In the run up to The Shins' Forum gigs, a little battle was brewing amongst friends - which of the Shins' albums is their classic?
My vote, quite passionately expressed, was for Oh, Inverted World, the original, the best in my view, and the one with the song that will change your life, according to the film
But based on Friday night's performance it turns out I might have been wrong. Because the highlights of the night, standing out above even the fragile beauty of New Slang, came from the Shins' third album ‘Wincing the Night Away’.
Sleeping Lessons was the stand out track by a million miles. Despite having listened to the album hundreds of times, I'm not sure I'd ever really heard this song. "If the old guards still offend, they’ve got nothing left on which you depend", "You don't have to swallow anything you despise"? Pick your issue - these are fighting words for our times.
In fact, the whole performance brought a new passion to old songs. The new band members were enthused, energetic and clearly delighted to be performing for us. James Mercer looked the same, but he seemed relaxed and confident in the company of his new colleagues. New songs such as Simple Song and the title track of the new
There was nothing not to like about this gig, however, just varying levels of pleasure and enjoyment. There was a lot of talk before this tour about whether James Mercer had made a mistake in replacing his original band. Tonight he proved that new blood brings extra freshness and life to already excellent material. With their tequila shots, crazy hair, and enthusiasm, it felt a little like discovering the next big thing. Or even better, the next big thing who already have four albums to argue over.
Wonderful.
Louise Neilan
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