The Shins: Oh, Inverted World; 20th Anniversary Reissue (Sub Pop/digital outlets)

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The Shins: Oh, Inverted World; 20th Anniversary Reissue (Sub Pop/digital outlets)

Within three months of the release of this sometimes but only occasionally delightful, joyful, retro-referencing and slightly skewiff debut album by Albuquerque's four-piece the Shins, the world was indeed inverted when the Twin Towers fell.

In those days before the darkness descended, it was mid 2001 and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter and singer James Mercer was a pop craftsman with his ear on Pet Sounds (Weird Divide here), Brit-flavoured jangle-pop (One by One All Day), Big Star, straight-ahead minimalist New Wave (Know Your Onions!, the lame Girl Inform Me) and . . .

With smidgens of power-pop (Girl on the Wing) and more.

But.

While this remastered 20thanniversary reissue affirms the virtues of pop music -- catchy songs which are uplifting, an elevation into the three brief minutes of faux, white-holy spirituality (Your Algebra) -- it also reminds us of how a happy memory probably influences those few who remember this . . . .

As with all those later-than-late-period Kinks albums, this remastered/reissue of Oh, Inverted World is an album you may "appreciate" more than you'd ever actually like.

So may not play much again.

.

You can hear this remaster edition of Oh, Inverted World on Spotify here



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