James Mercer is the lead singer and songwriter of The Shins; the band's latest album is called Heartworms.
Courtesy of the artist
The Shins released their first critically acclaimed album, Oh, Inverted World, way back in 2001 — and were catapulted into the public ear when a song from that album appeared as a plot line in the 2004 movie Garden State. The world has changed in the years since the group rose to be recognized as one of the biggest indie rock acts of the 21st century.
The band's latest album, Heartworms, is its first in five years. Singer and songwriter James Mercer tells weekends on All Things Considered that his latest songs reflect how both he he and the culture around music have evolved.
"I think when The Shins started out we were pretty different: There weren't a lot of American bands, at least, who were going for the type of stuff we were doing, which was maybe a little bit retro and folky," he says. "I was trying to break away from what had become the norm in the '90s, which was like a tongue-in-cheek attitude — sort of a half-joking, never taking yourself too seriously, a lack of romantic drama in music. I was trying to bust away from that. Now I feel like I'm sort of doing the opposite: I'm rebelling against what I feel like might be a little bit too much self-importance and drama and preciousness in the music scene now."
Mercer spoke with NPR's Lakshmi Singh. Hear more of their conversation at the audio link.
Alexi Horowitz produced the broadcast version of this story.
"New Slang" is a song by American rock band The Shins, released on February 19, 2001 as the lead single from the group's debut studio album, Oh, Inverted World (2001). Written by guitarist and vocalist James Mercer, it concerns his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico and his experiences there in his late 20s.
By Rebecca Dube. It's official: Rizz is the word of the year, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. What does it mean? Rizz is short for “charisma,” and it simply means an ability to charm and woo a person. It's pronounced, well, rizz, just like it's spelled.
Singer, songwriter, and producer James Mercer of The Shins wrote “New Slang” when he was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It came out as a single and then he re-recorded it for The Shins' debut album Oh, Inverted World, which came out 20 years ago, in 2001.
His hits as a recording artist include "Short People" (1977), "I Love L.A." (1983), and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995) with Lyle Lovett, while other artists have enjoyed success with cover versions of his "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (1966), "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (1968) and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" ( ...
This song is performed by The Shins live in the Gilmore Girls season four episode, "Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' The Twist." It remains a fan favorite and is often performed as a set closer at their live shows.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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