Archive
THE SHINS
Albuquerque alt.pop quartet’s watershed debut, remastered
Oh, Inverted World
(reissue, 2001)
SUB POP
8/10
Celebrating a triumphant moment from two decades ago might not always seem like the wisest move for anyone still in the game, but James Mercer is nothing if not self-aware. The anointing of his band as premier indie players by Garden State may have bumped their profile but this set was marked out as a winner three years before by its smart reimagining of ’60s pop, chiefly The Beach Boys and The Byrds. Bright, clean and light, its mien also recalls The Verlaines and The Clean, though there’s greater complexity in its arrangements. The movie-featured “New Slang” is still a charmer but it’s not the best song – that’s a contest between a rousing “The Celibate Life”, “Weird Divide”, with its dolorous, Spanish guitar tone, and the clipped “Girl On The Wing”.