Review: The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

The Shins

Wincing the Night Away

(Sub Pop)

I wish I could wince this album away, but I guess the almost universal acceptance of the Shins will keep it around. After forming mutually beneficial binary star of hype with former child star Zach Braff in Garden State, the band known for wry well-crafted songs saw their cache rise like a shuttle liftoff. Here the band infuses their trademark delivery with a touch of electronica that unfortunately puts them further into the neo-adult contemporary realm along with Beck and Cat Power. There are two really good songs on this record: the opening track “Sleeping Lessons” which creeps in on delicate kitten feet, giving James Mercer’s charming delivery a sweet synthetic bubble in which to float around; and, the final song “A Comet Appears,” a brilliantly-wrought ballad infused with birds chirping and understated guitar twinkling. Both these elegant songs show the band forging new ground, but the ensuing 35 minutes between them are track after track of tepid mid-tempo café music.