The Shins: Wincing the Night Away

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The Shins are a left-of-center pop quartet originally from New Mexico, the southwestern U.S. state that is perhaps most alien to Americans from further north and east. With its patches of peculiar beauty and long stretches of desolate terrain, New Mexico could almost be another world. The Shins’ Wincing The Night Away suggests connections between that bleak landscape and the band’s spacious, oddly appointed music. The tuneful indie band has taken a distinct turn toward the eccentric on its third release, which echoes the experimental bent of late ‘70s and early ‘80s upstart rock and synth-pop: "Who decides who paddles over the falls/ Who makes the call/ Who makes the call?"