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Port Of Morrow [CD]

The Shins Audio CD
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
Price: £12.78 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Shins - Port of Morrow Teaser

Biography

IF SHINS ALBUMS COULD TALK: A STORY IN 3 PARTS

ix. Introduction
Our story begins in Albuquerque, NM, in 1996. Brought together by a genuine love of pop music – and subsequent eschewal of college aspirations – singer/guitarist James Mercer, drummer Jesse Sandoval, keyboardist Marty Crandall and bassist Dave Hernandez formed The Shins. Mercer had taught himself to play the ... Read more in Amazon's The Shins Store

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Frequently Bought Together

Port Of Morrow + Oh, Inverted World + Chutes Too Narrow
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Product details

  • Audio CD (19 Mar 2012)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Columbia
  • ASIN: B006VE679C
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 15,139 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. The Rifle's Spiral
2. Simple Song
3. It's Only Life
4. Bait And Switch
5. September
6. No Way Down
7. For A Fool
8. Fall Of '82
9. 40 Mark Strasse
10. Port of Morrow

Product Description

Product Description

Port of Morrow was recorded in Los Angeles and Portland over the course of 2011 with Mercer as usual handling all songwriting duties, lead vocals and the majority of instrumentation. The record was produced by Greg Kurstin and mixed by Rich Costey.

Product Description

CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars I want to hate it... 21 April 2012
By Patrick Løye VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
It's rare that I've approached an album with an adamant desire to hate everything about it. After hearing the news that James Mercer had fired the entire band and drafted in a new team, whilst having the cheek to keep The Shins name... I wanted nothing more than to hate the album, and enjoy doing so. So it was strange that in listening to it played by my brother... I was left with a burning intrigue to listen to more. Grudgingly, I had been hooked.

It's tough to pin down the stars for this one. The songs range from I-just-listened-to-that-so-let's-listen-to-it-again addictive to why-is-my-brain-trying-to-rip-out-my-ear-canal awful. There's a lot of 4-5 star material brought down by weak tracks. It feels like it both is and isn't The Shins (firing the original band would do that)... almost like it's The Shins' offspring, where the mother is Broken Bells. The sound is similar to The Shins' previous work - But new additions to the team mean that there's more in the way of instruments and effects.

Lyrically, it's nice to see that Mercer's ability at crafting words elegantly hasn't been hit too hard, though it does feel a little watered down at times. Many songs keep The Shins' charming style of clever metaphors and honest thoughts... but there are points that sometimes feel a little, dare I say, bland. It certainly lacks some of the same charm that fans of The Shins' previous works might be able to relate to.

1. Rifle Spiral - So the album kicks off with this. It's an excellent opener with a nice dark edge to it, infused with Mercer's unflinching ability to craft such visceral images. It carries a lot of overtones of 'Wincing The Night Away'
2. Simple Song - This is ultimately standing as the 'Phantom Limb' of the album. It's a divine piece and thoroughly enjoyable.
3. It's Only Life - Continuing the pace with it's charming tone and delightful catchiness, this track feels a little twee, but is hard to dislike it when you're bobbing along to it. A very pleasant track to say the least
4. Bait & Switch - This is where we start to fumble a bit. It's a fast-paced and upbeat track, synonymous to the likes of 'So Says I' - but the chorus feels a little 'much'. Not sure if it's the distortion, the high pitched voice or both
5. September - It's around here that I start to zone out and the album hits troubled waters. It's pleasant, but lackluster and a little too matter-of-fact (where The Shins have normally been more cryptic). Mercer might have well sung "I'm an imperfect sod... but my woman is perfect. And she loves a man like me. Wowza!"
6. No Way Down - An upbeat and enjoyable track. Whilst it's not as powerful or as memorable as the stronger ones - It's steadfast and quite Shins-esque
7. For a Fool - Definitely a highlight of the album... think of it as 'September's' more talented and likeable brother. It's heartfelt but doesn't get bogged down in being too sweet. The chorus is deceptively simple, but beautifully crafted. One of my favourites
8. Fall of '82 - A bland addition to the album. It's pretty much reading the diary of a miserable kid with a cheesy chorus
9. 40 Mark Strasse - This valiantly tries to save the second half of the album. And it nearly succeeds, as it's perhaps the strongest here. The chorus is a work of genius, and the haunting whistling makes for a tremendous hook. I've sometimes sat with this song on loop for ages, it's that enjoyable.
10. Port of Morrow - Now I know the previous song is a hard act to follow... but 'Port Of Morrow' is like following an opera with a raspberry. It's an effort to finish and actually feels quite creepy. The vocals of the verses are intimidatingly high, and the whole sound is very "I'm going to haunt you in your sleep". An unfortunate finish to the album and left me with an unusual taste. The sort you'd get after eating a wasp. I normally go back and play 'Simple Song' as a form of brain mouthwash

So it's not a BAD album... in fact some of the songs on here are truly outstanding. But a few weak pieces really brings the whole thing down. If I listen to the album excluding tracks 5,8 and 10, it's good. But this one's a real mixed bag and hard to truly sit back and enjoy
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars This Music Won't Change Your Life.... 20 Mar 2012
By Syriat TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
No other band has been overshadowed by a reference in a movie more than The Shins. That Natalie Portman line from Garden State has been mentioned in every critical review of this album and its a little unfair. Not only are the band radically different from that era (they are no longer really a band in the traditional sense as most members have departed), but their music has evolved. Port of Morrow is not the same vein of innocence that their first album had and this is as it should be. After all that album was released over ten years ago. However, whichever way you cut it this isn't as good as some previous efforts.

