The Shins are back, and have new music to share! “Simple Song” is the first single from The Shins’ forthcoming album, ‘Port Of Morrow,’ which is set to be released in March via Columbia/Aural Apothecary.
Take A Listen: Simple Song from The Shins
I try not to get overly excited about collaborations these days because more often than not, the outcome is a let down, however, it’s been impossible to resist daydreaming about the musical possibilities of Broken Bells (name is not written in stone). Broken Bells is a relatively new collaboration comprised of Shins’ lead singer, James Mercer, and deft producer/member of Gnarls Barkley, Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton). The duo recently unveiled the first single (“The High Road”) from their forthcoming self-tilted debut, which is due out March 9th via Columbia Records.
As far as the roles go within Broken Bells, Mercer handles the vocal, guitar and bass duties, while Burton governs the organ, drums, piano and synth.
Take A Listen: The High Road from Broken Bells
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You can grab the track on Broken Bells’ website in exchange for your email address.
Frontman, James Mercer decided it was about time to shake up The Shins’ line-up and recruited a couple new members to replace the departed keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval. The new members are Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse) and Ron Lewis (Grand Archives, Fruit Bats). The two agreed to be members of The Shins for the current tour and the next album, which is due out early next year.
The Shins May Tour Dates:
05-13 Richmond, VA – The National
05-14 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
05-15 Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live
05-16 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
05-17 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater
05-18 New York, NY – Terminal Five
