Mid-Winter Slump

Despite an extremely mild January here in Toronto, I still hate winter. Outside it's nothing but grey skies and leaf-less trees. It's very depressing, to say the least. The only good news is that it is now February, and spring is that much closer. Because of its mind-numbing nature, I find winter to be a great time to "rediscover" albums and bands that I haven't listen to for a while. One such band is The Shins. Their music effectively combats the winter blahs. It is cheery and melodic pop, the perfect reminder that better days are coming.

The band's debut, Oh, Inverted World, is highlighted by such great songs as "Caring is Creepy", "New Slang" and "Celibate Life". The follow-up Chutes Too Narrow rides high on the strength of "Kissing the Lipless", "Young Pilgrims" and "Saint Simon".



Oh, Inverted World (2001)




Chutes Too Narrow (2003)