The Shins Chutes Too Narrow

Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2003"
4 stars out of 5 - "...The Shins...have not only assimilated several decades of Brit rock, chamber pop, and DIY punk but have nonchalantly slipped those influences into their own intricate yet durable musical designs..."
"...The Shins are reverent and reverential, practically documenting their source material with footnotes..." - Grade: B
Ranked #4 in Entertainment Weekly's 2003 "Records of the Year" - "...[The band is] sharp enough to set Mercer's radiant tunes and keening, affectless voice to the crispest and meatiest of indie rock."
4 stars out of 5 - "[I]ntelligent, melodic and offbeat - without falling into the trap of being goofy. Have indie rock's saviours arrived?"
4 stars out of 5 - "10 perfect songs constructed from wit, electricity and the broken bones of the heart."
Ranked #39 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "[With] killer melodies that were as voluptuous as they were wholly original."
"...A sonically bolder production with fewer effects and more hooks per square inch than a flyrod factory..."
"...Making for perfect mixtape material, the quartet now returns with a quieter sophomore effort--one that suits the hunger for a soft, melodic album to provide comfort in the privacy of bedroom listening..."
5 stars out of 5 - "An existential obstacle course. A meditation on the ineffable mysteries of love. An incredible pop record. The second album by The Shins is all this and more....It's a tour de force of concision..."