Shins

Hey guys, guess what isn't cool? Punctuality. Screw all that "being timely" bull, I've got a midwinter treat for you. My annual mix of some of my favorite songs released in the last year is here for your enjoyment. Sorry you don't get the full physical package that I sent some lucky souls (trust me, it's impressive), but cover art and track numbers are embedded. If you really want the full cover art, just click the thumbnail to the right.

Enjoy! I'll try to be back with more soon.

Stars - The Night Starts Here
Coconut Records - West Coast
Bloc Party - Waiting For the 7.18
Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothing
Jens Lekman - I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You
Loudon Wainwright III - Grey In L.A.
National - Fake Empire
Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Wilco - Hate It Here
Arcade Fire - Intervention
Misha - Delovedly
Feist - My Moon My Man
Swell Season - If You Want Me
Cloud Cult - Pretty Voice [YouTube]
Shins - Split Needles
Twilight Sad - That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy
Andrew Bird - Fiery Crash
John Vanderslice - The Parade
Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost
Finches - House Under the Hill

Download:
You Don't Live Here Anymore [zip]

Growing up, my taste in music sucked. I've since come to terms with this, and thankfully my cd collection is nowhere near as lame as it was in high school. Much of the credit for my broadened musical horizons belongs to the internet. But just as much is due to The Shins.

During my senior year of high school, I heard Oh, Inverted World at a listening station at Borders. The music was catchy and new and unlike anything I listened to. Needless to say, I didn't buy it; who pays $14.99 for 11 three-minute songs? But I kept it in the back of my mind. A month or two later, I was reading a music magazine which had an article about the band's video (.mov download) for "New Slang." The video, as the article explained, pays homage to various punk and indie album covers, like The Replacements' Let It Be and Husker Du's Zen Arcade. Husker Du? Slint? Cat Power? I had never heard of any of these bands. A whole new genre of music was out there, ready for me to listen.

Natalie Portman made it cliched in Garden State, but this band changed my life. Maybe you can remember the band that changed yours.

Listen:
The Shins - Know Your Onion!

Buy Oh, Inverted World