The Shins,… ouch! This name hurts every time I write it since a LA radio was giving away tickets to see James Mercer in an intimate location, and I didn’t get any!!
The Shins, I was saying, are offering ‘September’, the B-side to their previous single ‘Simple Song’ as a free stream on Vimeo.
If you are like me and are dying to listen to ‘Port Of Morrow’, any occasion to mention Mr. James Mercer is something not to be missed, especially that this time the video comes with the lyrics over some visuals inspired by Jacob Escobedo's artwork for the album.
Conceived as a sort of Karaoke sung by Mercer’s gentle croon, the song is a sweet breezy ballad filled with this typical Shins' musical touch, while the lyrics erupt from images of analog audio equipment, coming out the running needle or sliding on rolling tapes.
And since ‘Simple Song’ and ‘September’ will be on a 7” single released on February 14th, just in time for Valentine day, lyrics like ‘And love is the ink in the well when her body writes’ seem totally appropriate. No wonder, James totally wrote this song for his wife as he explainsit here:
‘The trouble I got in was that I told Marisa, ‘This is going to be your song,’ So I knew the lyrics had to be right on. I wanted it to be a diamond — and I feel like the work paid off.’ Indeed!
Of course both tracks will also be available on 'Port of Morrow', which arrives on March 20th through Columbia/Aural Apothecary.
And I must be damned because the Shins have announced new Tour Dates in support of their upcoming album, and there is none in Los Angeles!
4/13/12 LAS VEGAS, NV — COSMOPOLITAN
4/22/12 SANTA CRUZ, CA — CIVIC AUDITORIUM
4/23/12 DAVIS, CA — ROBERT MONDAVI CENTER
4/25/12 RENO, NV — GRAND SIERRA RESORT & CASINO
05/25/12 BEND, OR – LES SCHWAB AMPHITHEATRE
05/28/12 SALT LAKE CITY, UT – RED BUTTE GARDEN AMPHITHEATER
05/29/12 MORRISON, CO – RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
05/31/12 COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – HARRAH'S COUNCIL BLUFFS
06/04/12 ST LOUIS, MO – THE PAGEANT
06/05/12 COLUMBUS, OH – LC INDOOR PAVILION
06/06/12 DETROIT, MI – FILLMORE DETROIT
06/08/12 CLEVELAND, OH – MASONIC AUDITORIUM
06/09/12 LOUISVILLE, KY – IROQUOIS AMPHITHEATRE