Battle of the Bands: The Shins vs. Of Montreal

I am thinking about making "Battle of the Bands" a monthly (or perhaps more often) battle between two bands whose albums I have recently acquired. It will be a sort of double-review segment. So far I consider myself decently on top of this years releases. I have been listening to Wincing the Night Away by the Shins and Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? from Of Montreal. The two bands have battled for my attention, and while the Shins have given me a few tracks that I love, Of Montreal has pulled away and right now I have listened to their album several times in full.

The Shins released Wincing the Night Away last week and it has received mixed reviews from various sources. Pitchfork left it with a 7.0, and reviewers certainly haven't been hailing it as the Shins' best work (although there are the die-hard fanboys out there). The album has some wonderfully memorable tracks like "Australia" and "Phantom Limb," and they end the album with two fresh tracks that reveal that the Shins are maturing as a band. The album itself seems schizophrenic, however, and the Shins really goofed themselves on a couple of tracks. The album seems to shift from classic Shins material towards experimental samples and sounds that sound, if anything, timid. As Brian Hawkins pointed out, there seems to be a lack of the passion on previous Shins recordings. Wincing the Night Away is definitely a strong and laudable effort from the Shins, but there are certain songs like "Red Rabbits" that causes the listener to do exactly what the album title discusses.

Listen to the Shins - "Phantom Limb."


Initially, the poppy and fun tracks like "Australia" and "Phantom Limb" distracted me from my other album, Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I watched, even slightly embarrassed of myself, as those tracks rose to well over a dozen (in the case of "Phantom Limb," well over 20) plays. But I decided it was time for a break, and checked out my new Of Montreal recording. The album name is just a hint of the bizarre eclectica contained in the album. I am not familiar with OM's previous releases, which gives them a little bit of slack. After this album, however, I will defintely be listening to their earlier albums. As I listened to the album, I felt that OM is the new Queen. I loved the richly layered vocals, obviously reminiscent of A Night at the Opera. The album is definitely a pop album, although singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes invites us into his flawed world with lyrics that you would expect to find sung over a mournful acoustic guitar being played in D minor. The brave juxtaposition of incredibly poppy music with soul-searching music should leave you with several questions about how you approach your own problems, and how seriously you take yourself. No doubt there is some absurdity to the sounds on Hissing Fauna, but I hope you enjoy it.

To get a taste of the sound (and the absurdity of a married, heterosexual, and I've heard even Bush-supporting male doing things that have earned the video "omg, that's so gay" comments from the YouTube community) I invite you to watch the music video for "Heidmalsgate Like a Promethean Curse."