Believe it or not, the Shins existed before Garden State. Despite how it may have seemed at the time, they did not spring fully formed from the womb of Natalie Portman. In fact, Oh Inverted World, the seminal Shins album that became the indie badge of identification after Zach Braff’s film, had been out for a few years before the movie ever hit theaters. In the resulting media saturation, many new fans emerged, but it seemed that the discerning music crowd started to turn away. Too many overnight fifteen year old fans with Samtastic pink hoodies was a lot to bear for people who had loved this band, and this album, since it’s release in 2001. It would be a few years then, after the hype of the Myspace generation’s answer to Say Anything had died down, that the Shins regained their regal place at the top of Mt. Indielympus.

And I’m here to tell you they deserve to be there. So what if you see Zach Braff in your mind’s eye when Caring is Creepy or New Slang begin. Those songs, along with the rest of this record, transcend their brief moment of blinding popularity. When you strip away the angst associated with this album because of the movie, you’re left with a gentle, passionate declaration of talent and influence.

The guitar work on Oh Inverted World draws from influences as varied as reggae and country/western music, and thus recalls the work of bands like the Clash, the Kinks, and most importantly, the Smiths. And the triumphant yet heartbreaking lyrics, powered by James Mercer’s powerful yet vulnerable voice, recall Morrissey at his best.

Oh Inverted World would have been fine without Garden State’s help. It was a declaration of things to come. And long after the dust of Zach Braff’s surprisingly resilient career has cleared, this album will remain a vanguard of a movement that has had a profound effect on rock and roll.

2 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment