IndiEmo: Left Legged Pineapples first post

The Shins

Monday February 12th sees Sub-Pop's indie-wonders The Shins release their third studio album for the label, "Wincing the Night Away". A firm evolution of their trademark sound, the album thoroughly revels in the beat and folk traditions of the 1960s whilst remaining thoroughly modern and entirely relevant, standing out in today's heavily processed landscape of guitar music.

Sub-Pop, at the heart of the grunge scene of the early 1990s and staunch defenders of the 7" single, is the perfect home for this band and their twin attack of highly melodic songs coupled with no-nonsense technique sees the Shins finally emerge as true torchbearers for Sub-Pop, a label with the rare ability to constantly delight us with a steady supply of three minute gems. A perfect example of such is new single "Phantom Limb" preceding the album on 22 January, a beautiful melding of soaring harmonies and chiming guitars, that shows everyone how it can and should be done.

Shins myspace

Jet

After a three year hiatus, four piece antipodean beard-farmers Jet return into orbit on March 5th with "Shine On", the title track of their impending second album (release date TBA here in the UK, but already out in the states) on the Atlantic label.

If the single gives us any clue (as a single should), it would appear that the band are attempting to distance themselves from the the plain-speaking, unreconstructed Aussies that gave us such songs as "Cold Hard Bitch" from their debut "Get Born", opting instead for a much more laidback, perhaps even sophisticated approach which, coupled with a big new production, results in something not a million miles away from the lighter-waving antics of Embrace. If that statement hasn't stopped you reading this, then you might be pleased to know that the US single, "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" provides much more of a ballsy crunch and hopefully is more symbolic of this new direction, retaining the hard rock roots of a band having grown up listening to undiluted AC/DC, whilst implanting studio tricks and production calling to mind acts like '70s studio pioneers 10cc. It's crazy but it might just work!