Oh, Inverted World [Enhanced]

The first thing that frustrated me with this album is the vocals. The melodies are nice, but its hard to catch the lyrics. For one thing, the vocal levels are a bit low in comparison with the other mid-range sounds. On top of that, there's a good deal of reverb in the production, and on numerous songs it sounds like there are two nearly identical vocal tracks with slightly different timing and different pan. With Mercer's lazy singing style the combined effect are vocals that blend well with the album's sound a little too well, making it hard to understand the words.

But my hardness of hearing has turned out to be fortunate for me since I don't like the lyrics at all. To me, the lyrics sound like bad school-assignment free-verse poems. It's a matter of taste, I guess, but for me the album is only good for background music, or a careful listen to sound only. It's a good album, with some great ingenuity and display of talent - but a three-starrer, not five.

I stumbled on this band by accident, looking up other acts on Amazon such as Stereo Total and Death by Chocolate. I was surprised to find out the Shins weren't from the UK, because they have a Britpop sound. Their soft, infectious rhythyms make it hard to do anything else except listen closely. Pretty much all the songs on this CD are exceptionally strong, with little filler. Okay, maybe "Your Algebra" references Os Mutantes a bit much, and yes, fine, "The Past and Pending" feels a bit long at the end there, but why carp? This album rolls dreamily by, as pretty and sublime as puffy white clouds in a clear blue spring sky. The thing is: this album is candy. Sweet and piercing, it will cloy lovingly at your heart, without you quite understanding why or how. And that's just fine.

"Know Your Onion" and "New Slang" are my two favorite songs, because they're sung in an aching ballad tempo with a bit of added verve behind it. Just my style. If you like Belle and Sebastian, but prefer their snappier (although more rare) tracks to their more heartfelt precious songs, then you'll really love the Shins. The album opener, "Caring is Creepy" immediately demands attention, because it has a soaring melody, with a glam-rock bent that recalls, oddly enough, Roxy Music. All the songs hang solidly onto quick, shocking melodies, and make their statement. Interestingly enough, there is a specific sound this band has, but is delicately adjusted tonally so that all the songs are momentously different, yet retain a similar aesthetic. It's a beautiful record, and a real achievement.

The pristine, rocking sound of this CD could feel equally at home in the world of Todd Haynes' glam-rock movie homage "Velvet Goldmine" (hello, "Girl on the Wing"!) as it could in your car CD player on a long drive through the lush countryside, or in a walkman whispering to you in a darkened room before bed. And that's just this album's gift: an enormous crossover appeal. Good anytime, anywhere, and for anybody. Pick up "Oh, Inverted World" for a real treat. I hope the Shins will be around for a while.