<… Read Full Bio ↴The Shins is an American indie rock band centered around James Mercer.
The band formed in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and drummer Jesse Sandoval, who were both members of Flake Music. The band's original lineup was Mercer (vocals, guitar), Sandoval (drums), Marty Crandall (keyboards) and Dave Hernandez (bass). Neil Langford replaced Hernandez in 1998. Hernandez returned to the band in 2003, as Langford had left the band in 2001. Hernandez remained in the band until 2009. Fruit Bats keyboardist Eric Johnson joined the band in 2006.
Their debut album, Oh, Inverted World was issued in 2001 and contained the singles "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy", which were both featured in the 2004 film "Garden State". The band's next album, Chutes Too Narrow was released in 2003 and featured the single "So Says I". The band's third album Wincing The Night Away, was released in 2007 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts, the highest charting album in Sub Pop history until Arcade Fire's"The Suburbs" debuted at #1. After a short hiatus, Mercer announced in 2009 that the band was to record a new album and that Marty Crandall, and Jesse Sandoval were no longer members of The Shins. The band's new lineup included James Mercer, Eric Johnson, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer and Grand Archives keyboardist Ron Lewis.
Before the release of Port of Morrow, the band lineup changed once more with only Mercer and Plummer remaining from the previously announced lineup. The newly added members were announced as guitarist Jessica Dobson, bassist Yuuki Matthews (formerly of Crystal Skulls) and keyboardist Richard Swift.
The Simple Song Songfacts reports that "Simple Song." was the first single from the Port Of Morrow album, the band's debut release on James Mercer's Aural Apothecary record label. It was also the first offering to be heard from the band following the departure of Jesse Sandoval and Marty Crandall.
The current line-up for the live act is James Mercer (vocals, guitar), Jessica Dobson (guitar), Yuuki Matthews (bass), Richard Swift (keyboards) and Joe Plummer (drums).
2017 - Fifth Album & World Tour
The band released their 5th studio album, "Heartworms" on March 10, 2017 on the Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records, together with a supporting world tour. "Heartworms" features Mercer's most diverse lyrical palette to date: From fictional character sketches ('Fantasy Island', 'Rubber Ballz'), autobiographical accounts ('Mildenhall'), to first single 'Name For You', a resounding call for female empowerment inspired by Mercer’s three daughters.
More information:
*http://www.theshins.com
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shins
Pariah King
The Shins Lyrics
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Looking back hardly a hill or valley still remains.
The boy before the pain still longs for womb of love as he smashes down with a Cain.
It builds up and then it breaks down.
I's your perception alone of gray hands taking control.
But what can you do to prove it?
The flat waste of a life.
There's an incline to the floor and everything in your crooked life ends up rolling out the door.
It builds up and then it break down but its your perception alone.
The gray hands have taken control.
But what can you do to prove it?
Look man there's nothing to it.
What are you really getting at when you sing?
Something wrong and beautiful.
Kill a snake and make yourself pariah king.
The voice bleeds through the wall "no Jimmy no".
It builds up and then it break down.
It's your perception alone with your hand over your mouth god forbid it gets out.
The gray hands have got you in tow.
But what can you do to prove it?
Look boy there's nothing to it.
What are you really getting at when you sing?
Something wrong and beautiful.
Kill a snake and make yourself pariah king.
The voice bleeds through the wall "no Jimmy no".
The song "Pariah King" by The Shins, begins with an image of a desolate landscape where nothing remains except for a flat plane. The singer reflects on his past, a boy longing for love but eventually crushed by pain, as he observes the emptiness that surrounds him. The song then speaks of how life often feels like it builds up and breaks down, and the perspective that we have can lead us to believe that unseen forces control us. However, despite our perception, we may not be able to prove it.
The chorus is where the title of the song is mentioned, and it asks the question of what is the message behind the music. The lyrics suggest that the song has a deeper, darker meaning, something that is "wrong and beautiful." The final line, "kill a snake and make yourself pariah king," is a paradox as it implies that by killing something, you can become a leader, but it also suggests that to gain power or influence, one might have to become an outcast or a pariah.
Overall, the song seems to be about feeling helpless in the face of life's challenges but also struggling to find meaning and purpose in it. The affliction that the singer feels may be something that is both beautiful and terrifying, and it is in the act of singing about it that he gains a sense of control and power.
Line by Line Meaning
It all spans out on a plane.
Everything seems flat and uneventful.
Looking back hardly a hill or valley still remains.
The past seems insignificant and unimportant.
The boy before the pain still longs for womb of love as he smashes down with a Cain.
The singer longs for the comfort of the past, but is forced to confront the pain of the present.
It builds up and then it breaks down.
The situation becomes overwhelming and then falls apart.
I's your perception alone of gray hands taking control.
The artist believes they are being controlled by a mysterious force.
But what can you do to prove it?
The singer is frustrated by their lack of control and ability to prove their suspicions.
The flat waste of a life.
Life seems meaningless and unfulfilling.
How many times did you try and stop the bleeding with a knife?
The artist has attempted to fix their problems but to no avail.
There's an incline to the floor and everything in your crooked life ends up rolling out the door.
The artist's life is unstable and they can't keep anything in place.
But its your perception alone.
The artist acknowledges that their perception may be flawed.
The gray hands have taken control.
The mysterious force is gaining more power over the singer.
Look man there's nothing to it.
The artist is resigned to their lack of control over the situation.
What are you really getting at when you sing?
The singer questions the true meaning of their own songwriting.
Something wrong and beautiful.
The singer finds beauty in pain or chaos.
Kill a snake and make yourself pariah king.
The singer suggests that cutting out negative influences can be empowering.
The voice bleeds through the wall 'no Jimmy no'.
The artist hears a voice pleading for someone named Jimmy not to do something.
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.