Don’t let the cartoon crap on the cover fool you; this is no lightweight album. The Shins seem to have found that perfect balance of retro and modern on this album. I mean, shit, “Young Pilgrims” is one of my favorite songs of all time for no other reason than it’s just simple and awesome. If you’re ever going to gently introduce your Dave Matthews lovin’ friends to cool music (not that there’s any parallel), start with this poppy album filled with some of the best indie rock has to offer. It’s amazing to me that this album didn’t make these guys a household name, with its catchy 60’s tunes tinged with hipster melody. I mean the smokin’ hot Natalie Portman said that their songs (albeit from a different album and as a character in Garden State) would “change your life.” If you can’t trust a hot Harvard grad about music, I’m not sure what to do for you.
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