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The Shins Information
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'The Shins' are a musical group on Sub Pop Records comprising singer and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist Martin Crandall, bassist Dave Hernandez, and drummer Jesse Sandoval. Their sound is commonly described as indie rock, drawing on several musical genres including pop (in the tradition of The Beach Boys), alternative, country, emo, and folk.
Music
The Shins began in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and Sandoval, who were both members of the lo-fi musical group 'Flake' (formed in 1992). By 1999, Flake (which by then had been renamed 'Flake Music') was disbanded and all of its former members became The Shins, excluding Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, who joined the group following the departure of Flake bassist Neal Langford. The group is currently based in Portland, Oregon.
The Shins' first album was 2001's Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft, jangly pop sound. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrical inventions and a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.
Other details
thumb|Martin Crandall and James Mercer, live in 2004
*Two tracks from Oh, Inverted World-"Caring is Creepy" and "New Slang", both featuring Mercer's reverb-drenched, Brian Wilson styled vocals-were used in 2004's Garden State, significantly boosting the band's popularity.
*The song "New Slang" was used in NBC's sitcom Scrubs.
*Two tracks from Chutes Too Narrow-"Gone For Good" and "Those To Come"-were featured in 2004's In Good Company.
*The band has appeared on the popular TV show Gilmore Girls (episode 517 titled "Girls in bikinis, boys doin' the twist").
*During live shows, the band members (particularly Crandall and Hernandez) are known to frequently swap instruments, making it somewhat difficult to define their exact roles in the band.
*Martin Crandall's girlfriend of five years is Elyse Sewell, model and contestant from the UPN reality-television series America's Next Top Model. Crandall actually appeared on one of America's Next Top Model's original season shows.
Discography
*When You Land Here It's Time to Return (1997) (as Flake Music)
*Oh, Inverted World (2001)
*Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
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