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Jul 11, 2012With Port of Morrow Mercer digs deep in forming a polished and almost, muscular relationship with the music.
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Under The RadarJul 9, 2012An aesthetically perfect long play er that dithers in the background. [Jun 2012, p.155]
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May 7, 2012"Bait and Switch," the best song on Port of Morrow, recaptures some of this eager, joyful glee; but in my opinion, the rest of the album holds none of these virtues.
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Apr 12, 2012Clumsy it might be, familiar it might be; redundant it sure isn't quite yet.
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Apr 5, 2012It's an interesting listen but doesn't leave a strong impression.
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Apr 3, 2012In terms of pure triumph, Port of Morrow provides its listeners with safe harbor regardless.
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Mar 29, 2012Overall: Fair.
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Mar 26, 2012The best songs bear the mark of an auteur weirding out, by himself.
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Mar 22, 2012While there's no doubt that Port of Morrow is well crafted, then, it fails because it is ultimately unmoving, and what Mercer has gained in style and execution is overshadowed by the album's lack of either invention or sincerity.
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Mar 22, 2012Questions of semantics and authenticity aside, Port of Morrow's songs are compelling enough to keep most fans listening and enjoying.
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MojoMar 22, 2012A formidable piece of work, repositioning Mercer away from his Pacific Northwest indie rock peer group. [Apr 2012, p.82]
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Mar 21, 2012The pair's [James Mercer and Greg Kurstin's] proclivity for spacious, languid moods helps Port of Morrow move smoothly from mod throwback shimmies (like the spindly guitar jam "Bait and Switch'') to the hypnotic, near trip-hop of the title track.
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Mar 21, 2012It's just so utterly satisfying.
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Mar 20, 2012Port of Morrow has more of a studio-sculpture auteurist vibe than ever.
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Mar 20, 2012Even if the Mensa-folk crew feel dumbed down on, there's just enough Mercer magic on Morrow to light up your local drop-in centre.
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Mar 20, 2012Sure, it's nice to hear such a talented songwriter working with ease and precision, but it's just not always that interesting.
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Mar 20, 2012Port of Morrow is transition time for The Shins.
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Mar 20, 2012At times, Port of Morrow greatly benefits from the filmy pop-electronica details that Kurstin drapes over the productions....On a few other songs, the weak melodies can't bear out the flourishes and they meander exhaustively.
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Mar 20, 2012Port of Morrow seems much more a step sideways than forward for Mercer, not so much a dramatic comeback but more a compilation of greatest hits masquerading as new songs.
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Mar 20, 2012Mercer has made what amounts to a solo record and needlessly attached it to a band identity that he's outgrown.
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Mar 19, 2012For the Shins major-label debut, he [James Mercer] has enlisted pop producer Greg Kurstin (who has worked with everyone from Kesha to Beck) to sharpen, polish and broaden the sound, and the results are decidely mixed.
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Mar 19, 2012The latest full-length from the latest version of The Shins has some amazing songs.... But it also has some of the worst songs The Shins have ever produced.
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Mar 19, 2012It's the very definition of "not bad", but surely there's some urgent paint you need to watch drying instead?
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Mar 19, 2012Most of the songs on Port of Morrow seem slack and not especially purposive.
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Mar 19, 2012Port of Morrow doesn't sound like it belongs to any particular decade or style, instead hopping around like some fully loaded AM radio dial that cranks out gem after gem.
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Mar 19, 2012Ample evidence of why Mercer's songs are so widely cherished. But there remains something a little clinical about the efficiency with which he dispatches these studies in perky wistfulness.
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Mar 19, 2012For all the talk that's bound to come up over the album's production, Port of Morrow's problem isn't 't have a whole lot at stake.
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Mar 19, 2012Port of Morrow captures Mercer in a different era, and although questionable at times, it's a fruitful adventure that requires a little swinging and paddling.
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Mar 19, 2012The results are hit or miss going forward.
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UncutMar 16, 2012The pair's [singer James Mercer and producer Greg Kurstin] pop instincts ultimately prevail over more esoteric ambitions. [Apr 2012, p.86]
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Mar 16, 2012These are songs to fall in love to, to grow along with, and to share with friends in need of a life-change.
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Mar 16, 2012'Port Of Morrow' is a glorious and confident return, even if it lacks a little darkness at times.
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Mar 15, 2012By the second listen, it's somehow found its place in one's affections, despite its lack of obvious hooks.
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Mar 15, 2012Port of Morrow makes the hooks sharper and the pop poppier, and that in turn makes the Shins sound smarter.
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Mar 15, 2012[Frontman James Mercer] and his new mates have conjured the band's best album in nearly a decade.
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Mar 15, 2012If it's not an album to turn the listener into a screaming proselyte, there's still enough magic to make it worthwhile.
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Q MagazineMar 14, 2012An album rich in kaleidoscopic colour to contrast the diluted greys of its sleeve, marked with the expert touch of true masters of their art. [April 2012, p.96]
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Alternative PressMar 14, 2012Challenging it's not, but its low-key loveliness makes it great for dinner parties where the company is almost as cool as Mercer's pre-Port track record. [Apr 2012, p.98]
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Mar 14, 2012It's to Mercer's credit that Port of Morrow, which could have so easily veered off into soulless corporatism or self-indulgence, manages to remain nothing less than both a universal and personal joy to listen to.
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Mar 13, 2012It's arguably Mercer's and the Shins' most satisfying achievement.
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MagnetMar 12, 2012There's a brighter sheen to the new Shins ... [yet] too often feels like Mercer's straining and striving when he used to be quirky and charming. [No. 85, p.51]
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Mar 12, 2012Even when it sounds routine – Simple Song sounds exactly like a Shins song written to order – it works, simultaneously mixing zippy and plangent, joy and resignation.
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Mar 12, 2012A gigantic album.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 63 out of 79
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Mixed: 14 out of 79
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Negative: 2 out of 79
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Mar 20, 2012
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Mar 20, 2012
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Apr 19, 2012