It's An Inverted World For TheShins

Sat 10th Dec, 2005 in Features

The Shins have captured a solid fanbase in Australia. The indie-rock quartet from Portland have never had major chart success with either of their two albums, Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow, but their eclectic and exciting live shows have garnered them a solid reputation, and made them audience favourites. It doesn’t hurt that they seem to tour Australia once every 12 months, either. Now, with the band returning to Australia in early 2006, lead singer James Mercer spoke to FasterLouder about all things Shins.

Mercer is speaking to us from his home town of Portland, and the band is looking forward to touring Australia in February. “Yeah, we seem to have a really good fanbase out there, although I’m not  sure why. laughs We come out there heaps because we have really great people working for us when we come out there. The crowds really dig us, and it’s kind of a paid vacation for us. Plus, our sound guy is getting married while we’re out there, so that should be nice too.”

So, will this tour be in support of the much-anticipated new album? “Unfortunately, the album won’t be out yet. We’ll be taking a break from recording it to come out, so once we get back and finish it, and do all the mixing and stuff, it’ll probably be out in the late US summer (Australian winter)”

This may seem like a long time to wait, but it should be worth it, as Mercer is a perfectionist. “Yeah, I’ve been writing lyrics all day, and I have maybe five lines that I’m really happy with. I spend a lot of time sweating the little moments, making sure the transitions are really smooth. I’m always trying to find the best chorus to go with a verse, or vice-versa, so that each song is as good as I can make it. I’m not really a technically gifted musician, I’ve had no classical training, I just picked up a guitar, and my dad showed me a few chords, and it was on from there.”

This dedication has resulted in the Shins reputation as a band who make complex arrangements out of simple elements, and I ask Mercer about this. “Yeah, it’s not the first time I’ve heard that about us. I don’t think it’s too simplistic, it takes me quite a while to write these arrangements.” Maybe its more that because all the songs are so practiced and structured that Mercer makes them look easy because he’s rehearsed them so much? “Yeah, that’s probably more the case. When we’re writing songs, because I work on lyrics so long, sometimes I’ll think up a guitar line or bass line which fits the song perfectly. Our writing process is pretty loose, there’s a number of ways which things are done, but I spend most of my time working on the lyrics.”

And when it comes to recording, Mercer finds its easier to keep things casual. “Yeah, we’re keeping the timeline as loose as possible. We’ve had situations before where we’ve been rushed, and we’ve always been unhappy with the results.” Having their own studio helps a bit too. “Yeah, we can afford to take it easy, while we’re recording. We went up and did some work with (producer) Phil Eck, but we’re taking our time. Being rushed doesn’t really work for us.”

While in Australia, The Shins will be playing The Falls and Southbound festivals, as well as their run of club shows. Mercer says playing festivals can be just as fun as club shows. “They both have their advantages. The big festivals are fun because of the atmosphere backstage, it’s so insane, so chaotic. You don’t sweat the little things, no sound check, you just run out there, play, and come back. The shows where we headline are good because it’s our fans, so there’s more energy, and the sound is better. I think it’s a more musical experience.”

And the future for the Shins? “As soon as the record is finished, we’ll obviously be touring the States. We’re pretty much just going to be touring for a year, with the album.” And are there any plans to come back to Australia again? “It’s pretty far ahead, so we don’t have any definite plans to come back to Australia yet, but I bet we will be.” Australian fans will have their fingers crossed.