- The Shins【 107 songs in total 】
- The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of James Mercer (vocals, guitar, songwriter), Jon Sortland (drums), Mark Watrous (guitar), Casey Foubert (guitar), Yuuki Matthews (bass), and Patti King (keyboards). The band is based in Portland, Oregon.
The band was formed by Mercer as a side project to Flake Music, who were active from 1992 to 1999. The band released two 7' singles and a full-length album When You Land Here It's Time to Return on Omnibus Records and were touring with Modest Mouse when they were signed to Sub Pop Records. The band's first two records, Oh, Inverted World (2001) and Chutes Too Narrow (2003) performed well commercially and received critical acclaim. The single 'New Slang' brought the band mainstream attention when it was featured in the 2004 film Garden State. Consequently, the band's third album, Wincing the Night Away (2007), was a major success for the group, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy Award nomination.
Following this, the Shins signed to Columbia Records and Mercer parted ways with the entire original lineup, deeming it 'an aesthetic decision'. Following a near five-year hiatus, Port of Morrow, the band's fourth studio album, was released in 2012. Their fifth album, Heartworms, was released in March 2017.
Musical style and influences
Mercer described the Shins as a 'pop project' from the beginning. The group were inspired by any and all music that they discovered. 'Everything we listen to [...] makes its way in somehow, but we've been inspired by a bunch of bands who basically just keep reinventing the same thing,' said Mercer. The group received comparisons to the 'pop revivalists' at the Elephant 6 Recording Collective early in their career, such as The Apples in Stereo, whilst Mercer's vivid, often surrealist lyrics and infectious melodies drew comparisons to the songwriting style of Robert Pollard from Guided by Voices. Rolling Stone credited the band with bringing 'the pop traditions of 1960s pop bands — groups like the Zombies, and the Beach Boys — to a new generation of music fans.'
Members
Current
James Mercer – lead vocals, guitar (1996–present)
Yuuki Matthews – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2011–present)
Mark Watrous – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2014–present)
Casey Foubert – guitar (2016–present)
Jon Sortland – drums (2016–present)
Patti King – keyboards (2016–present)
Former
Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion (1996–2009)
Martin Crandall – keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2009)
Dave Hernandez – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2000, 2003–2009)
Neal Langford – bass guitar (2000–2003)
Eric Johnson – piano, keyboards, guitar, banjo, backing vocals (2007–2011)
Ron Lewis – bass guitar (2009–2011)
Jessica Dobson – guitar, backing vocals (2011–2013)
Joe Plummer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2009–2016)
Richard Swift – keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizers, percussion, drone box, backing vocals (2011–2016)
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Song
Lyricist
Composer
Date
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1
40 Mark Strasse
James Mercer
2012-03
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2
A Call To Apathy
James Russell Mercer
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3
A Comet Appears
2007-01
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4
A Taste of Honey
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5
Australia (Album)
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6
Australia (Peter Bjorn & John remix)
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7
Australia
2007-01
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8
Australia
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9
Bait And Switch
James Mercer
2012-03
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10
Beaucoups of Blues (1995 remaster)(Provided)
2017
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11
Black Wave
2007-01
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12
Breathe (Breathe in the Air)
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13
Caring Is Creepy
2001-06
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14
Cherry Hearts
2017
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15
Cherry Hearts(Flipped)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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16
Dead Alive
2017
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17
Dead Alive(Flipped)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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18
Death Cream - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno
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19
Fading in Fading Out(Provided)
2017
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20
Fall Of '82 (Swift Sessions)
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21
Fall Of '82
James Mercer
2012-03
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22
Fantasy Island
2017
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23
Fantasy Island(Flipped)(Provided)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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24
Fighting In A Sack
2003-10
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25
For A Fool
James Mercer
2012-03
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26
Girl Inform Me
2001-06
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27
Girl on a Wing (KCRW session)
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28
Girl On The Wing
2001-06
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29
Girl Sailor
2007-01
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30
Gone For Good
2003-10
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31
Goodbye Girl
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32
Half a Million
2017
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33
Half A Million(Flipped)
2018-01
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34
Have You Seen My Baby(Provided)
2017
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35
Heartworms
2017
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36
Heartworms(Flipped)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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37
It Don't Come Easy(Provided)
2017
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38
It's Okay, Try Again
Adam Deibert
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39
It's Only Life
James Mercer
2012-03
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40
Kissing The Lipless
2003-10
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41
Know Your Onion - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno
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42
Know Your Onion!
2001-06
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43
Mieke
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44
Mild Child
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45
Mildenhall
2017
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46
Mildenhall(Flipped)(Provided)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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47
Mine's Not A High Horse
2003-10
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48
Name For You - Flipped
James Mercer
James Mercer
2017-03
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49
Name for You
2017
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50
Name For You(Flipped)(Provided)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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51
New Slang (Album)
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52
New Slang (Live with Sam Beam)
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53
New Slang
2001-06
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54
No Way Down (Swift Sessions)
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55
No Way Down - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno
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56
No Way Down
James Mercer
2012-03
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57
One By One All Day
2001-06
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58
Painting a Hole
2017
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59
Painting A Hole(Flipped)(Provided)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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60
Pam Berry
2007-01
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61
Pariah King
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62
Phantom Limb [Radio 2 Live Version]
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63
Phantom Limb
2007-01
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64
Pink Bullets
2003-10
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65
Plenty Is Never Enough
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66
Port Of Morrow
James Mercer
2012-03
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67
Pressed In A Book
2001-06
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68
Red Rabbits
2007-01
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69
Rubber Ballz (Edit)
2017
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70
Rubber Ballz
2017
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71
Rubber Ballz(Flipped)(Provided)
James Mercer
James Mercer
2018-01
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72
Saint Simon [Radio 2 Live Version]
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73
Saint Simon
2003-10
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74
Sea Legs
2007-01
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75
Sealegs (Radio Edit)
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76
September
James Mercer
2012-03
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77
Simple Song
James Mercer
2012-03
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78
Sleeping Lessons (The RAC mix)
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79
Sleeping Lessons
2007-01
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80
So Now What
2017
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81
So Now What(Flipped)
2018-01
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82
So Says I (KCRW session)
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83
So Says I
2003-10
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84
Sphagnum Esplanade
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85
Spilt Needles
2007-01
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86
Split Needles (Alt. version)
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87
The Celibate Life (live)
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88
The Celibate Life
2001-06
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89
The Fear
2017
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90
The Fear(Flipped)
2018-01
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91
The Past And Pending
2001-06
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92
The Rifle's Spiral (Live from the Lot)
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93
The Rifle's Spiral
James Mercer
2012-03
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94
The Waltz Is Over
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95
They'll Soon Discover
James Mercer
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96
Those Bold City Girls
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97
Those To Come
2003-10
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98
Turn A Square
2003-10
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99
Turn on Me (Exclusive Clint Mansell Remix)
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100
Turn On Me
2007-01
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101
We Built a Raft and We Floated
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102
We Will Become Silhouettes
Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello
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103
Weird Divide
2001-06
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104
When I Goose-Step
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105
Wonderful Christmas
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106
Young Pilgrims
2003-10
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107
Your Algebra
2001-06