The Shins

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The Shins
The Shins performing in London, March 2007
The Shins performing in London, March 2007
Background information
Origin Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Genre(s) Indie rock
Indie pop
Indie folk
Years active 1997–present
Label(s) Flag of the United States Sub Pop
Flag of the United Kingdom Transgressive (distributing label)
Flag of Germany Cargo Records (distributing label)
Website www.theshins.com
Members
James Mercer
Martin Crandall
Dave Hernandez
Jesse Sandoval
Eric Johnson
Former members
Neal Langford Mikael Yeung

The Shins is a United States indie rock group comprising singer, songwriter and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative, alternative country, and folk. The Shins are based in Portland, Oregon.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] From Flake Music to The Shins

The Shins began in 1997 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Neal Langford, both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (now Flake Music) had disbanded and its former members became The Shins. (The name was based on a fictional family in the Broadway show The Music Man, a favorite of Mercer's father.) The band released two 7" singles on Omnibus — "Nature Bears A Vacuum" (1998) and "When I Goosestep" (2000) — and embarked on a tour with Modest Mouse. During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.

[edit] Signed to Sub Pop

The Shins' first album was 2001's Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft and jangly pop sound. Songs from this album featured prominently in the film Garden State, exposing the music of The Shins to a much wider audience. Their music was also featured in the episode of the television series Gilmore Girls entitled "Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist". Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrics, as well as a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity. During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments.[citation needed] Oh, Inverted World appeared at #71 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004[1] and Chutes Too Narrow appeared at #47. In 2006, the band helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

In a Pitchfork Media interview, Mercer announced that Eric Johnson of fellow Sub Pop band Fruit Bats had joined the Shins.[2]

The band's third album, Wincing the Night Away, was released on January 23, 2007. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album released solely on Sub Pop has ever achieved. The album was leaked to the Internet on October 20, 2006. It was available for pre-order with an extra track on iTunes.

The Shins recorded a version of "Little Boxes" for the Showtime series Weeds.

On November 27, 2007, the group was featured on a Darfur charity album released by Waxploitation. The album was available on iTunes for only 90 days. 100% of the profits went towards alleviating the crisis in Darfur.


The Shins collaborated together to create a t-shirt design for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for the Nature Conservancy.

Martin Crandall and his ex-girlfriend, former America's Next Top Model finalist Elyse Sewell, were arrested in January 2008 after an altercation in a Sacramento hotel room.[3] Domestic assault charges were filed against both of them, but all charges were eventually dismissed.[4]

A poster of The Shins was seen in the background in the beginning of the 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The Shins have also been seen playing on "Yo Gabba Gabba!", in the "Super Music Friends Show" section of the series on Episode 20, "Imagine".

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] EPs and singles

[edit] Singles

Year Song US Hot 100 U.S. Modern Rock U.S. Main- stream Rock UK singles Album B-sides
2001 "New Slang" - - - - Oh, Inverted World

7" B-side

Sphagnum Esplanade
2001 "Know Your Onion!" - - - - Oh, Inverted World

CD B-sides

My Seventh Rib [Live] New Slang [Live]

Sphagnum Esplanade
2003 "So Says I" - - - 73 Chutes Too Narrow

CD B-sides

Mild Child

Gone For Good [Alternate Version]
2004 "Fighting in a Sack" - - - - Chutes Too Narrow

CD B-sides

Baby Boomerang

New Slang [Recorded Live Featuring Iron & Wine]

So Says I [Video]
2006 "Phantom Limb" 86 16 - 42 Wincing the Night Away

CD and 7" B-sides

Nothing At All

Split Needles (Alternative Version)
2007 "Australia" - - - 62 Wincing the Night Away

CD B-sides

Sleeping Lessons [The RAC Mix]

Saint Simon [Radio 2 Live Session]

Girl on the Wing [KCRW Session]

-

7" B-sides

Girl Inform Me-Performed By Jeremy Warmsley

Caring is Creepy-Performed By Polytechnic

Phantom Limb [Radio 2 Session]

So Says I [KCRW Session]
2007 "Turn on Me" - - - - Wincing the Night Away

7" B-sides

Little Boxes

Australia (Peter Bjorn and John remix)

-

Download B-sides

Little Boxes

Sealegs (DJ Nobody remix)
2007 "Sea Legs" - - - - Wincing the Night Away

7" B-side

Strange Powers (Live)

[edit] Other releases as Flake or as Flake Music

  • (Flake) 7" Mieke 1993 Resin
  • (Flake) 10" Spork 1995 Science Project
  • (Flake) 7" split with Henry's Dress 1995 Omnibus Records (Henry's Dress/Flake 7")
  • (Flake) 7" Been There Done That compilation 1995 Science Project (80's covers)
  • Sue Defender 7" 1996 Headhunter/Cargo
  • When You Land Here, Its Time to Return 1996
  • 7" split with Scared of Chaka 1997 702/Science Project
  • 7" compilation w/ Luxo-champ, the Rondelles, and more...Pocket Protector Records

[edit] Compilations

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of 2000-2004 on Lists of Bests
  2. ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/40237/Interview_Interview_The_Shins
  3. ^ Shins Instrumentalist Arrested For Domestic Violence - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
  4. ^ Pitchfork: Marty Crandall Domestic Abuse Case Dismissed

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
The Shins
James Mercer | Martin Crandall | Dave Hernandez | Jesse Sandoval | Eric Johnson
Inactive members
Neal Langford
Albums
EPs
Singles
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