Port Of Morrow The Shins Rarest
. 'Released: January 9, 2012. 'Released: March 16, 2012Port of Morrow is the fourth studio album by American band. The album was released March 19, 2012, on Aural Apothecary and and was co-produced by and frontman.
The Shins' first studio album in five years, following the release of 2007's, followed major lineup changes in the group: founding members (bass, guitar), (keyboards) and (drums) departed in 2009. Mercer deemed it an 'aesthetic decision' to part ways with his bandmates, and in the interim, founded side project with.Primarily a collaboration between Mercer and Kurstin, the album features contributions from former members:, and Ron Lewis; alongside drummer, and other studio contributors, including. Mercer penned lyrics based around his newfound fatherhood, the love for his family, as well as nostalgic memories of his childhood in Germany and his rough adolescent transition to the United States. Musically, Port of Morrow is inspired by 1970s German pop and is melodic and heavily layered, while adding a greater emphasis on electronic instrumentation.The album debuted at number three on the and received largely favorable reviews from, with some deeming it among the band's best, while others felt it disjointed following the departure of its principal members. The ' charted within the top ten on the, representing the band's highest peak chart-wise in their home country.
Upon release, independent record stores were exclusively given a bonus acoustic EP bundled with the record. Mercer took a break from The Shins in the late 2000s; in the interim, he formed with (pictured)In 2007, The Shins released their third studio album, which received rave reviews from critics and debuted at number two on the.
The album spawned a yearlong tour and snagged a nomination for. Having worked on The Shins for nearly a decade, frontman James Mercer felt exhausted and ready to quit the band.
'Mainly I was tired of being right in the middle and everything sort of revolving around me, including the friendship dynamics-slash-bandmate dynamics and the creative aspect,' Mercer explained in 2012. Noting that the band had never been bigger, some aspects of the limelight made him uncomfortable: 'I had never been someone who was ever in the center of any kind of social circle.' Mercer was approached by Brian Burton around this same period regarding a possible collaboration on a new project, which became.Mercer was initially intimidated to commit to the project, but felt differently after attending the memorial service for actor in 2008. Mercer felt very shy in contrast to Ledger; he observed Ledger was very engaged in conversation and held deep relationships. Noting that the outpouring of emotion at the service changed him, Mercer decided to change his pace and began saying 'yes' to new experiences. Enjoying the fresh approach with Broken Bells in regards to meeting new musicians, Mercer desired to continue that feeling.
Mercer parted ways with longtime bandmates Dave Hernandez, Marty Crandall and Jesse Sandoval, terming it 'an aesthetic decision.' Sandoval instead told The Portland Mercury he was 'unequivocally fired' from the group. Sandoval elaborated on Mercer's decision, noting that 'When I think about this, probably if James really had complete say in it, he would have killed the Shins.'
Mercer would later relate that his decision was 'tremendously difficult,' but instead wished to view it as a new phase. When Mercer made a comment in NME that he was drawn to Broken Bells because The Shins 'had started to feel heavy,' fans of the band began to speculate that the band was perhaps over.Port of Morrow was in the earliest stages of development in early 2009, when Mercer debuted such tracks as 'The Rifle's Spiral' at live performances. Working with Burton on Broken Bells helped Mercer overcome fears of collaboration, which in turn influenced the rotating 'cast of characters' that grouped together around him to record Port of Morrow. Mercer returned to The Shins as the only original member.
'I always loved these auteurs who presented themselves as bands,' Mercer later explained, referencing and as examples, which led to him feeling as though he could pursue something similar, allowing the concept of The Shins to carry on. For Port of Morrow, The Shins left their longtime label, for Mercer's own label, Aural Apothecary.
Artwork and recording Producer Greg Kurstin had a particular influence on Port of Morrow, encouraging Mercer to experiment in the studio. During the recording, Mercer was commuting each week, flying from Portland to Los Angeles to record with producer Greg Kurstin at his studio. Mercer brought songs written as far back as 2007, such as 'Simple Song,' which was written on the living room floor of his former house. Former Shins bandmates Marty Crandall and Dave Hernandez appear as guest musicians on Port of Morrow. Feeling that both musicians have a certain tone and style that would suit a song, Mercer simply called them up to ask regardless of any possible acrimony.
While working on the album, Mercer felt he might have waited too long to record a follow-up, fearing that he might be in a similar situation as, whose reputation fell hard when they waited five years to record a sophomore record.Regarding the album's artwork, artist Jacob Escobedo stated, 'After working with on, he came to me about this Shins album. He sent references of old book covers with skulls and psychedelic faces. So I explored three different rounds of creative. Each time getting closer to what he was looking for.
In the final round, I scanned a cross cut of a rock which formed that mountain and put this spirit made of feathers on top. He immediately loved it, but thought it needed a -inspired mask because he grew up in.
So he sent me all this great inspiration and it slowly evolved into that cover. If you look closely we’ve filled that smoke coming down the mountain with naked ladies at James’ request. It’s pure Hopi psychedelic spookiness.' Music Composition Port of Morrow incorporates a palette of vintage-inspired sounds inspired by Mercer and producer Greg Kurstin's upbringing in Germany in the 1970s. The German imagery found on Port of Morrow was inspired by avant-garde pop, artists such as and, as well as 's production work.
An instrumental break in 'Fall of '82,' for example, features a trumpet solo performed by Nathaniel Walcott. The vintage element was inspired by bands such as. Spin called Port of Morrow a 'brighter, poppier beast than previous ventures, filled with spacey '70s keyboards and surprisingly straightforward lyrics.' The instrumental arrangements on Port of Morrow are highly layered, which an extension of Mercer's desire to make the songs 'as interesting and engaging as possible.' When writing 'Port of Morrow', it popped into my head and I was thinking of it as death, like what’s beyond the exit point, the 'port of morrow', the port into tomorrow?. Everyone’s future is death.
