Phantom Limb

I got the new single from the Shins in the mail today. It's delicious.

There's a scene in the mostly mediocre movie Garden State where Natalie Portman claps her headphones onto Zach Braff's head, informing him that listening to the Shins "will change your life." As someone who has indeed had his life changed by music many, many times, I should inform you that this is probably an exaggeration. I guess it depends on your life. They're an awful lot of fun to listen to, though.

The single is in advance of their forthcoming Wincing the Night Away, coming in January. These guys are pretty easily one of my favorite bands from the last several years, and haven't put anything out in more than 3 years, so I'm pretty excited. It's also nice to see that, judging from the single, they are still putting out some well-designed packages. The last record, Chutes Too Narrow, had an elaborate die-cut which got them nominated for a packaging Grammy.

Anyway, they sound great. Check them out if you wanna. The first two records are $10 each (or less) on Amazon: Oh, Inverted World; Chutes Too Narrow. I've also added a generic Amazon search bar under the music links, if anyone wants to get their Xmas shopping done while they're here.

Music geek post, sure, but pretty short. You're welcome.

p.s. Do you think I have a shot at hosting a TV show called Mostly Mediocre Movies?