The Shins Everyone s Getting Hot Again
This calendar week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and manufactures celebrating the music of twenty years agone. Our 2001 Week continues with an interviewwith Shins vocalist/songwriter James Mercer, as he looks back on the song that took him from a struggling Southwestern musician with an uncertain future to frontman for one of the biggest indie bands of the 21st century: "New Slang."
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In the late-'90s, James Mercer was a twenty-something guitarist/vocalist, building tracks on a computer in a New United mexican states studio apartment. Then he began The Shins, just as a side project to his band Bit, and something unexpected happened to change his unabridged career trajectory.
While Flake was touring with Minor Mouse, Mercer gave that ring'due south frontman Isaac Brock a CD that included The Shins' "New Slang," a humming, poignant runway about wanting to break out of his hometown of Albuquerque. Brock passed the CD to Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman, and the residuum is indie rock history.
Mercer's side project-turned-career went on to achieve multiple Gilded-certified albums, a Grammy nomination, and general indie stone immortality. What transpired between the tardily '90s and 2001, when The Shins' unveiled their debut anthology Oh, Inverted World,is a well-trodden just nonetheless fascinating business relationship, specially when detailed past Mercer in his own words. "I had the song floating around for a long fourth dimension, and I didn't know what to practice with it," Mercer, now 50, says of "New Slang." The song took off, and so likewise did The Shins. "Things changed. I was able to pull the rabbit out of the hat."
As Natalie Portman's Sam promises to Zach Braff's Andrew in the 2004 cult dramedy Garden State : "This song ["New Slang"] volition alter your life." Xx years later, Mercer is even so in awe over just how true that was for him — even though he was the one who wrote it. "Right off the bat I was like, 'Sure, that'southward crawly, it'll be in a movie?! Whoa, how cool,'" he remembers. "But it wasn't until 2004 that it came out…and all of a sudden, oh my God, Natalie Portman is in the movie — it was a totally different affair."
This week, as Billboard pays tribute to the about iconic music to have emerged from 2001, Mercer spoke by phone virtually the journey "New Slang" took to become a stealth hit; he as well discussed his memories of Oh, Inverted World , which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and about the possibility of an accompanying tour.
A lot of the lyrics in "New Slang" are virtually Albuquerque. Can you explain the mindset you were in when you wrote this vocal?
I hesitate to come across that I don't similar Albuquerque or something. I take a lot of fondness for it, and my folks still live there and stuff, but yeah, everybody goes through a period of time — if yous do live in that sort of smaller community — you kind of feel trapped. I was in my late twenties by the fourth dimension I got out of Albuquerque, and so I was actually chomping at the bit to observe something new and feel something new as an adult. Albuquerque became the symbol of my stagnant state of affairs in life.
Correct, if you're from a small town, that'southward a very relatable concept.
I had spent my twenties there [in Albuquerque], kind of struggling as most musicians practice — you lot're in bands that don't appear to really have a future, simply as far as yous know, you take no future otherwise anyway, and then you keep doing it! And then by my belatedly 20s, I started to accept that gnawing feet almost, "I've got to grow upward. Something has to be sorted out. I don't desire to terminate up beingness destitute and playing gigs on the weekends."
So I made a deal with my parents that I would spend a year working on music. I had a new computer that I could apply to increment the sound quality and and then on — and information technology was from that year of work that "New Slang" came.
In the line "new slang when y'all find the stripes," what are the stripes?
Prison house stripes. When yous find the things that are permanent parts of your personality, that you'll forever bargain with, was my thought.
How did The Shins end upwards signing to Sub Pop?
I was in a band chosen Flake. We had washed a couple West Declension tours, and nosotros developed a relationship with Modest Mouse. We opened up for them [as Flake] — literally at a sandwich shop in Chico, California. And so nosotros exchanged records, we traded, and a couple years later — it must have been '98 — they hit us up again for Flake to come and open up for them for three nights in Texas, considering they knew we were from the Southwest.
When we did that, I gave Isaac [Brock] a burned CD that I had of this side project I was doing, The Shins. And it had "New Slang" on information technology. He gave that to Jonathan Poneman at Sub Pop. So that's how they learned about information technology.
