Port of Morrow

The Shins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B006VE679C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #51 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Indie Rock
  • #68 in Music > Pop > Adult Alternative

Editorial Reviews

Port of Morrow, the fourth album from The Shins, was recorded in Los Angeles and Portland over the course of 2011 with James Mercer as usual handling all songwriting duties, lead vocals and the majority of instrumentation. The record was produced by Greg Kurstin and mixed by Rich Costey. The cover art was created by Jacob Escobedo.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 66 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Smooth Sounds of James Mercer March 23, 2012

By Stuart C. Hancock

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to admit, I was really looking forward to this album. "Wincing the Night Away" was in my CD player (remember those?) for months--"Phantom Limb," "Girl Sailor," "Turn On Me"...there was something about the album that was simultaneously new, yet tapped into 50 years of R&R history.

Having listened to "Port of Morrow" a couple of times, I'm immediate struck by how, unlike earlier albums, all the rough edges have been sanded away, which is great from an easy listening point of view. Nothing to offend, nothing especially harsh (well, except for the falsetto on the title song). It's the sort of album that I imagine improves with repeated listenings.

However, unlike previous albums I don't hear the sort of band interplay that makes a great album. No terrific guitar parts, no sense that there was any input from other musicians. Like the whole thing sprung from Mercer's head complete and every part was crafted under his dictatorial command. Which is great as far as that goes, since Mercer is inventive and imaginative. Just not imaginative enough in my book when compared to the other albums. I don't have the sense that this is an album that will be on my heavy rotation list.

53 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Can the Shins Age Gracefully? March 20, 2012

By Thomas E. Davis TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

A new Shins release is bound to be a big event, since the Portland-based band has only produced three earlier albums: "Oh, Inverted World" in 2001, "Chutes Too Narrow" in 2003, and the breakthrough "Wincing the Night Away" in 2007. Add a five-year hiatus, a new label (their own, a subsidiary of Columbia called Aural Apothecary), a new producer (Greg Kurstin, half of The Bird and The Bee), and a completely new lineup of bandmates (frontman James Mercer is the only constant), and fans are understandably curious as to whether the magic is still there.

The answer is yes. Mercer, one of the high priests of indie pop, is the heart and soul of The Shins. As he's entered his 40s and settled into domestic bliss (two kids), his music has inevitably changed. But since I've aged along with him, I can understand wanting to try new things and work with a variety of people. Gone -- or fired, if you prefer -- are the musicians he once played with: Martin Crandall on keyboards, Jesse Sandoval on drums, Dave Hernandez on bass. The new crew includes singer/songwriter Richard Swift, guitarist Jessica Dobson, Crystal Skulls bassist Yuuki Matthews, and Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer. Why didn't he simply drop the old name and call his new group the James Mercer Band? He clearly hoped to avoid losing Shins followers in the transition.

Perhaps as a result of maturity, "Port of Morrow" has a bit less energy, surprise, or spontaneity than the first three Shins albums, in which Mercer was discovering his gifts and exploring different ideas. This is more of an adult record, complex and layered, carefully calculated and orchestrated. As a consequence, some fans will surely deride it as mainstream, derivative, or dull. Yet on songs like "It's Only Life" and "No Way Down," memorable hooks are still firmly embedded within Mercer's unerring, achingly beautiful melodies and bright tenor voice. His love-themed lyrics are clever but genuine, both literate and passionate.

The album falls very squarely in the Shins tradition. The vibrant, irresistibly hummable Beach Boys harmonies that so dominated their first release are present at many points, as are the rawer, more intimate sounds of the second album (check out two of the new collection's best tracks, "September" and "40 Mark Strasse"). We even hear some of the ambitious, anthemic sonic experiments that characterized the third release, particularly on the opening track, "The Rifle's Spiral," and the first single, "A Simple Song."

On the whole, though, "Port of Morrow" is a kind of re-examination or restatement of Mercer's musical world. He manages a subtle, subdued reworking of the themes he's employed over the past 15 years, including bits from his 2010 collaboration with Danger Mouse, "Broken Bells," which I also recommend. While I wasn't as excited about this album as I was about previous ones, it's grown on me. It's not groundbreaking, but it's comfortable and honest and really good.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a new direction April 10, 2012

By Jacob A. Graber

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I see this record getting a lot of hate on here, and some misguided praise. NO, this is NOT the same Shins that exploded with indie-pop bliss on "Oh, Inverted World," twinkled with young-yet-wise cheekiness on "Chutes Too Narrow," or soared with symphonic scope on "Wincing the Night Away." Obviously, it isn't supposed to be. After "Wincing...," I doubted whether any further work by the Shins could surpass the masterful union of melody, instrumentation, and lyrical edge that was achieved on that third album. I was a little bit right. Truth is, the trajectory of mad energy and spontaneous musicality that marked the Shins' early years could not continue forever. There is a time for all artists when youth and restlessness inevitably fade; greatness lingers for those who stay focused on the craft and allow their art to change with them, while lesser performers continue to rely on a style they can no longer pull off convincingly. With "Port of Morrow," James Mercer lands himself squarely in the former camp, which should be a relief to Shins' fans everywhere. Come on guys, of course the music was gonna change! Is "Port of Morrow" a bit slicker, more produced, and lyrically transparent than former "all killer no filler" efforts? Yes, yes, and yes. But if you can't get down with the likes of "The Rifle's Spiral," "Bait and Switch," "September," and "40 Mark Strasse," then you're just plain not listening.