Chutes Too Narrow

Background and recording

In 2001, The Shins released their debut album, Oh, Inverted World. In an interview, Sebadoh guitarist (and Sub Pop labelmate) Jason Loewenstein slammed the band's "terrible, terrible music." Even the Shins' hometown alt weekly turned its back on them, running a bitter editorial titled "McShins, New Corporate Suck-ass" after the Inverted song "New Slang" turned up in a McDonald's TV spot.

Chutes Too Narrow was recorded in the basement of James Mercer's former home, located in a particularly rough neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Although recording in the basement was less than pleasant, the band found it "cheaper than a real studio," with Mercer noting that "it only costs sixty bucks to buy deadbolts for the doors." Near the end of the recording process, the band was robbed of the computer they recorded on. "So the master files are now in some crack addict's basement," Mercer told Rolling Stone in 2003. Having cut ties with a bad relationship and a bad job, Mercer felt his songwriting reflected a broader perspective as a result. During the recording process, keyboardist Marty Crandall and his girlfriend, Elyse Sewell, saw a television advertisement for America's Next Top Model and joked that she should try out. Host Tyra Banks called his girlfriend a week later, and Sewell went on to win third prize on America's Next Top Model, wearing "three different Shins T-shirts" on the program.

Following the record's completion, the album was mixed at Avast! Studios in Seattle and mastered at The Lodge in New York City.

Music

Rolling Stone wrote that Chutes Too Narrow is "a study in old-school pop songwriting, full of Sixties-style psychedelic folk rock, abundant pop hooks and James Mercer's inimitable high-pitched croon."

Critical reception

Chutes Too Narrow was met with critical acclaim upon its October 2003 release. Matt LeMay of Pitchfork Media designated it "Best New Music," summarizing that "Not simply an excellent album, Chutes Too Narrow is also a powerful testament to pop music's capacity for depth, beauty and expressiveness." AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote that the band "excel[s] at sounding happy, sad, frustrated, and vulnerable at the same time, and their best songs, whether they're fast or slow, feel like they're bursting with nervous energy." The New York Times's Kelefa Sanneh called Chutes Too Narrow a "sly, restless album that includes a cryptic protest song—full of sugary harmonies and disconcerting slogans—and a dreamy meditation on ontogeny." Rolling Stone gave the record four stars, with reviewer Barry Walters commenting, "It must mean something that the freshest indie rock boasts tunes more substantial than what is sold in the mainstream."

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called Mercer "a gifted melodist with an arranger's knack for psychedelicizing simple structures and a folkie's fondness for acoustic strum." Q called the record "a leap forward," while Uncut wrote that "You don't expect progression from such evident classicists, but there's a new clarity, poise and refinement." Mojo wrote that the album "sears through the essence of what makes this band special, the brave voice and ebullient delivery of singer-songwriter-guitarist James Mercer." Spin's Zac Crain compared their style to their "fellow travelers the New Pornographers," writing that "the Shins are reverent and referential, practically documenting their source material with footnotes, while acting like they own it." While Dave Simpson of The Guardian opined that "downbeat self-deprecation" permeates the recording, he wrote that "there's a certain small-town romance vibe throughout, they're not averse to surprises."

Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club felt the record a disappointment in contrast to its "near-perfect" predecessor, but did speak positively when comparing: "[Chutes Too Narrow] does share its intelligence and concision, as well as its remarkable ability to make kicky pop-rock sound both simple and complex, retro and modern." In contrast, The New Yorker considered an improvement over Oh, Inverted World: "With better writing, better playing and better singing, the album illustrates the breadth of the lead singer and songwriter James Mercer's vision; the cuts […] are elevated by accessible pop hooks and literate but unpretentious lyrics." Similarly, Robert Christgau felt it "faster and clearer" than the band's "paisley-fringed" debut, writing that the album "advances the Shins well beyond the dreamy indistinctness that has replaced lo-fi as Indieland's distancing strategy of choice." Alternative Press wrote that the band "satisfy largely by serving up more of what made their debut so good," and Blender felt similarly: "Their second album is equally charming and more consistent." Magnet felt it "a better record than the Shins' first—a sonically bolder production with fewer effects and more hooks per square inch than a flyrod factory." Will Hermes of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "[the band] follow 2001's pop-a-licious Oh Inverted World with just the record you'd want: production a bit bigger […] and songs more adventurous but no less indelible."

Accolades

Chutes Too Narrow appeared on numerous music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists. Stylus Magazine placed the record at number three on their respective list, while Billboard and The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop followed at number six. Pitchfork Media placed the record at number seven on their year-end list, writing that "Chutes Too Narrow shattered expectations, a meticulously sequenced, stripped-down collection of indie pop gems encompassing endless Technicolor universes." Mojo also placed the album at number seven on their list, and Rolling Stone on an unordered list of "Best Albums of 2003".

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by James Mercer.