This 2023 edition of The Shins’s beloved second album, Chutes Too Narrow,
celebrates the album’s 20th anniversary with a fresh remaster by Adam
Ayan, supervised by band leader James Mercer, and lovely new packaging
for the vinyl.
Following The Shins’s breakout 2001 debut, Oh, Inverted World,
singer/songwriter/guitarist James Mercer and drummer Jesse Sandoval
moved from Albuquerque to Portland, OR and bassist Neal Langford was
replaced with Dave Hernandez (ex-Scared Of Chaka), who played bass on
the stand-out track from the first record, “New Slang.” Chutes Too Narrow,
their heavily anticipated follow-up, was recorded in James’ basement home
studio, with later mixing assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest
Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). And, with 10 songs, clocking in at
just over 30 minutes, Chutes Too Narrow is a brief yet entirely scintillating
glimpse at chiming, reflective and perfectly skewed pop innovation.
It was released to widespread acclaim in 2003, garnering Pitchfork’s Best
New Music, four stars from Rolling Stone, and raves from the New York
Times, MOJO, the Village Voice, SPIN, and tons more. It subsequently made
best-of-the-decade lists from The AV Club, NME, Paste, Pitchfork, and
Uncut.