That's a pretty classic story that doesn't really happen nowadays, in terms of a physical CD getting in the easily of a label exec.
They were interested in us. I exercise call up Stuart Meyer, our A&R guy at Sub Pop, told me that shortly later on that — considering I'd given out a agglomeration of these CDs — somehow information technology ended upwardly on Napster. And it was really successful on Napster! Immature college students were sharing it. And Stuart told me that that was ane of the reasons that they became more than interested in the states, was the fact that 30,000 kids had the record already on their computers.
They also initially signed yous for a one-off single deal for "New Slang," but then decided to sign the band overall, right?
That's true. They signed us just to be a part of their Single-of-the-Calendar month club. It's the demo version of the song, really, that'southward on that single. It's not the one that ends upwardly on the record.
That 7" unmarried has to be a rare particular at present.
It must be nowadays! The A-side was that demo version of "New Slang." Which I didn't consider a demo — I was like, "This is the ultimate, best recording I could do at the fourth dimension." Then the B-side was "Sphagnum Esplanade." Which is one of my favorites from back then. I don't know how many they made, even!
What was the first moment or thing that made you realize there was going to exist more life to the vocal?
I think ane of the places that I put that vocal was on a website that a friend of mine had fabricated for The Shins. It was the nearly basic affair, merely at that place were a couple audio files. "New Slang" was one of them, and it was that demo version.
A couple weeks later, I went to a party in Albuquerque — and nosotros were totally unknown and unsigned, Sub Pop had never heard of the states at this point — but some girls came up to me and they had heard the song. They were immediately taken by it. They were saying, "Information technology's one of the virtually beautiful songs." I had never experienced anything similar that. I'd never seen anybody feel annihilation like that! That was a clue right there that something was special virtually that vocal.
That's crawly that they even recognized you, since it'southward not like there was social media nonetheless.
Information technology was strange. I was very introverted, and being at parties would exist fun if I was drunk enough. [ Laughs. ] Which is probably not the healthiest lifestyle. Only so I didn't have a ton of social interaction, and then I was thrilled by that moment when, you know, a couple girls talked to me! And they had something positive to say!
Outside of the fans, what was information technology similar seeing the critical reception?
I don't remember reading about it in magazines so much, but I started getting praise nearly the work that I was doing at that time from other bands. Information technology was also a first, that something was happening — bands that were not from Albuquerque were noticing. us and sort of these social accolades started to build up. Which was such a positive fourth dimension.
Was there whatever particular band who helped you out?
I call up the Murder Metropolis Devils — who were kind of similar a heavy metal band, but actually cool and kind of modern, a fleck of punk mixed in, simply the blazon of band you wouldn't expect to be into something similar The Shins — they liked The Shins, and I felt really honored by that. Albuquerque is a really heavy boondocks, so well-nigh of the bands that do well in Albuquerque are either metal bands, or [have] really dark loud distorted guitars and stuff. It felt good to exist appreciated by that scene.
The "New Slang" music video references a agglomeration of classic indie rock album covers. What was that filming process like?
That was a lot of fun. That thought to practice that was the video managing director Lance Bangs'. We all got really into it. Information technology was fun. Marty [sometime Shins keyboardist Martin Crandall], who was a bandmate at the fourth dimension, worked at a tape store and was a huge record collector, so he knew all the covers. One of the covers that I suggested was Sonic Youth's Sister .
Nosotros went everywhere. Driving around in a VW Bug so we could do [Minutemen's] Double Nickels on the Dime , and so going downwards to the Rio Grande and swimming to get another 1. Nosotros went everywhere nosotros could.
I also read that there happened to be a San Pedro street in Albuquerque, so you were able to practise the Minutemen album.
Lance was actually stoked when he saw that! Which was casual — nosotros drove past it, and he was like, "Oh my God, we have to go that in the shot."
Of class, "New Slang" makes a major advent in the pic Garden State . Natalie Portman says "this song will modify your life," which I have to imagine practical to yous, too.
Oh, yeah. I hateful, so true, for me, definitely. It'southward funny, too, because Zach Braff had the Tv show he was doing, Scrubs , and we vaguely knew about that [that "New Slang" was featured in an episode of the show], probably just from seeing ads for Tv on information technology. Simply he was going to direct a film, and it was just going to be this indie motion-picture show, and who knows what will come of it.
