Mojim Lyrics
Mojim Lyrics > Americas singers > The Shins
The Shins【 107 songs in total 】
The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of James Mercer (vocals, guitar, songwriter), Jon Sortland (drums), Mark Watrous (guitar), Casey Foubert (guitar), Yuuki Matthews (bass), and Patti King (keyboards). The band is based in Portland, Oregon.

The band was formed by Mercer as a side project to Flake Music, who were active from 1992 to 1999. The band released two 7' singles and a full-length album When You Land Here It's Time to Return on Omnibus Records and were touring with Modest Mouse when they were signed to Sub Pop Records. The band's first two records, Oh, Inverted World (2001) and Chutes Too Narrow (2003) performed well commercially and received critical acclaim. The single 'New Slang' brought the band mainstream attention when it was featured in the 2004 film Garden State. Consequently, the band's third album, Wincing the Night Away (2007), was a major success for the group, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy Award nomination.

Following this, the Shins signed to Columbia Records and Mercer parted ways with the entire original lineup, deeming it 'an aesthetic decision'. Following a near five-year hiatus, Port of Morrow, the band's fourth studio album, was released in 2012. Their fifth album, Heartworms, was released in March 2017.

Musical style and influences

Mercer described the Shins as a 'pop project' from the beginning. The group were inspired by any and all music that they discovered. 'Everything we listen to [...] makes its way in somehow, but we've been inspired by a bunch of bands who basically just keep reinventing the same thing,' said Mercer. The group received comparisons to the 'pop revivalists' at the Elephant 6 Recording Collective early in their career, such as The Apples in Stereo, whilst Mercer's vivid, often surrealist lyrics and infectious melodies drew comparisons to the songwriting style of Robert Pollard from Guided by Voices. Rolling Stone credited the band with bringing 'the pop traditions of 1960s pop bands — groups like the Zombies, and the Beach Boys — to a new generation of music fans.'
Members

Current

James Mercer – lead vocals, guitar (1996–present)
Yuuki Matthews – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2011–present)
Mark Watrous – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2014–present)
Casey Foubert – guitar (2016–present)
Jon Sortland – drums (2016–present)
Patti King – keyboards (2016–present)

Former

Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion (1996–2009)
Martin Crandall – keyboards, bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2009)
Dave Hernandez – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals (1998–2000, 2003–2009)
Neal Langford – bass guitar (2000–2003)
Eric Johnson – piano, keyboards, guitar, banjo, backing vocals (2007–2011)
Ron Lewis – bass guitar (2009–2011)
Jessica Dobson – guitar, backing vocals (2011–2013)
Joe Plummer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2009–2016)
Richard Swift – keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizers, percussion, drone box, backing vocals (2011–2016)
Sorted by Sorted by album (Time) Sorted by song name (Characters) Sorted by other
  Song Lyricist Composer Date
1 40 Mark Strasse   James Mercer 2012-03
2 A Call To Apathy James Russell Mercer    
3 A Comet Appears     2007-01
4 A Taste of Honey      
5 Australia (Album)      
6 Australia (Peter Bjorn & John remix)      
7 Australia     2007-01
8 Australia      
9 Bait And Switch   James Mercer 2012-03
10 Beaucoups of Blues (1995 remaster)(Provided)     2017
11 Black Wave     2007-01
12 Breathe (Breathe in the Air)      
13 Caring Is Creepy     2001-06
14 Cherry Hearts     2017
15 Cherry Hearts(Flipped) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
16 Dead Alive     2017
17 Dead Alive(Flipped) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
18 Death Cream - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno      
19 Fading in Fading Out(Provided)     2017
20 Fall Of '82 (Swift Sessions)      
21 Fall Of '82   James Mercer 2012-03
22 Fantasy Island     2017
23 Fantasy Island(Flipped)(Provided) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
24 Fighting In A Sack     2003-10
25 For A Fool   James Mercer 2012-03
26 Girl Inform Me     2001-06
27 Girl on a Wing (KCRW session)      
28 Girl On The Wing     2001-06
29 Girl Sailor     2007-01
30 Gone For Good     2003-10
31 Goodbye Girl      
32 Half a Million     2017
33 Half A Million(Flipped)     2018-01
34 Have You Seen My Baby(Provided)     2017
35 Heartworms     2017
36 Heartworms(Flipped) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
37 It Don't Come Easy(Provided)     2017
38 It's Okay, Try Again Adam Deibert    
39 It's Only Life   James Mercer 2012-03
40 Kissing The Lipless     2003-10
41 Know Your Onion - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno      
42 Know Your Onion!     2001-06
43 Mieke      
44 Mild Child      
45 Mildenhall     2017
46 Mildenhall(Flipped)(Provided) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
47 Mine's Not A High Horse     2003-10
48 Name For You - Flipped James Mercer James Mercer 2017-03
49 Name for You     2017
50 Name For You(Flipped)(Provided) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
51 New Slang (Album)      
52 New Slang (Live with Sam Beam)      
53 New Slang     2001-06
54 No Way Down (Swift Sessions)      
55 No Way Down - Spotify Sessions Curated by Jim Eno      
56 No Way Down   James Mercer 2012-03
57 One By One All Day     2001-06
58 Painting a Hole     2017
59 Painting A Hole(Flipped)(Provided) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
60 Pam Berry     2007-01
61 Pariah King      
62 Phantom Limb [Radio 2 Live Version]      
63 Phantom Limb     2007-01
64 Pink Bullets     2003-10
65 Plenty Is Never Enough      
66 Port Of Morrow   James Mercer 2012-03
67 Pressed In A Book     2001-06
68 Red Rabbits     2007-01
69 Rubber Ballz (Edit)     2017
70 Rubber Ballz     2017
71 Rubber Ballz(Flipped)(Provided) James Mercer James Mercer 2018-01
72 Saint Simon [Radio 2 Live Version]      
73 Saint Simon     2003-10
74 Sea Legs     2007-01
75 Sealegs (Radio Edit)      
76 September   James Mercer 2012-03
77 Simple Song   James Mercer 2012-03
78 Sleeping Lessons (The RAC mix)      
79 Sleeping Lessons     2007-01
80 So Now What     2017
81 So Now What(Flipped)     2018-01
82 So Says I (KCRW session)      
83 So Says I     2003-10
84 Sphagnum Esplanade      
85 Spilt Needles     2007-01
86 Split Needles (Alt. version)      
87 The Celibate Life (live)      
88 The Celibate Life     2001-06
89 The Fear     2017
90 The Fear(Flipped)     2018-01
91 The Past And Pending     2001-06
92 The Rifle's Spiral (Live from the Lot)      
93 The Rifle's Spiral   James Mercer 2012-03
94 The Waltz Is Over      
95 They'll Soon Discover James Mercer    
96 Those Bold City Girls      
97 Those To Come     2003-10
98 Turn A Square     2003-10
99 Turn on Me (Exclusive Clint Mansell Remix)      
100 Turn On Me     2007-01
101 We Built a Raft and We Floated      
102 We Will Become Silhouettes Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello    
103 Weird Divide     2001-06
104 When I Goose-Step      
105 Wonderful Christmas      
106 Young Pilgrims     2003-10
107 Your Algebra     2001-06