Wincing The Night Away
by The Shins
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Jan 23, 2007
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 188 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 162 out of 188
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 188
  3. Negative: 10 out of 188

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  1. sab123
    Mar 19, 2020
    9
    There isn't a loose song on the album. It's a shame 15 year old idiots give albums a zero score...
  2. NKey34
    Jan 9, 2020
    9
    It is both: one of the most underrated and unknown albums of all time. Mercer kills every tack from start to finish. Probably their strogest album to date. But hey, thats only my opinion...
  3. Cobweb
    Oct 11, 2015
    10
    It is so rare to encounter a flawless pop-rock album- too often, they're frontloaded with the catchiest tunes and let the second half be filler. But every track on this album serves its purpose- even the 50-second "Pam Berry" is used perfectly to build up tension before the opening bassline of the stunningly beautiful and romantic "Phantom Limb." "Limb," along with "Australia" and "Turn onIt is so rare to encounter a flawless pop-rock album- too often, they're frontloaded with the catchiest tunes and let the second half be filler. But every track on this album serves its purpose- even the 50-second "Pam Berry" is used perfectly to build up tension before the opening bassline of the stunningly beautiful and romantic "Phantom Limb." "Limb," along with "Australia" and "Turn on Me," are three of the best songs of the decade and easily amon the finest the Shins ever recorded. This album is truly flawless. I wouldn't change a thing.… Expand
  4. j30
    Jan 24, 2012
    7
    This an interesting release from The Shins, especially after Chutes Too Narrow, the feels like it has too much of a mainstream appeal. I guess my biggest problem with it all is they play it too safe.
  5. Vampire25
    Mar 24, 2011
    8
    Wincing The Night Away may be the least of The Shins album, but nevertheless a great album. The opener "Sleeping Lessons" is the most guitar driven track The Shins have ever put out. The rest of the tracks are pop melodies that have different elements added to them. James Mercer's vocals is still wonderful this time round. All In All, Wincing The Night Away is the slowest Shins record yet,Wincing The Night Away may be the least of The Shins album, but nevertheless a great album. The opener "Sleeping Lessons" is the most guitar driven track The Shins have ever put out. The rest of the tracks are pop melodies that have different elements added to them. James Mercer's vocals is still wonderful this time round. All In All, Wincing The Night Away is the slowest Shins record yet, but it's still soft melodies that, just like every other Shins album, will stay in your head. B+… Expand
  6. Tubie
    Nov 3, 2010
    7
    Not as good as their past albums, aside from 3 or 4 songs this album is kind of a let down. At least the songs that I like are really, really good and I can listen to them over and over.
  7. GeorgeC.
    Feb 7, 2008
    2
    This is a plea to stand-in guitarist Eric Johnson. Please Eric... please resurrect Fruit Bats before these douchebags end up dragging you and your creativity into the turd basket with them, and before Marty tries to beat up your girlfriend.
  8. MichaelC.
    Jan 31, 2008
    9
    The second half of the album trails off in to okay, but kind of generic and bland pop music. But the first half is so mindblowingly good, I could care less. Sleeping Lessons, Australia, and Phantom Limb are among my favorite songs of the year. The Shins can make some incredible music.
  9. anonymous
    Dec 29, 2007
    10
    the shins are at their best, in my mind, when experimenting with many different genres in 1 album. in wincing the night away, the shins have a song for every mood, and the music flows almost as well as one their first 2 albums. The shins are a playful indie rock group, and analyzing the singles only kills it. To enjoy this album, you have to just listen and let yourself be swept away.
  10. yngvel.
    Sep 25, 2007
    10
    Probably the best album of 2007!!!
  11. JackN
    Aug 4, 2007
    10
    The Shins are an acquired taste, they are one of those bands you either love or hate. I love them, so you can tell this will be bias. I think this is as good if not better than Chutes To Narrow, it seems like the best parts of their first two combined and built upon. The only problem I have is Sea Legs, it is the only song they have written that I skip, but the rest definitely make it The Shins are an acquired taste, they are one of those bands you either love or hate. I love them, so you can tell this will be bias. I think this is as good if not better than Chutes To Narrow, it seems like the best parts of their first two combined and built upon. The only problem I have is Sea Legs, it is the only song they have written that I skip, but the rest definitely make it better than a lot of the crap that people put out now.… Expand
  12. john
    Jul 28, 2007
    8
    Sounds like the past 2 records with a higher budget and the edges smoothed out.
  13. PeteS
    Jul 14, 2007
    10
    Easily the best walking-around-to music in quite some time. Eclipses Chutes as their best effort...lyrics are just as good, but the surrounding instrumentation blows it away.
  14. BillS
    Jun 5, 2007
    10
    Whoa. This is the best album I've heard in years. It's produced Shins with lots more sounds, the melodies are great, as are the lyrics, and voice. You people are hard to please!
  15. GeorgeB
    May 18, 2007
    10
    Smart, addictive, & polished...my favourite record this year (so far)
  16. tbone
    Apr 29, 2007
    5
    Australia is the only good song on the album. It's pretty much an homage to the baby boom generation and 60s music, which totally blows.
