Calling Card
For many listeners, "New Slang" is the Shins song. If you've only heard one of their songs, this is probably it; NPR called it "the Shins's masterpiece" (source). The song is not just a one-off suc...
Music
As an interviewer from Pitchfork put it, James Mercer "started the Shins as a way of exploring three-minute pop songs with conventional chord structures" (source). In "New Slang," that method of so...
Songwriting
Okay, we'll be the first to admit that this song isn't exactly a narrative. But by examining the symbolism, you can see that it does tell about a logical series of emotions. Gold teeth and a curse...