storymilo

A quick review before I undergo my next project


For a long time when I was younger (up until about 11 years old) I really had no interest in music. Oh sure, I would listen to it but I didn't have my own taste. There were no bands that I liked, or favorite genres. So much of my experience of music was through what my parents would play.

My dad listened to a lot of stuff that I liked and still does. My mom, though, played her mixes. She burned these mixes to CDs and played them in the car. A lot of it I now realize wasn't that great, but one band she liked was The Shins. I still like these guys and ever since my first experience with them in the care when I was 5 I've always loved their sound.

They have a pretty easy-going sound, reminiscent of Built To Spill and Modest Mouse, which is probably because the producer who mixed the album, (Phil Ek), also worked with those bands. The album focuses a lot on really great, catchy melodies and fantastic vocal harmonies, especially on the song Saint Simon. It is also more guitar-oriented than their previous album Oh, Inverted World.

However, what I really love about this album is the pace. Too often when listening to music I find myself bored. It's not just bad, boring music that does this to me. I will love a band but after a little while of listening will often want to switch to something else. The Shins don't do this to me. Every song on the album, no matter fast or slow, is great, and I can easily listen to this album all the way through when I couldn't with many others.

Overall, I would definitely suggest getting this album for some great easy listening. Don't expect any deep meaningful lyrics (although the do have a nice whimsical quality) or experimental synthesizer sounds, but do expect a great catchy album with some nice production.

8.5/10



Some of my favorites from the album