The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

anyone else get their hands on a pre-release? what do you think?

i'm on my fourth or fifth listen right now, and am finding it absolutely incredible.

how does it compare to their older stuff?

Weaker - in my opinion.

Completely different than Chutes too Narrow, more in the realm of Oh Inverted World, but won't have the commercial appeal for the Zach Braff audience. And I absolutely love it.

Based on the handful of songs I've heard, I agree with ggw.

It is weaker than Oh, Inverted World, but vastly superior to Chutes to Narrow. It has much more sonic depth than either album, much higher production values than either - I know that turns many people off, but in this album i think it works.

Having had enough time to absorb the whole thing, I think the band deliberately made an LP that will keep them from becoming too huge. It's a good record. Highlights for me are easily "Sea Legs", "Australia", and "Black Wave". But when the catchiest and most accessible song turns out to be an "alternate" version of "Split Needles" (a b-side!), to me it says that they wanted to create an LP that is based mostly on atmosphere, dynamics, arrangements, and mood. To me there is nothing on it as immediate as "Saint Simon" or "New Slang". It's just a very different record and I think it was made to challenge listeners. You have to work harder to enjoy it. I wish I could strip out the horrible synth "strings" on the LP version of "Split Needles". That's my most major complaint though.

It's just a very different record and I think it was made to challenge listeners. You have to work harder to enjoy it.

Sounds like you're describing a Taylor Hicks album. I don't want to "work harder" to enjoy an album. My job is work. Music is entertainment.

Steny Hoyer, Do I Make You Proud?

No, I think what you are trying to say is that it's a little deeper than their other stuff. I felt that too…it is a different album, but it works.

It feels a little more serious where some of their older stuff felt more whimsical and spontaneous (all the "oooooo"-ing and handclaps and funny little riffs)…which I like a lot, either way. But the production quality is higher, too, and it comes together feeling very tight where the others felt the least cohesive.

I love all of their stuff. It should not disappoint. At this point in their career, the album really works.

The only Shins I currently have is Oh Inverted World… if I wished to expand, should I go forward with this one, or backward with something else?

Well geez, they only have three albums.

Well I need to know which one to ask my album buyer to purchase.

Only heard it a couple times through, and I was less than impressed. Very different from Chutes. I am a bit disappointed, as I had high hopes for this one.

alex i can send them if you want

Weakest so far, but it IS still the Shins. Definitely not a throw away.

After a couple more listens I still find this the weakest of their albums.

I predict that "A Comet Appears" will feature prominently in an unrequited love or breakup scene on a TV drama sometime this season.

I really enjoy it so far. It's not their best, but its still really good.

by far the weakest of their albums, although there are definitely great moments on it, and it's better than 90% of most other albums

Well put Hoya.