Port of Morrow is a record that sounds like it belongs in the seventies. The kind of singer songwriter music that at turns was mournful and at other joyous. The music is light and at times effortless. However, its lack of weight also means that it lacks the impact and longeviety many would expect. Bait and Switch, for example, is a pop ditty which is light of heart and whilst you find yourself humming along it doesn't linger as it should. Simple Song is effective and efficient but where it should soar highly it doesn't quite take flight. The vocals are strong and this is a strength and a weakness as they seem to lack the emotive edge that first bought The Shins to fame.

Those are the quibbles. And its the kind of album where expectations are high and you focus on what doesn't work before you realise what does. Fall of '82 and 40 Mark Strasse have a kind of linger aftertaste. This is not just due to the melodies, harmonies and instrumentation. The lyrics are also part of their strength. 40 Mark Strasse obviously has a deeper meaning and with its ending refrain of 'you are going to let these Americans put another dent in your life' you realise that the time it has taken to make this is reflected in the overall effect. The title track end proceedings well and has the wistful quality of The Shins at their absolute best.

This is music that will grow the more you listen to it. But it won't grow into the classic many expected or wanted. Its not bad at all. But the weight of expectation of any Shins album make you feel like its not what it should be. But then again the band aren't what they used to be. The sparse arrangements are not as strong as they were and this is the album of one mans work really. And that man, James Mercer, is obviously a different person than he was previously. Thats what is really reflected here.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good 19 Mar 2012
By Chris
Format:Audio CD
I'm slightly dissappointed that this is all I can say about a Shins album, but then both Inverted World and Wincing were growers for me so I might come back feeling great about it in a few days or weeks.

The first two tracks made me feel like this was going to be another Wincing the night away. Melodic, catchy, full of Shins composition cues, and even a bit rockier than I expected. I heard Simple Song on the radio before I bought this album and thought 'Oh my God, there's a Shins CD I've missed'.

And that's kind of the problem for me. It's good but I don't think it's that fresh. It doesn't sound like 5 years have passed since Wincing.

After a so so mid section it picked up again briefly with Fall of 82 and 40 Mark Strasse. Then I found the final and titular Port of Morrow track started slightly remeniscent of Broken Bells. So overall, doesn't burn as brightly as Wincing, and doesn't approach the same cohesiveness as Inverted World. But then what does?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This is an excellent album. I love every song on here - all sound different. James Mercer's (also of Broken Bells - another favourite of mine) vocals are bang on the money on every... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Elena G
5.0 out of 5 stars The Shins - Port of Morrow
Brilliant album! Saw the Shins for the first time on BBCs festival coverage and thought they were great. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Coxygoesvroom
5.0 out of 5 stars THE SHINS
QUESTO E' L'ALBUM FORSE CHE NON TI ASPETTI DA QUESTA BAND SONO RIUSCITI A RACCHIUDERE SUONI LIRICHE MOMENTI DI TOTALE ABBANDONO RIESCONO A SUCITARE IN CHI ASCOLTA UN SENSO DI PACE... Read more
Published 3 months ago by roberto scappini
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album
I really love this album. By far the best Shins album to date. If sacking your band is what it takes to produce an album of this quality then the guy was totally vindicated. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Spike
4.0 out of 5 stars melodic Shins music
For those who haven't listened to a Shins cd before this one is a good start. For those of us who have folllowed their discography Port of Morrow is a really good effort but it... Read more
Published 9 months ago by yiannis22
2.0 out of 5 stars Not unexpected
I thought Oh Inverted World was a great album - it didn't change my life but was probably my favourite album at the time of its release. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rab
5.0 out of 5 stars wasnt sure at first
After about four listens these songs finally sink in and you can finally appreciate another great cd by The Shins.My particular favourites are For A Fool and 40 Mark Strasse.
Published 12 months ago by Velvet Revolver
3.0 out of 5 stars Lacking Fizz
Let's start by saying 'Chutes Too Narrow' was my favourite Shins album before this one came out, and still is. Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Collett
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Long awaited fouth album
Five years and two band members down since the last joyful release from The Shins, but on-form, long awaited, and loyally we are finally exposed to album number four. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Breakingmusic.co.uk
5.0 out of 5 stars It must be me, but seriously, what are you lot listening to?
I really can't understand the negative comments on this album. What are you people listening to! Ok, I know its personal taste and all that, but come on, its brilliant. Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. N. Isherwood
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