The Shins
Oh, Inverted World

THE REVIEW

If the record, as a physical or digital medium, is one and its information (year of release, label, genre, tracks) is unique, the threads that bind it to listeners are tens of thousands, depending on the variable number of the latter.
The best encounters, the best records always have a personal story behind them, a backstory, an intrinsic narrative that makes them special or maybe simply different for me or for you.

And my once upon a time with The Shins I remember well, placing it within a sweltering Sicilian afternoon of many a couple of springs ago, awakening from a nap when the notes of "New Slang" from the next room played by my roommate facilitated a sweet awakening. I remember being very struck by that sweet voice and that placid vintage atmosphere, so much so that I immediately went to ask for more information.
I haven't heard from that roommate in years, but in the meantime, my relationship with The Shins has deepened over time, despite a very slow process of getting to know them, only recently reaching completion. What I would rather forget is that 19th-century house with high ceilings and pieces of plaster coming down from the ceiling of my room, making my current home look like a 5-star hotel by comparison.

"Oh, Invented World" is their debut on Sub Pop, and according to this writer, also their best work. Although Mercer’s creative vein will still be noticeable with some variations to the formula even in the subsequent "Chutes Too Narrow" and "Wincing The Night Away."
It's an album with a typically springtime candor where singer James Mercer’s passion for sixties sounds is particularly attributable to the three big Bs (Beatles, Beach Boys, and Byrds).

It's the soft pastel colors that paint a diffused dawn in the opening "Caring is Creepy" (try comparing it with the opener of the latest Heatworms and let me know). Contemplative indie-pop or rosy-tinged psychedelia, take your pick.

"One by One all Day" flaunts classic jingle-jangle Byrds-style riffs developed over an old-fashioned farm theme, followed in quick succession by two big numbers, first "Know Your Opinion!" and then "Girl Inform Me" with beautiful and candid vocal harmonies that immediately recall Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, a main influence in the overall economy of this debut.

The shy folk sonnet of "New Slang" draws from the McCartney/Lennoy songbook era White Album, opening up to the world also thanks to its inclusion along with "Caring is Creepy" on the soundtrack of the film "Garden State".
The joyous "Girl on the Wing," one of the absolute favorites, would sound great played at sunset on one of the Californian beaches.
All things considered, the only superfluous notes are those of "Your Algebra" with its misplaced electronics.
It falls to the subdued notes of "Past and Pending" to conclude the narrative while enjoying the last lights of the day before silence and darkness fall.

The inspired pen of Mercer in crafting bright pop craftsmanship remains the minimal and fundamental common denominator of the work.
A record, yes, citational, but one that makes its lo-fi creed, its smoothness, and its playfulness its greatest strengths.
And we know that memorable things are often the most spontaneous. And let's face it, the records that manage to put you in a good mood, to bring out the sun where there is none, without being intrusive, are also the most beautiful.