Album Review... The Shins - Port Of Morrow

The new LP from this US indie-pop collective led by James Mercer has been much anticipated and now it is here. Named after a real estate development, ‘Port Of Morrow’ opens with the thumping drums and cutesy guitar riffs of ‘The Rifle’s Spiral’. On the surface it seems fairly breezy and inoffensive, but it has a warped sense of seriousness underpinned in the lyrics. For the most part this album is anthemic and uplifting but explores darker issues than those of the band’s back catalogue with dark undercurrents to it.



‘Simple Song’’s soaring, melodic qualities call to mind the lighter side of Arcade Fire with the production and instrumentation certainly in a similar vein. The album settles down a little but the vocals are still sharp and Mercer proves that he’s actually pretty good at this pop song writing shtick. ‘September’ and ‘No Way Down’ delve into alt-country influences that produce really nice ballad-like songs. Overall this album felt accomplished and what we’ve come to expect from James Mercer and co.

The Shins - Port Of Morrow
Out of 10: 8/10



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