Review of The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Chutes Too Narrow currently stands as the second of three full-length albums released by The Shins. Clearly this album is no longer new—it was released in 2004—and the band’s newest release, Wincing The Night Away, has seen the top of the charts in recent years. So why review an album which was released over four years ago? Because Chutes Too Narrow is an album that has, and will continue to, stand out in musical history; it is the album that defined the Shins.
The Shins saw their quick rise to stardom with the release of Oh! Inverted World in 2001. The overwhelmingly positive feedback this album garnered (as well as many of the album’s songs being included in the film Garden State) certainly put the Shins on the map.
After the success of Oh! Inverted Word, many thought the Shins would follow the trend of many artists with such a quick rise to fame: their next album would be an over-hyped disappointment. Either it would try to stick too close to the original and be little more than a repeat, or it would be too ambitious and stray too far from the core of what made the original so good.
Fortunately, this was not the case. Chutes Too Narrow handled this dilemma with grace and style. Gone was the low-fidelity “indie” sound, but the new sound was far more dynamic and full. The music was alive with energy, and it brought out the best parts of the previous album (which were sometimes hard to notice) into the light for all to hear.
Rather than recommend a particular song on this album, I recommend a full play though from front to back—the way it was meant to be heard. The progression between each song is truly like a narrative. However, I will examine a few songs in detail for the purposes of this review.
Another part of what makes Chutes Too Narrow such an achievement is the poeticism of the lyrics. They communicate feelings and emotions that simply transcend normal prose.
The song that deserves the most consideration on this album is probably “So Says I.” From the instant the song begins, it commands your attention. The guitars are strong and the vocals really stand out. Musically, this song is quite different from most of the songs on Oh! Inverted World, but in the best way possible.
The lyrics of “So Says I” are noteworthy as well—partly for the subtle satire and cynicism they contain. The lyrics are as much of a departure from their old, whimsical style as the music itself.
Because it was nothing like we’d ever dreamt
Our lust for life had gone away with the rent we hated
And because it made no money nobody saved no one’s life.So we burned all our uniforms
And let nature take its course again
And the big ones just eat all the little ones
That sent us back to the drawing board.
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The song “Pink Bullets” stands out from the rest of the album primarily because of its slower pace and acoustic instruments. Yet upon closer inspection this song is actually quite profound. Almost nonsensical, the lyrics manage to both evoke imagery as well as tell a tale from an exceedingly atypical perspective.
Cool of a temperate breeze from dark skies to wet grass
We fell in a field it seems now a thousand summers passed
When our kite lines first crossed
We tied them into knots
And to finally fly apart
We had to cut them off.
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Of course there are other songs on the album which stand out as well, like the twangy “Gone For Good” (not a personal favorite), and the quick and energetic “Fighting In a Sack” (love the harmonica solo). But they are somewhat less profound in their messages. To reiterate: listen to every song together, rather than in isolation, for the full effect.
Chutes Too Narrow gave the Shins a distinct type of sound and message. However, it is not perfect. Sometimes it can border on simplistic or repetitive. The Shins have since used this album as a stepping-stone; in their latest album, Wincing the Night Away, they expand upon their style yet again.