New Slang Technique

For many listeners, "New Slang" is the Shins song. If you've only heard one of their songs, this is probably it; NPR called it "The Shins's masterpiece." The song is not just a one-off success, tho...

As an interviewer from Pitchfork put it, James Mercer "started the Shins as a way of exploring three-minute pop songs with conventional chord structures." In "New Slang" that method of songwriting...

Okay, we'll be the first to admit that this song isn't exactly a narrative. But by examining the symbolism, you can see that it does tell about a logical series of emotions. Gold teeth and a curse...