Chutes Too Narrow
by The Shins

This album is so consistently enjoyable all the way through. Every single track is fun and full of energy and I would recommend this album to anyone as it is extremely accessible. The song writing is the real strength of the record with the lyrics having so much depth and allowing so much room to be able to explore them. Alongside this is the tight guitar work and the drums on this album are just superb. Furthermore, the record never slows down and so you barely notice the 33 minutes go by and at the end I just want to start it over again. Overall, the album is delicate and beautiful but also loud and energetic when it needs to be making it never dull or disinteresting making it a joy whenever I revisit it. (Edited)

From paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/11/2011 02:00 | #32632 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

The shins "chutes too narrow" is another indie pop gem. Each song could've been a radio hit. "kissing the lipless" starts with a nervous acoustic pace before charging electric, opening "Called to see / If your back / Was still aligned / And your sheets / Were growing grass / All on the corners of your bed". "mine's not a high horse" states "you were so poorly cast as a malcontent" claiming "You've got em all on your side / that just leads more from doubt to slaughter" on an upward synth climb atop speedy acoustic guitar with "one finger parallel to the sky". "so says i" is another 2:41 gem with churning guitar: "We've got rules and maps and guns in our backs / but we still can't just behave ourselves / even if to save our own lives, so says I, we are a brutal kind." "young pilgrim" is laid-back placing emphasis on James Mercer's sharp vocals wanting to "fly the whole mess into the sea". "saint simon" would probably have the best shot at pop radio dominance with its lazy stroll through fanciful rhyme, lilting-romantic side-chorus and xylophone-accompanied chorus, opening "After all these implements and text designed by intellects / so vexed to find evidently there's just so much that hides" and warmly closing "Mercy's eyes are blue / When she places them in front of you / nothing really holds a candle to / the solemn warmth you feel inside of you". "fighting in a sack" delivers this with quick tongue: "But you'll find those lingering voices are just your ego's attempt to make it all clean and nice / and make a moron out of you ".

From jhuik TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/03/2015 04:45 | #138666 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Don't you just love this album? Don't you just cheer it on and say, why isn't this even higher up on the list? Don't you just think this is just so nice?

Another classic by the Shins. For the first few years of the decade, the Shins were definitely the best thing going on in the indie scene.

From jhuik TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/23/2012 15:51 | #45155 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I came way too late to this party (thanks to this site, in fact). This is just a great album that has everything: great singing, strong lyrics and songwriting. The compositions here stand with the best of all time. If they were sung by a monkey, the songs would still be just beautiful but instead they are served by James Mercer. Eyewateringly great.