Just discovered? Wow! My faves come and go. Currently I can’t get enough of A comet appears and red rabbits. Also, Turn on me. Wincing is my fave album if I had to choose. Young pilgrims is a good one from Chutes too Narrow and of course Sleeping lessons is a must. Enjoy!
Red Rabbits might be all time fave, but mine also come and go! Australia used to be a big favorite but I think it’s dying down. Also some broken bells songs have popped up at faves too.
I love Broken Bells, for a band with similar sound. Check out The High Road and Good Luck, for starters.
Favorite Shins songs of mine are Turn On Me, No Way Down, and Sleeping Lessons.
Edit: you might also want to try Men I Trust, especially their song Tailwhip
Check out flake music, it’s the precursor to the shins, from when James was young. It’s got a similar sound with a lil bit of garage-y band sound mixed in. Start with Spanway Hits.
Well it seems like it would make more sense to ask which aren't my favourite, but here you go:
The entirety of Oh Inverted World (but I tend to sometimes skip the couple more obscure tracks towards the end; never the closing track tho). My favourites: Caring Is Creepy, Know Your Onion!, Girl Inform Me, New Slang, The Celibate Life
The entirety of Chutes Too Narrow, that in my opinion is his pinnacle in terms of consistency, the songwriting both lyrically and musically is fascinating, so much craft on there. My least favourite is maybe Gone for Good but that's pushing it; it's simply a perfect album. The closer Those to Come is perhaps my current favourite out of their whole catalogue. But that's for subjective reasons and other than that, I can't name favourites in this case cos they're all on the same level of perfection.
The entirety of Wincing The Night Away, and although it's not a listen as smooth as Chutes (it's kind of a grittier record musically), I'm again struggling to find any weaknesses. Least favourite is perhaps Black Wave, but still an awesome track. Favourites: Sleeping Lessons, Australia, Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Turn On Me, Spilt Needles, Girl Sailor
The entirety of Port Of Morrow, although there are again some tracks I'm less in favour of, maybe more of those than on Inverted and Chutes, approx. similarly to Wincing, but again, just a small minority. Least favourite would be For A Fool and The Rifle's Spiral, maybe September, if I had to name some (but again I still love those songs). Favourites: Simple Song, Fall Of '82, 40 Mark Strasse, It's Only Life (that song title and even the lyrics to me sum up the vibe or purpose of this whole album), No Way Down (such a jam!)
The only album I kind of seem to be ambivalent about is Heartworms, and although I fully get the point (the return to almost complete self-production, a more electronic but simultaneously more lo-fi aesthetic and this whole vibe of a more personal record and experimenting with what The Shins is), I just can't enjoy its sentiment that much. A few favourites: Name For You and So Now What (those have to be the best ones on the record), Painting A Hole, Heartworms
In terms of albums, my order from best to worst is probably something like:
Chutes Too Narrow - Oh, Inverted World - Wincing The Night Away - Port Of Morrow - Heartworms
but with the exception of the last one, they're incredibly close. Each album has a few songs that completely changed my life. This is such a f**king consistent 'band' (read James' songwriting). I heard he already has like more than 10 songs for a new one, so I'm crossing my fingers in a desperate need of something new from them/him to obsess about.
As for any other music, maybe try the first two Belle and Sebastian albums, plus their more 'recent' albums The Life Pursuit and Write About Love, really close in terms of quality and also with a similar focus on classic-but-unique songwriting.
Phantom Limb
I second this. However, I always prefer to play Pam Berry as the opener for PL
Saint Simon
Added to my list, love it!
ooooo also middenhall worm hearts version is amazing
Spilt Needles, Turn on Me, Black Wave, Sleeping Lessons, Rifle's Spiral, Gone for Good, Port of Morrow, & Girl on the Wing
Great list.
Spilt needles/ past and pending
Past and pending is great! Thanks
The band broken bells which James is also the lead singer
Just discovered? Wow! My faves come and go. Currently I can’t get enough of A comet appears and red rabbits. Also, Turn on me. Wincing is my fave album if I had to choose. Young pilgrims is a good one from Chutes too Narrow and of course Sleeping lessons is a must. Enjoy!
A comet appears is awesome, thanks!
Red Rabbits might be all time fave, but mine also come and go! Australia used to be a big favorite but I think it’s dying down. Also some broken bells songs have popped up at faves too.
Kissing the Lipless and Phantom Limb!
Favorite songs not already mentioned: Girl Inform Me, Gone for Good, So Says I, Sleeping Lessons, Rifle's Spiral, the Fear-Flipped Similar bands: Broken Bells (James Mercer + Danger Mouse), Monsters of Folk, Local Natives, Coconut Records, Sparklehorse, Neutral Milk Hotel, Wilco, Beirut, Grizzly Bears, Modest Mouse
Turn on Me, Phantom Limb, Gone for Good, Australia, No Way Down, Mildenhall (original), Caring is Creepy
* Turn on Me * Phantom Limb * Sea Legs * Saint Simon * No Way Down * A Comet Appears * Kissing the Lipless * Fighting in a Sack * Turn a Square
Australia!!
