The Shins: “Simple Song”

After 2007’s Wincing the Night Away, the Grammy-nominated album that established The Shins as the latest indie darlings to crash the mainstream, the band seemed destined for even bigger things.  But James Mercer had other plans, teaming up with Danger Mouse to release an album and an EP as Broken Bells, which seemed more than a side-project vamp at the time.

And that’s why it’s such a delight to hear “Simple Song,” the band’s first single off the forthcoming LP Port of Morrow. It finds James Mercer embracing once more the bright, anthemic indie pop that had always made the group’s belated commercial success inevitable. 

The track betrays its title, though.  A fuzzy organ and backing vocals afloat with echo quickly give way to power-pop riffs that jangle on top of each other, all countering choir-like vocals that rise up with every verse.  Coupled with a chorus in which Mercer tests the top of his vocal range, the song’s stadium-sized production and melodic complexity production ensure that it is anything but simple.

The bigger sound is attributable to producer Greg Kurstin, who played a bigger role in shaping the album with Mercer than the rest of the band’s old lineup.  In fact, this lineup won’t be joining Mercer on tour this year.  But make no mistake—the bittersweet essence of the group is still here, raising hopes that there is plenty more buoyant brooding in store in the Shins’ future.

- Mike Tony, Popscene with Mike Tony (Saturdays from 10-noon @ WQHS.org)