'Caring is Creepy' then hangs like a mist over the rest of an album which, for all its artfully constructed delicacy, is constructed of more songwriting steel than a truckload of its contemporaries.
Reading back, this appraisal makes Oh, Inverted World sound a bit emotionally bereft doesn't it? It's not. The songs are slippery with Mercer's surrealistic lyrical style, where odd couplets and unusual images can tug you from all sorts of funny angles (sample WTF lyric - godspeed all the bakers at dawn/ they all cut their thumbs/ and bleed into their buns) especially in the context of the gorgeous music. Speaking of which, 'New Slang' is about as gorgeous as music gets. It bubbles up from a long sigh of an intro, hangs around for a couple of exalted moments, then tapers back away into the same sigh, leaving you feel like it goes on in both directions for ever.
MP3: The Shins-Caring is creepy
4 comments:
Great choice. I prefer Chutes Too Narrow but both albums are absolute gems. You really gonna make it to #1 before 2010? Fair play!
strange, was walking around yesterday listening to this album and thinking about how you put clap your hands say yeah in your list and wondered if this would be in it
You're right. Kinda hate to be saying this outloud, but this album was the first one I got high to in college...bought the pipe and the album at the same store on the same night.
In other news, I'm starting up a new music blog aggregator at www.poplibrarian.com. I'd love to have Asleep on board. Stop by, check it out, and submit your site from the link at the top. Thanks a lot and keep producing great writing!
Tom, I like Chutes a lot too, but this album is the one I keep coming back to years later. It has a quality...
Jiffy, yeah...in between all the freaky electronica and dronage i'm sticking up for the littler indie rock albums on this list. Well, there will be a few bigger names I suppose. I'm trying to reflect my own taste as best as possible.
Steve, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Now, if you had bought the pipe, nitemares on wax, massive attack and cypress hill...well that would be something to keep to one's self. I will check out your blog for sure.
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