And and then I was asked to contribute a couple songs. Right off the bat I was similar, "Certain, that'south awesome, information technology'll exist in a movie?! Whoa, how cool." But information technology wasn't until 2004 that it came out, and then this would take been in 2001 that he asked united states of america, and it took that long. And suddenly, oh my God, Natalie Portman is in the pic, it was a totally different matter. And information technology [the vocal] was so featured! It was like, "Who gets advertised like that?!"
Did you go see the picture in the theater?
I did. My wife and I went, before we were married. I remember shrinking in my seat when she [Portman] says that, yous're but sort of similar, "Oh, my God." It only felt like a spotlight was on my face or something. "Please, nobody see me." I don't know why but I felt very self-conscious.
How else did "New Slang" alive up to that life-irresolute quote?
It's just been a song that people want to license for different things. We got so much attention from it. Yous can see it online, that many more people are listening to that song in particular versus all of our other songs. I feel really lucky that that happened.
I had the song floating around for a long fourth dimension, and I didn't know what to do with information technology. It had a different rhythmic structure. It wasn't until a couple things happened — one day, I figured out how to play it amend, one day I came up with that intro, the falsetto, lilting-vocalisation thing. That kind of nailed information technology downward. I was like, "Oh, this is really absurd." It was fairly easy to record, because it was simply acoustic guitar, and I remember I used — Dave Hernandez played the bass, and I used this really cheap keyboard to do the kick drum. Information technology was very simple. Super DIY. I was in my little studio flat.
You and The Shins were very open up to licensing it, which had to help with exposure.
I know that it was unusual. By that time, at that precipice between youth and adulthood, I felt like I would regret not having taken the opportunities that were given to me, financially. The people around me said equally much. People were only like, "You should do this, because this but doesn't happen forever and I wish this was happening for my ring." Stuff like that. So nosotros were open to that [licensing], simply it was controversial, you lot know. The indie ethic and the punk rock ethic at the fourth dimension was staunchly against that sort of thing. But so information technology started to loosen upwards, bands — Television set shows started to use interesting music. There was only a lot more exposure going on. Things changed.
Truthful or false: you also bought a house from the McDonald'due south money?
It was definitely a down payment! Information technology got me out of debt on my credit cards and it was a downward payment for a house, yeah. [ Laughs. ]
When y'all think back to the overall 2001 music scene — y'all've got The Strokes and White Stripes, pop-punk like Blink/Sum-41 — were you lot listening to those acts?
The Strokes came out — I remember nosotros were on bout, and the first time we really dug into The Strokes was on that tour. Nosotros played that CD [ Is This It ] over and over over again in the van. We all just savage in love with information technology. So that was after we had been signed and had our record out.
For me, the fashion I remember it was during the '90s in Albuquerque, information technology was a heavy music scene, that grunge vibe from Seattle had really taken over, so the metallic scene had get this grunge scene in Albuquerque. Then I think nationally one of the large things was this sort of slacker rock stuff. Like Archers of Loaf and Pavement and so on.
How did you come across The Shins fitting in (or being a reaction to) that scene — or was it all not really on your radar?
I was longing for music that was sort of a chip more earnest. Information technology's kind of cheesy to say that, even, only I had loved Echo and The Bunnymen and The Smiths in high school, and I was longing for that sort of affair. Something that was heartfelt and a real try at a musical connection, and piece of work hard on the lyrics and then on. That's kind of what I was trying to do. I know it [The Shins] doesn't audio annihilation like that stuff, but that'southward what I was acting in response to, was trying to break new footing in some mode.
Belle & Sebastian had come out with If Yous're Feeling Sinister in the late '90s, and when I heard them, I was merely so impressed — considering information technology was that. It was heartfelt, and the production was very straightforward — they weren't using heavily-distorted guitars and things like that. It was very touching music to me. I felt pretty inspired by that, that "Hey, this tin can exist done."
Funny you mention them, because I merely watched High Allegiance and there'southward that part where Jack Black'due south character yells at them to turn off Belle & Sebastian in the tape shop considering he thinks they're crap or any.
[ Laughs ] Yeah. That's very Albuquerque. Jack Black would exist the Albuquerque guy, you know.
