{     The Shins - Wincing The Night Away     }    

Yo AJ, I grew up with Dave Hernandez of the Shins in back New Mexico years before the shins were even a dream. Ya see, Dave used to play in this pop-punk band called "scared of chaka" with one of my first childhood friends, Damion Wagner. Damion left in 97 and Dave continued for a few until the shins came calling. So my history gives me some room to talk and don't me wrong my loyalties do reside with the Shins and Dave... The Shins last album and the first Dave played on was a true treasure that I lived by for years. Unfortunately this New record falls way short. It is true the Coldplays "Parachutes" was a gem but they have made a steady decline ever since, and the fact that you made the comparison is troubling. So to be clear, the Shins failed and lost that optimistic upbeat flair that the last record was just oozing. There may be a track or two that I can bare but the entire album as a whole is a real disappointment. I think this post is better suited for rollingstone.com, or hey, maybe A.J.'s dozen.

Well, I could argue all I want about the reasons behind my opinion but the truth is despite writing what is good and what is bad, opinion in the end is objective. A lot of people who haven't followed the band since the get go might find this album a refreshing change of pace. In the same likeness, I personally welcomed Coldplay's change of pace. I like happy music, I like somber music but artists should be allowed to explore new styles of emoting with their music (be it upbeat or melancholy). In the end all I want to do is get people interested in finding something new, hopefully something meaningful with the music I share.