The Shins unveiled a song today from their upcoming album Port of Morrow, their first since 2007’s Wincing the Night Away. “Simple Song” was released on their mailing list’s page, with the snazzy widget above encouraging others to share. Grab the MP3 tomorrow on Amazon. If the widget above doesn’t work, here is a low-quality cut.
If “Simple Song” is any indication of the upcoming album, Port of Morrow is not a radical transformation. The Shins are not undergoing a makeover; James Mercer’s voice continues to unleash a bevvy of hooks with its high-low pitch alternation, while the structure remains lovably predictable and spacious. Yet “Simple Song” is a bit more “high production” than past Shins releases, which were dominated by a snappy but somewhat garage-rock leaning sound. With “Simple Song”, the guitars roar a bit louder and echo back to ’80 arena-rock and power-pop in the vein of Teenage Fanclub. It surely sounds like The Shins, but with a polish designed to attract a new assortment of listeners as well.
I’m so glad they came back!! I’ve already pre-ordered the album so I could get “Simple Song” early. AND I also heard that they have pre-order packages where you can get a 1/4″ reel-to-reel of it! How cool??