The Shins are basically singer/songwriter James Mercer and a backing band since the firing of the rest of the line-up in 2009. However, it’s all good, since Mercer creates some great, poppy music, and is the force behind the whole thing (not to take away from the work of the original members). While The Shins are often shrugged off as a “My First Indie Band” type, there is good reason to their mass appeal (outside of the reference in Garden State that shot them into much larger fanbase); always catchy, with wordplay heavy and clever lyrics, and a wide variety of interesting melodies and compositions, their music is consistently good. Their sound ranges from a lot of the minimalist, soft pop rock of their debut, Oh, Inverted World, to their much more powerpop later stuff on their last album, Wincing the Night Away. They deliver live, and haven’t toured in 3 years, so this should be a treat.

The Shins – New Slang

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The Shins – Caring Is Creepy

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The Shins – Phantom Limb

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Mercer has tested this cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” whilst on tour in the past. He does a great job of slipping into David Gilmour’s lead vocal with a hint of melancholy. I might melt if they play it on the polo fields.

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