For the record, I love them. Amid all of the grunge and heavy stone, indie rock managed to come up a little while afterwards that time, too. Grizzly Deport and Band of Horses are some of my favorite bands…
Yeah, there's a little crack in the pavement that we grew out of somehow. We love all of those bands and take played with them. At that place was kind of a whole scene that grew up and we were happy to be part of that.
What did it hateful to exist an up-and-coming indie ring in 2001 vs. what y'all think it would be similar today?
Right, it's and then different today. We still had the infrastructure of record labels, and I retrieve they still do accept a purpose, but they were and then important. Sub Pop and Matador and Merge Records were so disquisitional for these indie bands.
It was crazy — I remember Modest Mouse, that first record they did, coming out on Up Records. Seeing it, property it in my hand, it was so professional. It looked like they were on a real record characterization, you lot know? While ours [our CD] was like, fused spray adhesive and then Kinko's to print out the things, and we glued them on ourselves. We were doing that type of stuff. Then you see this, similar, "Whoa, this is a existent characterization, there'southward money behind this." So I retrieve that was our experience — just that there was money in Seattle, and if you got signed to a tape label out of there, you could really kick information technology upward a notch.
Nowadays, I don't know, it'due south and so vastly unlike. Bands make information technology on SoundCloud and stuff. I take no idea what that's similar — I really don't.
It has to be harder to country tours now, too, in such a crowded landscape.
I suppose then. We really booked our own shows at kickoff, and would stop up getting tagged onto someone else'southward tour. And so Modest Mouse hooked us up [with Sub Popular], and then we had a professional booking agent and things actually changed. Information technology was corking. She was a bulldog and got us much better fees. I don't know what that's like at present, to be a young ring. Say you do well on SoundCloud, and you have a great Instagram following or any — how do you lot turn that into a tour?
Tin can you talk about the 20th ceremony plans for Oh, Inverted World ?
We've been redesigning the cover. Nosotros're inverting the color combinations. We didn't have to glue annihilation ourselves [this fourth dimension]. And so the artwork looks really cool, I kind of wish nosotros'd done information technology that mode to brainstorm with. Then we've got a booklet that has sometime photos of usa from back in the mean solar day and all the lyrics. Using some of the artwork from T-shirts that nosotros hand-made back and then. Flyers from when The Shins were just a two-piece.
There's a couple photos from there — when we first started, we would play on stage but it was only Jesse Sandoval and myself up there — then it'due south cool. It's fun for me to look at, the fiddling memory lane. It's remastered as well, and then information technology'll sound a little different. We were hoping information technology would be more robust sounding, up against some of the new material that'southward being played on the radio. So it's kind of a additional version.
Can you lot believe it's been 20 years?
Oh, human being. In some ways, yeah, it feels like twenty years. Outside of my ring life, I've got children and just a lot has happened. Only it's funny how some of those early moments still feel so close to me still in my mind. They're still practiced memories. Specially the early days, when things were so exciting and exciting.
Do you plan to do an anniversary tour?
We've been talking nearly information technology. How absurd would information technology be to perform the tape, like you meet bands do at an ceremony. It'southward simply: when? When does this all get back to normal? I'grand not sure. There'south talk most 2022. People are starting to book shows, I guess. So perchance '22.
The Shins released "The Great Carve up" in September, and the "flipped" version on Apr 2. Have you lot been working on more than new music during the pandemic?
I take been! I've had spurts where I've gotten a new vocal thought and recorded demo versions. I enjoy at present recording with other musicians much more than I used to. So I kind of record these demo versions and I'll wait for [current Shins bandmembers] Yuuki Matthews and Jon Sortland and Marker Watrous and Patti King and whoever else I can get, to get together with me.
The band has been off the route since 2018. I assume you miss it…
I practice miss it. We have a skillful fourth dimension out there. The people that I've been hiring to do the route piece of work are all so great. There'southward merely a great vibe. We bring along a grill and so we'll have a barbecue after the show exterior the coach.
Do you work the grill?
No, not oftentimes. I'm pretty skilful now, though. Usually I'm lucky enough to have somebody else takeover.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/the-shins-james-mercer-interview-new-slang-9552177/
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