For a debut release, it's nice to see a band being a band and not following current trends. This could very easily be one of the finest new bands I have discovered. No song runs over four minutes and not one track on this albums needs skipping past-they all work on all sorts of levels.

The album's opening song, "Caring is Spooky" has such a great feeling to it. "Know Your Onion" is a great teenage rebel type song-talking about a "pimple and angry" kind of guy. The album's single "New Slang" is possibly one of the best acoustic songs I've ever heard-even though there is a great but simple electric guitar section too. And we cannot forget "Girl On The Wing"-easily the best song on the album. It rocks, has an interesting type of time signature, and a great, corky keyboard background.

This is simply a great Indie Rock/Pop album from a band that will be making wavs. It will be interesting to see where they go next. Give it a try.


I tried, I really did.   March 29, 2004
 36 out of 53 found this review helpful

Hate to be a party pooper here. I wanted to like this album, and I did, for the first few listens through. I'd heard so much hype about "Oh, Inverted World" I was beginning to think that when I put it in my cd player and pressed play, Jesus would pop out. But he didn't. This album really epitomizes the problem I'm seeing popping up in too much of the independent scene. I don't mind pop sensibility, but when it's so pop-sensible that it basically _becomes_ pop, I forget why I'm listening to it. Sure this album is enjoyable, but I don't feel like it pushes any boundaries. If I hadn't already been listening heavily to more sonically daring stuff like the Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, or the Notwist, I would have been impressed by how "different" The Shins sound. But in comparison with other things that are going on in sub-mainstream music right now and have been going on for a couple of years, I never heard anything on this album that made me set The Shins apart from any other members of the horde of independent bands out there. I know my lukewarm feelings might enrage the hardcore fans who undoubtedly read these reviews, that somehow my incapability of hearing their genius labels me a worm unworthy of an 8-track player. But I'm just writing this to show that just because your friends say it's dope, you really should listen for yourself before you shell out the money for this album, you might be surprised at how mediocre it sounds to you.

If you're looking for some good music that's slightly similar to this though I highly recommend Super Furry Animals. Pretty much anything by them is good for first-time listeners.


Great Music Struggles in the Light of Day   December 5, 2002
 26 out of 46 found this review helpful

Reading the amazon.com reviews of an album like this is a depressing experience. When I bought this there were maybe 10 reviews on here, all accurately pointing out that this is perfect, lush pop that doesn't sound a thing like anything on the radio or MTV. Now, the Shins are frighteningly close to becoming the "next big thing." I heard them in the Sopranos this past week and they are starting to be mentioned in the hype machine with the Strokes and the White Stripes, two good bands (although not in the Shins' league) who are being done a disservice by MTV and the rest of the establishment. And now, here come the nu-metal fans and the fans who still think Radiohead is relevant and of course they aren't going to understand this album.

As for the album, here's my take: lush, eerie, very melodic pop, incorporating solid sixties influences -- Brian Wilson, Moody Blues, Kinks -- into a sound that is decidedly NOT retro. Every song sounds different, but the album has a musical coherence, that along with its short length makes it a great album to listen to in one sitting, whether lying in your room with your eyes closed or driving on a highway at night. It's a subtle and beautiful album, that is good on the first listen but requires repeated listening to develop a complete appreciation. So, please don't condemn it after half a listen.

I don't want to sound like one of these undergound snobs, but I hope these guys don't get huge. I don't need this as background music on the Real World nor do I want to read Linkin Park fans saying this is wimpy or bland or whatever. But for people that love pop and all of the ways it has developed over the past forty years, this album will always be a treat.


This is a bit ridiculous...   February 8, 2005
 21 out of 42 found this review helpful

Normally I don't post reviews if the number of them exceeds say... 50, but I couldn't help myself here. I find it a bit ridiculous that after an appearance on a soundtrack (and a plug... this song will change your life) that so many people are latching onto this band and this album some 3.5 years after it was released? They act like they've made some amazing discovery. Where have all of you been?? Why does it take an ultra-hip soundtrack to get a band noticed? And why must their music be made out to be larger than life? Because it is 'cool' to like them? Give me a break. While not terribly original, this is a wonderful album but some reviewers here are getting way too carried away. Little do these people know that the Shins are just one of many, many bands who record and release great records independently. One reviewer here called this record a folk record?? I think not. This is a pop album of the highest order heavily influenced by the 60s British pop of bands like the Kinks and the Who and by the American pop of The Beach Boys. This record will not change your life, these guys will not be the next Beatles and this CD will probably be gathering dust in many fickle-hip listeners stacks in a few months as they make their way to the record store to be part of the next cool bandwagon. Please, I plead with you... do not make this CD out to be more than it is... a simple and great pop record.