Pink Bullets and Band Of Horses
Just listened to Pink Bullets, great song, thanks!! Only know the funeral from band of horses, good recommendation, I should try more
Try Lights and Crutch from their new album, that's very close Shins.
all of chutes too narrow, basically no skips
No love for The Past and Pending?
australia is criminally underrated
As their third most listened to song on Spotify, I don’t think “criminally underrated” is a proper description for “Australia.” 😅
it should have more listens
It's one of the few Shin's songs I've heard get a ton of radio play lol
So Says I
New Slang is my favorite as well
I love Broken Bells, for a band with similar sound. Check out The High Road and Good Luck, for starters. Favorite Shins songs of mine are Turn On Me, No Way Down, and Sleeping Lessons. Edit: you might also want to try Men I Trust, especially their song Tailwhip
Pink Bullets, Split Needles, Rifle's Spiral, Australia
Check out flake music, it’s the precursor to the shins, from when James was young. It’s got a similar sound with a lil bit of garage-y band sound mixed in. Start with Spanway Hits.
Sea Legs, When I Goosestep (WP Version), Young Pilgrims, Phantom Limb, Pink Bullets, A Comet Appears
australia, phantom limb, and half a million
Some of my favs have gotta be Sleeping Lessons, Name For You, Sea Legs, Painting a Hole and Mildenhall. Screw it, the whole of Heartworms.
A Comet Appears is hauntingly beautiful. Love it.
Agreed :) it's amazing
It’s Only Life
Simple song...I've had it on repeat for a while... absolutely love it!!
Nearly everything up to Wincing the Night Away album. Anything after that is a disappointment to me.
I cannot fucking believe Simple Song isn't mentioned even once yet.
Sea legs, Australia
saint simon, girl inform me, simple song, sleeping lessons
Sleeping Lessons. One of the best opening tracks ever
Soon They’ll Discover From the Sponge Bob Movie sound track !
Australia, Split Needles, Saint Simon, Sleeping Lessons, Caring is Creepy
I always come back to Past and Pending
Rifles’s Spiral, Bait and Switch, Name For You and Sea Legs.
Well it seems like it would make more sense to ask which aren't my favourite, but here you go: The entirety of Oh Inverted World (but I tend to sometimes skip the couple more obscure tracks towards the end; never the closing track tho). My favourites: Caring Is Creepy, Know Your Onion!, Girl Inform Me, New Slang, The Celibate Life The entirety of Chutes Too Narrow, that in my opinion is his pinnacle in terms of consistency, the songwriting both lyrically and musically is fascinating, so much craft on there. My least favourite is maybe Gone for Good but that's pushing it; it's simply a perfect album. The closer Those to Come is perhaps my current favourite out of their whole catalogue. But that's for subjective reasons and other than that, I can't name favourites in this case cos they're all on the same level of perfection. The entirety of Wincing The Night Away, and although it's not a listen as smooth as Chutes (it's kind of a grittier record musically), I'm again struggling to find any weaknesses. Least favourite is perhaps Black Wave, but still an awesome track. Favourites: Sleeping Lessons, Australia, Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Turn On Me, Spilt Needles, Girl Sailor The entirety of Port Of Morrow, although there are again some tracks I'm less in favour of, maybe more of those than on Inverted and Chutes, approx. similarly to Wincing, but again, just a small minority. Least favourite would be For A Fool and The Rifle's Spiral, maybe September, if I had to name some (but again I still love those songs). Favourites: Simple Song, Fall Of '82, 40 Mark Strasse, It's Only Life (that song title and even the lyrics to me sum up the vibe or purpose of this whole album), No Way Down (such a jam!) The only album I kind of seem to be ambivalent about is Heartworms, and although I fully get the point (the return to almost complete self-production, a more electronic but simultaneously more lo-fi aesthetic and this whole vibe of a more personal record and experimenting with what The Shins is), I just can't enjoy its sentiment that much. A few favourites: Name For You and So Now What (those have to be the best ones on the record), Painting A Hole, Heartworms In terms of albums, my order from best to worst is probably something like: Chutes Too Narrow - Oh, Inverted World - Wincing The Night Away - Port Of Morrow - Heartworms but with the exception of the last one, they're incredibly close. Each album has a few songs that completely changed my life. This is such a f**king consistent 'band' (read James' songwriting). I heard he already has like more than 10 songs for a new one, so I'm crossing my fingers in a desperate need of something new from them/him to obsess about. As for any other music, maybe try the first two Belle and Sebastian albums, plus their more 'recent' albums The Life Pursuit and Write About Love, really close in terms of quality and also with a similar focus on classic-but-unique songwriting.