Its been quite some time since we’ve gotten a new record from The Shins, but they’re back. James Mercer and Co. are on the brink of releasing a new album but things have certainly changed. For one, the band will release the album on Mercer’s own label, Aural Apothecary, having split with their former label Sub Pop. Mercer also let two of the original members go, keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval, stating that he wanted to take the band in a new direction. ‘I started to have production ideas that I wanted to do that basically required some other people,’ Mercer recently told Pitchfork.
The guys have been replaced by Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse and Ron Lewis from The Fruit Bats. Man, seems like a rough day to be in The Shins. Though the band is currently doing a few tour dates, the new album still won’t be released until early next year. Mercer describes the new songs as very ‘up tempo’ and less depressing than their other records. I guess some good did come out of this.
Watch one of our favorite videos bv The Shins. ‘Patent Pending’
In the past 24 hours, I have become completely obsessed with the Chicago five piece called The Bound Stems. A band that I have discovered on an itunes Podcast of all things. Its really easy to become increasingly interested in this band, which I hate to say, broke up last year after their second release ‘The Family Afloat.’ Sad to say the least, but the band played Lollapalooza, Daytrotter, and South by Southwest amongst other things. Disbanded or not, this is a band worth listening to. It reminds me a bit of Conor Oberst if he started writing really happy songs all the time.
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