That’s a very dark way to look at it, but in the song it just happened to fit in with that thing. Like the ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death, death is life.James Mercer on the album's title trackMercer has stated in interviews that the main themes on Port of Morrow include love (inspired by his newfound domestic life and fatherhood) and the dual nature of life—the beautiful and the grotesque—being intertwined. 'The Rifle's Spiral', the album's first track, is written from the perspective of a man who finances, and contains elements of Mercer's distrust and fear of religion. ', in stark contrast, is a love song based on confidence gained during a very strong relationship; Mercer was inspired to write the song for his wife. ' takes root in friendship, specifically pulling a friend out of despair. 'Bait and Switch' was written about a situation in which a man is taken for granted in a relationship he falls into by a woman 'who's just way too much for him to handle.' The album's fifth track, 'September', returns to themes of love and is written for Mercer's wife, detailing the story of how they met in the month of September.
'No Way Down' was inspired by an article Mercer read regarding the American trade deficit and its effects on the nation's economy. 'For a Fool' was envisioned by Mercer as a song inspired by various relationships, and was written from the perspective of a man talking about his lost love.'
Fall of '82' is directly inspired by events from Mercer's own life, detailing his rough transition from his childhood in to. The trip resulted in a period of anxiety that Mercer was able to overcome when his oldest sister, whom he regarded as both motherly and 'cool' enough to recall the 'weirdness of adolescence,' moved back in with the family. '40 Mark Strasse' is also pulled from Mercer's childhood and named after a certain stretch on the route to, where he lived. The stretch was named by 's for 'where you can go get a hooker for 40 marks,' and Mercer observed several underage prostitutes 'shivering in bus shelters in short shorts in the cold.' With that inspiration, Mercer crafted the song as a tale of a young German boy living in an apartment complex with one of the high-school-age girls, with whom he becomes infatuated without knowing her overnight activities.
Lastly, the album's title track, 'Port of Morrow', is named after on the, which Mercer would see while driving. Upon the album's release, Mercer stated that he had not yet visited Port of Morrow: 'I looked it up online the other night because people are asking me now over here, so I looked it up.
It’s this industrial port and very boring.' Reception Professional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRating7.0/1072/100Review scoresSourceRatingB−B+6/108.4/107/10Port of Morrow was released to generally favorable reviews from music critics. Was arguably the most positive, calling the record 'just so utterly satisfying,' elaborating that ' Port of Morrow immediately hooks the listener and holds on tight right up until the last few seconds.' Called it 'arguably Mercer's and the Shins' most satisfying achievement,' and heralded it as 'the band's best album in nearly a decade.' Called Port of Morrow an 'album rich in kaleidoscopic colour to contrast the diluted greys of its sleeve, marked with the expert touch of true masters of their art.'
Described the record as 'a triumphant return from a project that once risked being reduced to an indie-went-mainstream tagline,' opining that, 'It's the perfect distillation of the Shins' back catalog. But in other ways, its colorful, detail-oriented approach sets it apart from anything Mercer's done before.' Wrote that 'Mercer nails a balance of economy and sweep, matching the studio lushness he craves with secondhand melodicism. Port of Morrow has more of a studio-sculpture auteurist vibe than ever.' Heather Phares of considered the record more focused than its predecessor, despite the lack of a core band, adding, 'There's no pretense of democracy nor of being 'indie' here, things that might be easier to decry if these weren't some of Mercer's best songs since.'
The Shins Heartworms
Called it 'a formidable piece of work, repositioning Mercer away from his Pacific Northwest indie rock peer group.' In contrast, felt it lacked the unity of a central band, calling it a 'record with so much clever and excitable beauty, yet strangely disappointing.' Wrote that 'The pair's Mercer and Kurstin pop instincts ultimately prevail over more esoteric ambitions,' and felt Port of Morrow less important than the band's other works, but did not rule out the likelihood that 'many of its subtle strengths will grow more powerful with time.' The felt the multi-layered sound ('sonic forget-me-nots') did not work in the album's favor, while felt it unchallenging, but still fun: 'Its low-key loveliness makes it great for dinner parties where the company is almost as cool as Mercer's pre- Port track record.'
Wrote that 'Mercer has made what amounts to a solo record and needlessly attached it to a band identity that he's outgrown,' and the held similar sentiments: 'The Shins, once the poster act of sing-along-and-cry indie rock, is an identity that Mercer, the only original member left, may have outgrown.' The album was ranked #48 on 's list of top 50 albums of 2012. Track listing All tracks are written. The Rifle's Spiral'3:302.' Bait and Switch'3:235.'
No Way Down'3:167.' For a Fool'3:578.' Fall of '82'3:489.' 40 Mark Strasse'4:3910.' Port of Morrow'5:50Bonus TracksNo.TitleLength11.' Pariah King'4:1112.'
The Waltz Is Over '4:41Port of Morrow Acoustic Bonus EPNo.TitleLength1.' Simple Song' (Acoustic Version)4:002.' September' (Acoustic Version)3:263.' It's Only Life' (Acoustic Version)4:044.'
Young Pilgrims' (Acoustic Version)3:01Singles. On January 9, 2012, the first single, ', was released via the band's website.Charts. Bychawski, Adam (March 13, 2012). Retrieved July 5, 2016. ^ (March 15, 2012). Retrieved March 20, 2012.
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Port Of Morrow (Inkl. Bonus-Tracks Und Videos / Exklusiv Bei Amazon. Accessed March 16, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.