Pop Kulcher

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Member Since: 7/1/2002
Total Mixes: 376
Total Feedback: 895

All The Bakers At Dawn: The Collected Shins

Artist Song
Flake Music  Pull Out Of Your Head Size 
Flake Music  Spanway Hits 
Flake Music  Structo 
Flake Music  The Shins 
The Shins  Those Bold City Girls 
The Shins  Eating Styes From Elephant Eyes 
The Shins  Know Your Onion! 
The Shins  Caring Is Creepy 
The Shins  One By One All Day 
The Shins  Girl Inform Me 
The Shins  New Slang 
The Shins  We Will Become Silhouettes (Postal Service cover) 
The Shins  Kissing The Lipless 
The Shins  Young Pilgrims 
The Shins  So Says I 
The Shins  Saint Simon 
The Shins  Gone For Good 
The Shins  Fighting In A Sack 
The Shins  Baby Boomerang (T. Rex cover) 
The Shins  Sleeping Lessons 
The Shins  Australia 
The Shins  Phantom Limb 
The Shins  Turn On Me 
The Shins  Nothing At All 

Comment:

Having recently bought their third album (fourth if you count the pre-name change release under the Flake Music moniker), figured it was time to cull the wheat from the chaff and put together a mix. [Apparently I wasn't the only one; after I'd ripped most of this to my computer but before making the final track selection, Rob Conroy went and did the same thing, with a comparable (but not identical) track listing.] And, though true Shins diehards may disagree, there is a bit of chaff in there, particularly on this year's Wincing The Night Away, which I found to be pretty underwhelming. Of course, the standout track stand WAY out -- some of the finest, most off-kilter yet charming indie pop of the past decade, with Beach Boys-esque vocals reciting inpenetrable lyrics over shambling, unpredictable chiming guitar structures. "New Slang," which invariably shows up in the AOTM year-end stats as one of the most-used tracks on mixes posted here (and proclaimed by the Natalie Portman character as a "song that will change your life" in Garden State) is, truly, one of the most remarkable tracks of the post-punk era, even if to this date I can't figure out what the hell he's talking about.
image for mix

Feedback:

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Mixxer
Date: 5/9/2007
Can't argue with you about "Wincing..." although Phantom Limb and Turn on Me are excellent.

In case anyone has not seen the AOTM year-end stats to which you refer, they can
click here.
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anthony lombardi
Date: 5/9/2007
i quite like wincing the night away -- i don't think it's as immediate as the previous two, but given its time to sink in, i think it reveals nuances & subtleties that really show the depth in mercer's production & songwriting. anyhow, you nailed most of my favorites (with the exception of "pink bullets"), including the fantastic "turn on me," so all is well
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Dom1
Date: 5/9/2007
'Watch your back' is the warning of the night when you party with these loveable scamps. All of them, with perhaps the exception of the intense young man on my right, is capable of some foolhardy jape. Witness the tubby chap on my left and ask yourself how far south is his hidden hand and then ask yourself what's he found? I hope for the sake of the tall chap sitting beside Tubby that the answer is written on his t-shirt. Oh, please don't think I'm insinuating Tubby bats with both hands - every bingo player understands that a winning bingo card won't be accepted unless a big marker has been used - and in some halls it's the bigger the better -
no, all I'm saying is don't stuff a cream pie down your underpants when Tubby's around. I personally like the chap with a blue battleship on his crisp white t-shirt, it can't be easy living in the 70's. Back to the chap on my right - I fear for him & those around him. Notice how he clasps his marker and tell me you do not see a dagger before you. Yes, I know Tubby is holding his marker in a similar fashion but I honestly believe he is hamming it up for the camera.
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ofthaltned
Date: 5/11/2007
I agree with most of your choices, though I'll be happy if I never have to hear another Postal Service song again, original or covered.
As for Dom's comment, pure genius.
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Moe
Date: 5/11/2007
Bingo! Super collection, amigo. If this was their debut album, you'd have one of the greatest records in the history of rock 'n' roll. Good to see some non-album tracks represented, like the excellent Nothing At All and the T-Rex cover. Dom's comment makes about as much sense to me as the lyrics to New Slang.
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Rob Conroy
Date: 5/14/2007
This does look like a fine take on the Shins' catalog. You included all of my last tracks cut ("Saint Simon," "Nothing at All," "Phantom Limb," "Turn on Me," and "Pull Out of Your Head Size"), so that only reinforces my thought that our taste in this band is remarkably similar. Like Anthony, however, I must lament the absence of "Pink Bullets" (apparently my taste in Shins tracks is even closer to Anthony's, as his three favorites are my three favorites), particularly when you included a cover of a track by the execrable Mr. Gibbard. ;-) (I'm with ofthaltned on that one.)
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newspapermann
Date: 5/27/2007
Ha. You included the T.Rex cover? Interesting. I just thank God every night that they didn't cover "Spaceball Ricochet." ::shudder::
As for the chaff comment, I agree 110%. Thanks for weeding out the lackluster ditties.
"Saint Simon" has to be one of the best tracks of the last five years. Gives me goosebumps, or rather
"Goosesteps." :) I prolly woulda included that track on mine, by the way.