The Shins' new album

For those who have not yet indulged in its aural splendor, I can assure you that Wincing the Night Away is just as fine an album as its two predecessors, although the reviews upon its release were somewhat mixed. Like many great albums, it does take time to digest, revealing its character only after repeated listenings. Featuring several songs written in a more expansive style than anything Mercer has heretofore chosen to present us with, juxtaposed with tracks that could be outtakes from the first two Shins' albums, Wincing may later be viewed as somewhat of a transitional moment for the band.

The thing about those "expansive" songs is that, because of their comparative harmonic simplicity, some critics have chosen to characterize them as failed experiments, whereas I would counter that it is precisely these that make the album, not only a great CD, but also an independent entity of its two elder siblings. When you hear, for example, the snappy hip-hoppish beat for "Sea Legs," you know that you are listening to Wincing; one cannot make the same claim for the following track, "Red Rabbits," which really belongs to Oh, Inverted World's sonic universe.

"Sea Legs," incidentally, is one of the best tracks on the album, despite all the critics who have dis(mis)sed it. It is completely successful in its effect, showcasing a typically atypical Mercer melody that floats along atop its breezy accompaniment, followed by a long, melancholy outro that reminds me of classic Pink Floyd more than anything else. The song's title, perhaps referring to Mercer's adapting his talents to this more flowing, groove-based music (and/or perhaps to the listener's ears adapting to it as well), seems quite appropriate.

Those who expect nothing from Mercer but the same perfectly polished, two and a half minute rococo gems, churned out one after another, only have themselves to blame for being disappointed. Presumably these are the same types who begrudged the Beatles for everything they did after A Hard Day's Night. The rest of us can only pity their close-minded conservative stance while we eagerly await the next chapter in the continuing story of one of the decade's finest songwriters.