A Week With The Shins' "Wincing The Night Away": Day 1

9 February 2007
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Words by Jacob Henneman // Illustration of Mount Shinsmore by Abigail Bruley

I read long ago in anticipation of Wincing the Night Away that the overall theme was lead singer James Mercer’s bout with insomnia. Sure enough, the first track, “Sleeping Lessons,” starts out like a lullaby with a mellow keyboard pulsing out while Mercer’s almost falsetto pierces the night sky.

But doesn’t insomnia cause debilitating effects (lack of focus, energy, etc.)? As Wincing spins, it seems that all Mercer’s insomnia has done is fueled his creative energy, as if it really needed to be. These are all new sounds. The synths on “Split Needles” are otherworldly, creeping out from the darkness and striking you at first, but acclimating you in split-seconds.

As amazing as Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow were, they were very different albums. There was always Mercer’s voice being the familiar constant, tying the evolution of sound together. Wincing is another very different album. It’s more laidback than the last release, and it seems, just as dreamy as their debut. Rarely do I feel like listening to the same album back to back, but Wincing is so inviting that I feel like its hosts are waving me back in the front door of their cozy homes for tea and a crackling fire, and it would be impossible to decline.

There was a ton of pressure on the band after its recent success, and it appears they took it all in stride. I feel like I’ve only just begun with this album, there are a lot of layers that will be interesting to peel off. As I stare at that first layer — the glossy outer cover with that weird picture of what looks to be monstrous cells going through mitosis — me and my ears are intrigued and eager to dissect.

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