So, yes, I know this is my 3rd-4th time making a shins thread but now that they have officially released some new music, I thought it was warranted. So without further adieu, The Shins, will release their new album titled Port of Morrow on March 20th 2012. Their new single will be released on January 10th, 2012. (Tomorrow) It is entitled Simple Song. Album artwork: The first single can be streamed online for free @ http://simplesong.theshins.com/ The track list: 01. “The Rifle’s Spiral” 02. “Simple Song” 03. “It’s Only Life” 04. “No Way Down” 05. “September” 06. “Bait and Switch” 07. “Fall of ’82″ 08. “For A Fool” 09. “40 Mark Strasse” 10. “Port of Morrow” ---------- Thoughts on Simple Song?
Awesome! This is one of my most anticipated releases of this year. Simple Song sounds like vintage Shins. Btw, Chutes Too Narrow is my fav album by them.
Ah, so you finally gave them a chance? Awesome! Chutes too Narrow is indeed a great album. I'm loving simple song, it is a simple song, simply amazing and oh so romantic. These aren't the official lyrics, but I'm 100% sure they're the CORRECT lyrics Well, this is just a simple song to say what you'd done. I told you about all those fears and away they did run. Your shore must be strong and you feel like an ocean made warm by the sun. When I was just nine years old, I swear that I dreamt your face on a football field, and a kiss that I kept under my vest, apart from everything but the heart in my chest. I know that things can really get rough when you go it alone Don't go thinking you gotta be tough to play like a stone Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical as this little home My life in an upturned boat, marooned on a cliff. You brought me a great big flood and you gave me a lift. Girl, what a gift. When you tell me with your tongue and your breath goes in my lungs and we float above the rift I know that things can really get rough when you go it alone Don't go thinking you gotta be tough to play like a stone Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical as this little home Well, this will be a simple song to say what you'd done I told you about all those fears and away they did run. Your shore must be strong when you feel like an ocean made warm by the sun. I remember walking a mile to your house, a glow in the dark. I made a fumbling play for your heart, and the act struck the spark. You are a charm on the chain that I stole, it's special for you. Love's a such a delicate thing that we do, with nothing to prove, which I never knew... ---My favorite verse is in bold.
http://vimeo.com/36263084 This song was written for his wife. (Mercer's) And it's so totally classic Shins. I love it.
Since this is an official thread, I'm going to bump it and say what an amazing album 'Port of Morrow' is. I've only known about this band for a week now, but I've listened to the album 40 times on iTunes. Anyone who doesn't know these guys: drop any preconceived perceptions of "The" bands. Everybody go listen to "Simple Song" and check out the album. I hear a little bit of Keane, Incubus, City and Colour, and even a little Radiohead in here in different parts. Yet they're totally unique. Great band.
Def one of my favorite albums of this year. It's so chill and laid back for the most part. The sounds are very rich and lush.
I transcribed the album as best I could. Hit CTRL+F and then type the title for the song you wanna know. ------------ *** The Rifles Spiral *** Deadline's collided. You pour your life down the rifle's spiral And show us you've earned it. Cleric's fog will recede right before your eyes. So long to this wretched form. Down gray eyes on the subway. Long before you were born You were always to be a dagger floating Straight to their heart. Listen, now, we won't tell anyone. But you're gonna tell the world. So life ain't then any fun. May this rail unfurl. As you rise; rise from your burning fiat, Go, go get my suitcase, would you? You've thoroughly blown their mind. And now I must have passage on the lines To the veins from your heart. You're not invisible, now. You just don't exist. Your mother must be so proud. You sublimate yourself, drowning us of rich. Primitive mirror on the wall, to fortify your grim resolve. And made the glitz of a shopping mall another grain of indigent salt to the sea. Go back to this wretched form All them gray eyes on the subway So long before you were born you were always to be a dagger floating straight to their heart. *** Simple Song *** Well, this is just a simple song, To say what you'd done. I told you 'bout all those fears, And away they did run. You sure must be strong, And you feel like an ocean being warmed by the sun. When I was just nine-years-old, I swear that I dreamt, Your face on a football field, And a kiss that I kept, Under my vest. Apart from everything, But the heart in my chest. I know that things can really get rough, When you go it alone, Don't go thinking you gotta be tough, And play like a stone. Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical, As this little home. My life in an upturned boat, Marooned on a cliff. You brought me a great big flood, And you gave me a lift. Girl, what a gift. When you tell me with your tongue, And your breath was in my lungs, And we float up through the rift. I know that things can really get rough, When you go it alone. Don't go thinking you gotta be tough, And play like a stone. Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical, As this little home. Well, this would be a simple song, To say what you done. I told you 'bout all those fears, And away they did run. You sure must be strong, When you feel like an ocean being warmed by the sun. Remember walking a mile to your house, Aglow in the dark I made a fumbling play for your heart, And the act struck a spark. You wore a charm on the chain that I stole, Especial for you. Love's such a delicate thing that we do, With nothing to prove, Which I never knew. *** It's Only Life *** Dyed in the wool, you've been cornered by a natural desire You wanna hop along the with the "giddy throng" through life. But how will you learn to steer when you're grinding all you gears? You've been talking for hours, you say: "time will wash every tower to the sea" And now you got this worry in your heart Well I guess it's only life, it's only natural We all spend a little while going down the rabbit hole And the things they taught you, they're you lining up to haunt you They've got your back against the wall Call on you on the telephone, won't you pick up the receiver? I've been down the very road you're walking now. It doesn't have to be so dark and lonesome Takes a while till we can figure this thing out and turn it back around. You use to be such a lion before you got into all this crying on my lap, back when you thought I'd never get this far... But did you really think I'd shut an opened door? The future's calling and I'm' answer. The wheel's in motion, I never drank your potion. And I know it breaks your heart Open up your parachute, something's got to stop the free fall. I've been down of every road that you're walking now. It doesn't have to be so dark and lonesome. Takes a while till we can figure this thing out and turn it back around *** Bait and Switch *** I've finally had all my ducks in a row, peace and quiet, the means of subtraction. And how she got in, I'm not sure that I know. But two weeks on and my spine was in traction, my eyes in a basket. My gut and my heart is so out of phase, and that kind of girl, she ain't nobody's daughter. I'm just not used to these powerful waves. She shallows their breath and I'm taking on water. What am I to do now? I call on a beautiful wish with a moral compass, bait and switch... Hide from my psychic derailer, drive this car to the sea,. Spend the night as high as I can in a towering hemlock. But it's no use, it can always be found. A creature of habit has no real protection. I'll tell her I'll leave if she don't settle down. She sees it's a lie on closer inspection, like everyone else does. They're rubbing, a terrible charm, all this smoke in my eyes. I'm just a simple man, cursed with an honest heart. Why'd she go and tear it all apart? They're rubbing, a terrible charm, all this smoke in my eyes. I'm just a simple man, cursed with an honest heart. Why'd she go and tear it all apart? *** September *** Into this strange elastic world, Pintus kindly gave up a pearl of his eternal stone and mud.And ain't she lovely, bone and blood? Born of the sea,a thousand miles away from me. A court of angels, a ward of the sun. A future forming, a curse undone. Under our softly burning lamp, she takes her time, telling the stories of our possible lives. And love is the ink in the well when her body writes... I've been selfish and full of pride, and she knows deep down there's a little child. But I've got a good side to me as well, and it's that she loves in spite of everything else. A song in the tree has distracted her mind, some other curious form of life has made its presence to her known and she coos so gently, soft and low. Her shining face in a million reflections, on tiny raindrops that fall in a veil over our city like notes from above ,and It overwhelms me, I just ain't that tough. It's not that the darkness can't touch our lives, I know it will, in time. But she's no ordinary valentine. And now when the sun goes down, she sheds a darling light Yet I've been selfish and full of pride, and she knows deep down there's a little child. And I've got a good side to me as well, and it's that she loves in spite of everything else... *** No Way Down *** Meet the son of a governing man and a pillar of salt. I was born with blood on my hands and have all the signs of a bleeding heart! Living high in a giant hog, on a mountain so steep. Keep your head in a hollow log as the ruling fog are abound to creep. What have we done? How'd we get so far from the sun? Lost... Lost in an oscillating phase, where a tiny few catch all of the rays. Out beyond the western squalls, in an avian land. They work for nothing at all, they don’t know the mall of the layaway plan. Dig yourself a beautiful grave, everything you could want. Maybe those invisible slaves are too far away for a ghost to haunt? What will they charge letting go of a claim so large? All... All of our working days are done but a tiny few are having all of the fun. Get used to their dust in your lungs! Is there no way down from this peak to solid ground without having our gold teeth pulled from our mouth? Make me a drink strong enough to wash away the dishwater world they said was "lemonade". Walk with me, after the show. Maybe we can find a way through the minefield in the snow. What will they charge letting go of a claim so large? All... All of our working days are done but a tiny few are having all of the fun. Apologies to the sick and the young, get used to their dust in your lungs! *** For a Fool *** Young and bright, but now just a dim light... Off in the distance, a fallen stone, following the path of least resistance. If I still fight, it's just that I'm afraid I'll slide under that spell again. Taken for a fool. Yes, I was, because I was fool. Tell me what you'd do. Lost my way and shame took me to school. So many times caught up in my head at night with a leash and label. If I can learn anything from this, then I'd be like the fox in the fable. Oh, I... If I still fight, it's just that I'm afraid I'll slide under that spell again. The way we used to carry on, you're stuck in my head like a terrible song. Taken for a fool. Yes, I was, and I was fool. Following their rules, guess I was a very honest tool. Taken for a fool. (Taken for a fool.) Yes, I was, because I was fool. Taken for a fool. *** Fall of '82 *** I do relate to you in so many ways, but I didn’t go through what you must have in those early days. You had to be strong at such a very young age, a new life on Lima Lane. So, won't you listen to me now? There's something I never told you, but I'm about to try. See, you were my lifeline when the world was exploding. You moved back in with us in the fall of ‘82. I fell into dark times and you were there to help me through You told me that a downturn will eventually improve. And you were right, so I'm thanking you. So, won't you listen to me now? There's something I never told you, but I'm about to try. See, you were my lifeline when the