
Paul Simon - Seven Psalms LP
One of the Most Anticipated Releases of 2007! It could be said that the Shins third album, Wincing the Night Away is the most heavily anticipated record of 2007. Post Garden State notoriety, the band has reached beyond their indie-darling status to something approaching mainstream recognition. Recorded over time in James Mercer’s basement studio, Phil Ek’s Seattle digs, and in Oregon City with veteran engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2) – Wincing the Night Away is a whole new animal. It is the sound of a band growing up and out. Mercer’s infectious, indelible melodic style is still at the core, and unfaltering. But anything can happen around it – and in this case, it does. Channeling a Morrissey vibe, “Sea Legs†pairs a hip-hop (yes, hip-hop) beat with lush melodic lines and searing guitars. Elsewhere the band toys with tweaked-out piano steeped in psychedelic strings (“Red Rabbitâ€); fractured synth samples (“Spilt Needlesâ€); gauzy, arpeggiated keyboards cloakin