The newly regrouped indie favorites, The Shins, have just released their new and highly anticipated album, Port Of Morrow. The album is sure to end up in end-of-the-year “Best-of” conversations and lists. The lead single, “Simple Song”, is definitely a contender for the bands “signature song” title. The track resurrects the spirit of 1970’s stadium rock, but James Mercer’s vocals and lyrics are all you need to remind yourself that this is a Shins track. Tracks like “It’s Only Life” and “September” sound like outtakes from 2001’s Oh, Inverted World, but based on the acclaim of that album, that is not a bad thing to say. Overall, this album bears strong resemblance to 2001’s Oh, Inverted World and 2003’s Chutes Too Narrow, there are little moments that sound influenced by 2007’s, underrated, Wincing the Night Away. The thing that makes this album a cornerstone in The Shins four-album career is that it is not uniform in comparison to past releases; it is merely an expansion on the band’s sound. This brings back all reasons why I fell in love with this band and the album shows a promising future to Mercer’s musicality. Well done.