world was exploding. Foothold's eroding, had you never been my friend, I wouldn't be quite what you see. I wouldn't be the man I am. Sister, you've known me, (Sister, you've known me) lost in a strange world. (Sister, you've known me) What has it shown me? (Sister, you've known me) What has it done for us? (Sister, you've known me) Sister, you've known me, (Sister, you've known me) been lost in a strange world. (Sister, you've known me) But what has it shown me? (Sister, you've known me) What has it done for us? (Sister, you've known me) An October chill in that old dusty town, Halloween came, I was still feeling down. Mom, I lost my sweet tooth, what's the point in going round? Your boy is losing pounds, maybe try the lost in found... *** 40 Mark Strasse *** Is it all so very simple and horribly complex? You suffer in a thimble and there's nothing coming next. Your mom smokes in the kitchen, her voice a cutting drone. They're creeping out, you pass the bar, your father's second home That leaves you on your own. Nights, I'd often watch you float across the grounds. Out the gate to the motorway, what secrets have you found? You had to know that I wanted something from you then. Too young to know just what it was, something more than a friend. Is that you at the elm? Where you played in the street at night and blew like a broken kite? My girl, you've given up the fight. Are you gonna let these Americans put another dent in your life? My mother said you're dirty, they're gonna find you dead but have you got that final chapter written in your head? Cause every single story is a story about love. Both the overflowing craft and the painful lack thereof. You've got the heart of a dove But you played in the street at night, you blew just like a broken kite. My girl, you've given up the fight. You'll have to lose all of them childish notions, if you're gonna let these American boys put another dent in your life. You play in the street at night, you blow just like a broken kite. My girl, you're giving up the fight. You'll have to lose all of them childish notions, or you're gonna let these Americans put another dent in your life. *** Port of Morrow *** Through the rain and all the clatter under the Fremont bridge, I saw a pigeon fly. Fly in fear from the raptor come to take its life. And as it closed in for the capture, I funneled the fear through my ancient eyes. To see in flight, what I know are the bitter mechanics of life... Under my hat, it reads "The lines are all imagined." A fact of life I know to hide from my little girls. I know my place amongst the bugs and all the animals. And it's from these ordinary people you are longing to be free. My hotel, and on the TV, a preacher on a stage like a buzzard cries out a warning of phony sorrow, he's trying to get a rise The cyanide from an "amen" Let him look at your hands, get the angles right. Ace of spades, port of morrow, "Life is Death is Life" I saw a photograph: Cologne in '27 and then a postcard after the bombs in '45. Must've been a world of evil clowns that let it happen, but now I recognize, dear listeners, that you were there and so was I... Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah Under my hat, I know the lines are all imagined, a fact of life I must impress on my little girls. I know my place amongst the creatures in the pageant. And there are flowers in the garbage, and a skull under your curls. Oh... Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah... *** Pariah King *** It all spins out on a plane. Looking back, hardly a hill, a valley still remains. The void before the pain, still longs for the womb of love, as he smashes down with a cane. It builds up, then it breaks down. It's your perception alone of grey hands taking control, but what can you do to prove it? A flat waste of a life, how many times did you try and stop the bleeding with a knife? It's an incline to the floor, and everything in your crooked life ends up rolling out the door. It builds up then it breaks down. Well, it's your perception alone, of grey hands, of taking control. But what can you do to prove it? Look man, there's nothing to it. What are you really getting at when you sing? There's something wrong and beautiful. Kill a snake and make yourself Pariah King. The voice bleeds through the wall, nudging a nerve... It builds up then it breaks down. It's your perception along with your hand over your mouth. Got too big it gets out. The grey hands have got you in tow, but what can you do to prove it? Look boy, there's nothing to it. What are you really getting at when you sing? It's something wrong and beautiful. Kill a snake and make yourself Pariah King Well the voice bleeds through the wall, nudging a nerve. *** The Waltz Is Over *** That hue in the sky, just a glimpse of another life I barely missed - by some stupid collection of life's random domino's. If it'd only been more oppressive... Oh, and it burns me up, my friends might as well have pissed in my cup - cause they knew when they never spoke up, you wanted the same as I did, and I never will forgive them. Is there something I'm failing to see? A message in the stars? Secrets lying hidden from me, I'm not sure what they are. But they're keeping us apart. She had Wilson pickets, best on forty five. And one night, you know she gave me a ride to my place and we were all alone but I still neglected to mention... * Transcribers note: The teller neglects to mention actually what he neglected to mention. * Is there something I'm failing to see? A message in the stars? Secrets lying hidden from me, I'm not sure where they are. Tell me, am I always to be watching from afar? Cause your image breaks my heart. Now the waltz is over. Crashed into the clovers. Now the waltz is over. Crashed into the clovers. Cause the day will finally come and time will have rendered me numb. Maybe then I can put it down, let me linger for a moment now. Her legs and details to recall, some part of life before it all fades into the darkness. Is there something I'm failing to see? A message in the stars? Secrets lying hidden from me, and I'm not sure where they are. Tell me, am I always to be watching from afar? Cause your image breaks my heart.