New This Week: The Shins, Esperanza Spalding & More
By J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-ChiefI've been back from Austin for about 48 hours, but my body is only just now starting to adjust to things like normal sleep patterns, being stationary for long periods of time, and not drinking beer every day. Soon, I will stop having dreams that I am being chased by a giant, furious side of brisket. I look forward to those days in breathless anticipation. Until they arrive, here's this week's New Arrivals: The Shins, Port of Morrow: I really wanted this to be my Shins review, but then I heard the record and actually kind of liked it, so the joke's on me, as it usually is. The Shins have cleaned up quite a bit since their intoxicating and mysterious Oh, Inverted World. There were cobwebs in the corners of those songs, but Port of Morrow is pure California sun -- even though James Mercer lives in the Pacific Northwest.… more »
