THE SHINS

'The Shins' are an indie rock group with elements of folk and alternative country on Sub Pop Records comprising singer, songwriter and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats. Their sound is commonly described as indie rock, drawing on several musical genres including pop, alternative and folk. The Shins are based in Portland, Oregon.

Contents

History

From Flake Music to The Shins

Signed to Sub Pop

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music

Compilations

External links

History

From Flake Music to The Shins

The Shins began in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Neal Langford, who were both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (which by then had been renamed Flake Music) was disbanded and all of its former members became The Shins. (The name was based on a fictional family in the Broadway show ''The Music Man'', which was a favorite of James Mercer's father.) The band released two 7" singles on Omnibus, "Nature Bears A Vacuum" (1999) and "When I Goosestep" (2000), before going on tour with Modest Mouse. During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.

Signed to Sub Pop

The Shins' first album was 2001's ''Oh, Inverted World'', released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft, jangly pop sound. Songs from this album featured prominently in the film Garden State, opening the music of The Shins up to a much wider audience. Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. ''Chutes Too Narrow'' followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrical inventions and a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.
The band's third record, ''Wincing the Night Away'', was released on January 23, 2007. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album solely released on Sub Pop has ever achieved. The album was leaked to the Internet on Friday, October 20, 2006. It was available for pre-order with an extra track on iTunes.
The Shins played a show at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, with Scottish band Belle & Sebastian on July 6, 2006. Both bands described playing at the venue as a career highlight. During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments, making it somewhat difficult to define their exact roles in the band.
In a Pitchfork Media interview, Mercer announced that Eric Johnson of fellow Sub Pop band Fruit Bats had joined the Shins. In the interview Mercer spoke about wanting to work with different people, making it appear that Johnson has signed on as a collaborator and not just as a touring musician.[1]

Discography

Albums

★ ''When You Land Here It's Time to Return'' ''(as Flake Music)'' ('1997')

★ ''Oh, Inverted World'' ('June 19 2001')

★ ''Chutes Too Narrow'' ('October 21 2003') '#86' (US)

★ ''Wincing the Night Away'' ('January 23 2007') '#2' (US) '#2' (CAN) '#5' (AUS) '#16' (UK) '#2' (Global Album Chart) '#8' (Ire)

EPs

★ ''Nature Bears a Vacuum'' (1999)

★ "When I Goose-Step" (2000)

★ "So Says I" (2003)

★ "Fighting in a Sack" (2004)

★ "Live Session EP (iTunes Exclusive)" (2007)

Singles

Year	Song	US Hot 100	U.S. Modern Rock	U.S. Main- stream Rock	UK singles	Album	B-sides
2001	"New Slang"	-	-	-	-	''Oh, Inverted World''
2001	"Know Your Onion!"	-	-	-	-	''Oh, Inverted World''	'CD B-sides'My Seventh Rib [Live] New Slang [Live]Sphagnum Esplanade
2003	"So Says I"	-	-	-	73	''Chutes Too Narrow''	'CD B-sides'Mild Child Gone For Good [Alternate Version]
2004	"Fighting in a Sack"	-	-	-	-	''Chutes Too Narrow''	'CD B-sides'Baby BoomerangNew Slang [Recorded Live Featuring Iron & Wine]So Says I [Video]
2007	"Phantom Limb"	86	16	-	42	''Wincing the Night Away''	'CD and 7" B-sides'Nothing At AllSpilt Needles (Alternative Version)
2007	"Australia"	-	-	-	62	''Wincing the Night Away''	'CD B-sides'Sleeping Lessons [The RAC Mix]Saint Simon [Radio 2 Live Session] Girl On A Wing [KCRW Session]-'7" B-sides'Girl Inform Me-Performed By Jeremy WarmsleyCaring is Creepy-Performed By PolytechnicPhantom Limb [Radio 2 Session]So Says I [KCRW Session]
2007	"Turn On Me"	-	-	-	-	''Wincing the Night Away''	'7" B-sides'Little BoxesAustralia (Peter Bjorn and John remix)-'Download B-sides'Little BoxesSea Legs (DJ Nobody remix)

Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music

★ (Flake) 7" 1993 Resin

★ (Flake) 10" EP Spork Science Project

★ (Flake) 7" Been There Done That compilation 1995 Science Project (80's covers)

★ 7" 1996 Headhunter/Cargo

★ 7" split with Scared of Chaka 1997 702/Science Project

★ 7" compilation w/ Luxo-champ, the Rondelles, and more...Pocket Protector Records

Compilations

★ ''Garden State'' (soundtrack) (2004 · Sony Records) songs: "Caring Is Creepy", "New Slang"

★ ''Wicker Park'' (soundtrack) (2004 · Lakeshore Records) song: "When I Goose-Step"

★ ''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' (soundtrack) (2004 · Sire/Warner Bros.) song: "They'll Soon Discover"

★ Live at KEXP, Volume 1, 2005, song: "Kissing The Lipless" [2]

★ ''Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls'' (soundtrack) (2002 · Rhino Records) song: "Know Your Onion!"

External links

★ theshins.com, official band website

★ theshins.co.uk, The Shins official UK fansite

★ [3], Interview with James Mercer