Local Music Blog: The Shins Always Give Me a Kick!

I like just about anything James Mercer puts his mind to. Modest Mouse, Broken Bells (with Danger Mouse), and, of course, The Shins, the group he founded and named after that infamous Music Man mayor.

In fact, Mercer has been involved in so many side projects that Port of Morrow is just the Shins fourth album since 2001 and their first in five years. If the Broken Bells collaboration hadn’t worked out as well as it did, I would certainly be longing for more.

Of course, with Mercer as the only remaining original member, The Shins are kind of an ephemeral notion themselves, serving solely as a vehicle for Mercer’s specific retro indie tendencies. As much as I love his work, I can’t help but wonder to what heights they might ascend with a regular cast of characters.

But all fond wishes aside, this 10-track treatise on love and relationships somehow burrows into your brain and leaves you feeling better about whatever an uncertain future might bring. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Mercer’s music always lifts the listener up like a gospel choir sung hymn. Maybe it’s the intricately multilayered instrumentation.

You’ve probably heard their Simple Song single on XRT which is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

I’d highly recommend any of the previous Shins’ efforts and Port of Morrow continues that winning streak.

Just like The Shins, the Indianapolis based octet, Margo and the Nuclear So and So’s, is yet another band that seems to consistently teeter on the brink of greatness. But unlike The Shins, their latest effort, Rot Gut Domestic, is quite the departure from their normal fare.

Though the vast amount of alternative music subcategories can quickly get tedious, esoteric and overwrought, (shoegazing, math rock, post punk revival?), I thought the term “chamber pop” suited Margot’s musical leanings quite well. Though I have to ask the question, how many groups really need three drummers? (And there is no one name Margot in the band either.)

Were I forced to slap a label on Rot Gut Domestic it would be grunge and even though these kind of drastic changes in direction tend to disappoint me, I really like this album.

For obvious reasons, my favorite song is the lilting, but dark, A Journalist Falls in Love with Deathrow Inmate #16. It’s a sad story about a reporter diving into a doomed relationship with the soon to be executed prisoner she’s been covering. Apparently the line that hooked her was, “I know I’ve killed a few, but none of those women were you.”

Romance does seem to blossom in the spring!

Until I sat down to write this review, I wasn’t sure what rating this album ultimately deserved, but in the end, I’ll have to highly recommend it. As much as I like Mr. Mercer’s work, I’m still a sucker for a dark album with great lyrics.

Next, we have a bit of surprise. Because the Tribune arts reviewer who takes after Life Cereal’s Mikey (he hates everything!), Howard Reich, wrote such a glowing review of Esperanza Spalding’s new album, I thought I’d give is a shot.

Of course, the best reason to give this jazz singer the benefit of the doubt is her surprise victory over Justin Bieber for the 2011 best new artist Grammy which immediately dashed the hopes of a multitude of sobbing sixth grade girls.

And wouldn’t you know it, Reich was right! Though I typically prefer my jazz along the lines of Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Coleman Young and Lester Hawkins – without the vocals – I really like Spalding’s fourth effort, Radio Music Society.

I had to laugh when the Rolling Stone review dissed the album by claiming Spalding needed to work on her songwriting chops. Apparently he hasn’t paid much attention to this particular musical genre before.

Unlike rock or alternative music, the voice in jazz is as much an instrument as the piano, guitar or saxophone. The lyrics are always secondary to the musical progression and the vocal tones and inflections are intended to complement that theme.

If meaning is what you’re after, then listening to Bob Dylan would be a better choice. But if you’re in the mood for something slightly out of the ordinary performed by a gifted artist, then I’d go with Radio Music Society.

To complete this week’s clean sweep, I’ll highly recommend that one too.

Next Week! The drought continues as we’re down to just two – Justin Townes Earl and The Cowboy Junkies with their 16th studio album, Wilderness.

Until then, I’ll be pulling out their older albums and treating myself to a Shins marathon!