If You Like The Shins, Try...

Remember that scene in Garden State, where Natalie Portman's character promises Zack Braff's that if he listens to a song, it'll change his life? That song was "New Slang" by The Shins, and although I wouldn't say listening to the Shins changed my life, it certainly has brightened it. I love the contrast of their dark lyrics and catchy, upbeat pop music. And I was so sad to miss their recent sold-out concert at the Rialto! So, to console myself, I've been listening to a lot of stuff that sounds like vintage Shins.

For bands with physical CDs in the library for you to check out, I highlighted their names in bold. For bands with tracks available on Freegal (three free downloads a week, with your library card!), I italicized them. Some are available both ways!

First up: Broken Bells. This is really the perfect band to get into if you like the Shins, because guess what...they share a singer. It's his side project with Danger Mouse (also known as half of Gnarls Barkley and Sparklehorse, as well as the genius behind the Grey Album, the epic mashup of Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatles' White Album.) Broken Bells is just as catchy as The Shins, although a little less guitar-driven and twee (which, in my humble opinion, is a good thing!). Try listening to "The High Road" and you'll be hooked. Read on for more sound-alikes!

A little while ago, I blogged about Of Montreal. Check out that post to find out more about this quirky, poppy yet lyrically bleak band.

I'm going to write a full-on blog post about The Decemberists sometime soon, to highlight their connection to a literary family member (hint: same last name as Colin Meloy). Many Shins fans also enjoy their fun, intellectual lit-rock.

My colleague James recently blogged about The Lumineers. Check out his post to find out more about this fun new band that's getting a lot of radio attention and recently visited Tucson in a sold-out show. (Sigh! This seems to be the theme of my life recently!) A similar band you might enjoy is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (we have a song or two of theirs on Freegal, or you can listen to their lead singer's solo album on CD at the library).

Let's wrap up with one up-and-coming band and one oldie-but-goodie. The new band you might like is Menomena, out of Portland. (Don't worry, their sound is indie rock, not Sesame Street!) Finally, if you've missed Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, they're a fun, catchy band that deserves a much wider following, and we have them both on CD and on Freegal for you to try out!

Happy listening,
Jenny