Heartworms
by The Shins

From RoundTheBend 01/24/2018 03:20 | #206400

I'm surprised this grew on me the way it did. My first listen I was pretty turned off. This might be blasphemy, but as it grew it became a type of Modern Vampires type album.

From pearljammer13 03/21/2017 21:37 | #187839

I've come to terms with the fact that they will never get back to the level of their first two albums (a near impossibility for any band to reach those peaks), but I'm really enjoying this one. Port Of Morrow had it's moments but was a disappointment overall. Heartworms however feels like a return to form. No real urge to skip any tracks, and several classic toe tappers we've come to expect from Mercer (Name For You, Cherry Hearts, Half A Million). Some Broken Bells sounds seep in occasionally which isn't really a bad thing, and overall a significant step forward from Port Of Morrow I'd say. An album I plan to spin many times with the warm weather approaching.

From SleepDealer 03/19/2017 13:47 | #187667

Another strong comeback from the Shins, if perhaps less essential than the band were in the early 2000s. There's a big difference in quality between this, and for example, the similarly timed okay but still disappointing comeback from Grandaddy.

From Strangel 03/14/2017 11:45 | #187411

We Shins fans all wait for the next impeccable Chutes Too Narrow-type album release to come from Mercer and are ultimately left a bit disappointed because of it. Such expectation is completely unreasonable because I believe Chutes is in the best cluster of albums ever made. I have chosen to listen to Heartworms without expectation and so far it's been an enjoyable listen. I'm actually really taken by the diversity of sound on this album and the fact that it isn't relying on a tried and true Shins formula. There are certainly signature Shins-style melodies and there is a touch of Oh Inverred World coming through in Dead Alive that will please the 'nostalgics' amongst us but it is a fresh sound for the most part. There is definitely enough nuances within the composition and lyrics to want to return to the album for more listens. Therefore it has room to grow on you further. It does lack a killer punch and an edginess though to ever make it a classic but is nonetheless a very likeable album. 78/100

From jhuik 03/10/2017 14:05 | #187240

I'm sure I'll revisit this, but my initial reaction is that it's just too poppy for my ears, and each new release is poppier than the last. I still think Chutes is the highest height this band reached.

From Komorebi-D 03/10/2017 03:12 | #187226

Sure, this may seem like James Mercer doing the solo thing but this also feels like a return to the classic sound in more ways than not. Tinged with the garage & follk signatures cemented by Oh, Inverted World & Chutes Too Narrow but this time adding some of pop sensibilities leftover from their last, Port of Morrow & new-wave to the mix. However, the instruments aren't the only thing to keep an eye on, like any good album, it's the lyrics too. And lyrically, reflection is the core theme of the album.

Equal to Port of Morrow at this point.