Have you heard of any band which really thinks? and not only thinks but also sings quite well too. Yes its ‘The Shins”. Look and listen to their tracks, they will take you away.
The Shins are a musical group on Sub Pop records comprising singer and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, and drummer Jesse Sandoval. Their sound is commonly described as indie rock, drawing on several musical genres including pop (in the tradition of The Beach Boys), alternative, country, and folks.The Shins began in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Sandoval, who were both members of the lo-fi musical group Flake (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (which by then had been renamed Flake Music) was disbanded and all of its former members became The Shins. The band released two 7″ singles on Omnibus, “Nature Bears A Vacuum” (1999) and “When I Goosestep” (2000), before going on tour with Modest Mouse. During the tour, they were met in San Francisco by a Sub Pop representative, who eventually offered to release their debut album.The Shins’ first album was 2001’s Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft, jangly pop sound. Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrical inventions and a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.
One of their superb tracks, is ‘Know your onion’. Take a look at the lyrics. Its awesome!
Shut out, pimpled and angry.I quietly tied all my guts into knots.Gave up on trying to make them,I figured it’d take them too long to look up and besides… It was undeniably clear to me i don’t know whyWhen every other part of life seemed locked behind shuttersI knew what worthless dregs we’ve always been. Lucked out and found my favorite recordsLying in wait at the
birmingham mall.The songs that i heard,The occasional bookWere the only fun i ever took.And i got on with making myself.The trick is just making yourself. But when they’re parking their cars on your chestYou’ve still got a view of the summer skyTo make it hurt twice when your restless bodyCaves to its whimsAnd suddenly struggles to take flight… Three thousand miles north eastI left all my friends at the morning bus stop shaking their heads.“what kind of life you dream of? you’re allergic to love.”Yes i know but i must say in my own defenseIt’s been undeniably dear to me, i don’t know whyWhen every other part of life seemed locked behind shuttersI knew the worthless dregs we are,The selfless, loving saints we are,The melting, sliding dice we’ve always been.And watch the video at http://rapid-iq-media.blogspot.com/
Linguistica Indica 