Wincing The Night Away (studio album) by The Shins

The highs on this album are amazing and the opening trio of Sleeping Lessons, Australia and Phantom Limb is one of their best starts to an album ever. Every song is unique and different and that makes for a very interesting listen and I find it very difficult to even be slightly bored while playing this record. Lyrically, it is very strong and gives us a lot to explore and they always match up very well with the melodies on each song. However, there are a few tracks which are closer to filler and they don't really have the musical quality of the other songs. Overall, it isn't as good as their other releases but it is closer than people give it credit for and it has a lot of brilliant moments on here.

The highs are among the best songs the band has ever made! The lows are very middling. I feel like Sea Legs could be cut down by a minute. Phantom Limb, though lyrically great, is musically tedious. The album feels more produced than the previous two, but it also feels the most alternative than just indie.

84/100

Doesn't have the impact of the first 2 albums. Builds on the same style that the Shins have adopted but doesn't introduce anything radically new or different. If this had been their first album I might well have thought it the best but it isn't and therefore I don't. The songs are consistently good throughout but like all Shins albums the best is front ended. Sleeping Lessons, Australia and Phantom Limb being closely followed by Sealegs. (Sounds like a horse race commentary).
This album was supposed to be more musically diverse and experimental than the previous two but this objective was never set high enough as the end result was never going to change the world.
Maybe James Mercer thought the same as the group was disbanded shortly after, later to be reformed with different personnel

From planetneutral 01/07/2018 18:17

Not as strong as the previous albums, but has a few good songs.

From RoundTheBend 06/04/2016 04:17

Somewhere between Brian Wilson and Morrissey with the lyrics for me.

Less well-regarded by most Shins fans. Still, this was my first and probably my second-favorite. A Comet Appears makes the entire album.

My least favorite Shins album. Given I really like the other three, I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just not as strong. It has way too many songs that are just decent, it's nice to listen to (after all, it's the Shins), but every time I listen to it I feel like it has too much filler

There are some great songs in it though, Australia and Phantom Limb are excellent, and Turn on Me and Spilt Needles are pretty good

Good album!
Nothing really stands out too much, but there are no inverses either.

74/100

From CaptainFicus 09/27/2013 06:00

extremely underrated in my opinion.. every song is memorable and important

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