I've been reading the Amazon.com forum comments on The Shins' Wincing the Night Away and I find it interesting that not much is being said about the production side of the album.
James Mercer and producer Joe Chiccarelli have created some really spectacular aural landscapes that make the album - for me, at least - a treat for the ears. I want to say up front that I probably never would have bought Wincing the Night Away were it not for the fact that my son was one of the engineers on the project.
After seeing people natter away about how The Shins' first two albums were better, I went to iTunes and bought Chutes Too Narrow.
Now I think I see what the problem is. If I'd formed my impressions of what The Shins are supposed to sound like based on Chutes Too Narrow, I might have listened to Wincing the Night Away with a mind too narrow. Where "Chutes" was all about the songs, presented against a plain white background, "Wincing" puts the music in color and three-dimensional space.
For my money, Wincing the Night Away is the best-made album I've heard in years.
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