The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow 20th Ann. Ed

Remastered 20th Anniverary Edition LP

Remastered by Adam Ayan, under the watchful eye of The Shin's prime mover/singer-songwriter James Mercer, this special release features a lovely new, custom die-cut cover for the vinyl format of the album.

Chutes Too Narrow, the heavily anticipated follow-up to The Shins' beloved debut, Oh, Inverted World, was recorded in James Mercer's basement home studio, with later mixing at Seattle's Avast! Recording Co. with assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). With 10 songs clocking in at just more than 30 minutes, the record is a brief yet scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective, and perfectly skewed pop innovation.

Chutes Too Narrow was released to widespread acclaim in 2003, garnering Pitchfork's "Best New Music," 4 stars from Rolling Stone, and raves from the New York Times, MOJO, the Village Voice, and SPIN. It subsequently made best-of-the-decade lists from The AV Club, NME, Paste, Pitchfork, and Uncut.

Mercer says of Chutes Too Narrow, "I was very aware at the time that I had struck gold with the first record, and it was unlikely to happen again. 'Sophomore slump' and all that. The pressure to prove myself as a viable writer had never been so pronounced. Midway through the mixing process, I realized one of the songs would not work, so I stayed up after everyone went to bed and wrote ‘Young Pilgrims.' And with Ek's help, it worked! Such a stressful but beautiful experience!"

 

Kissing the Lipless

Mine's Not a High Horse

So Says I

Young Pilgrims

Saint Simon

Fighting in a Sack

Pink Bullets

Turn a Square

Gone for Good

Those to Come

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