  17. anneg
    Apr 25, 2007
    9
    wincing the night away is a good album but not as catchy as chutes too narrow. but a few suprises like australia and sea legs along with turn on me offer a great melodic pop-rock sound
  18. CaseyRDubya
    Apr 24, 2007
    7
    Not bad. Don't really see what the difference between this record and their others is. Doesn't sound any worse or better to me. Decend band. Good record
  19. brittac
    Apr 15, 2007
    10
    i am completely broken-hearted that someone would say this album is a waste of time.. really now.. if you enjoyed the previous 2 albums at all, there is NO way you wouldn't like this one as well.. in fact, i really can't choose a favorite between the three.. but i do know that all of their albums are among my very favorites, and this particular gem hasn't gone without a i am completely broken-hearted that someone would say this album is a waste of time.. really now.. if you enjoyed the previous 2 albums at all, there is NO way you wouldn't like this one as well.. in fact, i really can't choose a favorite between the three.. but i do know that all of their albums are among my very favorites, and this particular gem hasn't gone without a good listen at least once a week since i got my hands on it.. do NOT pass it up.. i repeat, do NOT.. i don't know if i would say that the shins have evolved at all with this one, but it is every bit as whimsical and strangely moving as their other ones.. the shins may not play on the emotions in the same way as other artists do, but they have their own magic.. and i guess it's only a matter of taste or opinion.. but if you get what the shins are about, if you've got a feel for their magic, then you will be very sorry for passing up this album.. on a side-note: their music is best suited for an autumn drive on a drizzly day.. they're for when you want to feel solitary and just a bit melancholy [but not at all in a bad way].. kind of like sunny day real estate.. i put them both in that category.. yep.. that is all.… Expand
  20. KennyM
    Apr 13, 2007
    8
    A good album but not as exciting as their older work...and I am beginning to fear that The Shins, like Modest Mouse before them, are on the road to becoming just consistently okay.
  21. TristramC
    Apr 12, 2007
    8
    I really don't feel this album is all that different. Once you get 5 to 10 listens in all of it just seems like the logical progression. Yes, the Shins have growth with each album. It may be scary for some but this is a good thing. Think of it & consider the alternative. Maybe to two best indie records of 2001 were Oh Inverted World and Is This It? by the Strokes. As it turn out it I really don't feel this album is all that different. Once you get 5 to 10 listens in all of it just seems like the logical progression. Yes, the Shins have growth with each album. It may be scary for some but this is a good thing. Think of it & consider the alternative. Maybe to two best indie records of 2001 were Oh Inverted World and Is This It? by the Strokes. As it turn out it was (to this point) 'it' for the Strokes partly because they have attempted to make the same record three times. In that time the Shins career arc has ascended instead with consistantly strong, well written, intoxicatingly catchy wonderful records. "Austrailia" & "Phantom Limb" are simply jumps from the Shins previous work and "Sea Legs" & "Red Rabbits" capture the album's mystique like "Your Algebra" & "Caring Is Creep" did on the classic debut. For some really I really relate to "Turn On Me", but i digress. The Shins have, with this album, solidified their status as the pacesetters of indie and are now the only band as important as TV on the Radio.… Expand
  22. nickh
    Apr 1, 2007
    7
    Quite a different sound than your probably expecting but this album really grows on you. I have to say i prefer the last couple albums but to be a great band i think they need to evolve and experiment while still delivering the nuances and such that you like them for, which can be found in here in spades. give it time to settle in.
  23. JSheets
    Mar 19, 2007
    1
    pass this one up. A complete and total waste of time. The entire album sounds the same.
  24. VincentH
    Mar 18, 2007
    8
    Brian J...is your hearing okay buddy? If anything, this album is EXACTLY the sound of a band with a very distinct sound evolving in many ways. Though ironically (esp. the melodies and overall feel of the songs) this album is like the twisted sequel to "Oh, Inverted World". I have to be honest...the first time I heard this album, I didn't really like it. None of the songs got stuck in Brian J...is your hearing okay buddy? If anything, this album is EXACTLY the sound of a band with a very distinct sound evolving in many ways. Though ironically (esp. the melodies and overall feel of the songs) this album is like the twisted sequel to "Oh, Inverted World". I have to be honest...the first time I heard this album, I didn't really like it. None of the songs got stuck in my head and I thought they were all pretty bland and uninteresting. The second time it grew on me a bit and the melodies and hooks started to reveal themselves more and more. By the third time I listened to it, I absolutely loved it. Here's the thing: James Mercer KNOWS these songs aren't immediately catchy. It almost seems like he's taking his formula for writing sophisticated Beatles-ish melodies and toying with it a bit, tinkering with the elements to add or subtract all kinds of weird atmospheric kinks in the album (the electronica aspects, the almost Flaming Lips-esque focus on texture and atmosphere, etc. In the end, the songs are all still really great (I don't think Mercer could write a bad song if he tried...even their throwaway songs are good), but you have to give yourself a chance to discover the songs yourself. I mean....how many bands in music today (besides maybe Arcade Fire) still give listeners that pleasure? If you are one of those people who know the lyrics for all the songs from the first two albums by heart and played them nonstop for months (as I did), you will not be dissapointed. I give it an 8 because I did skip over one or two songs.… Expand
  25. MichaelK
    Mar 14, 2007
    8
    Not as immediately catchy as Chutes Too Narrow, but rewards with a few listens. Melodic, erudite pop-rock music. Destined to be one of this year's best releases.
  26. BrianJ
    Mar 8, 2007
    6
    Okay, but I hear nothing new from this band. This sounds exactly like their other stuff. Overall: good, but they don't appear to be evolving as a band.
  27. dc
    Mar 8, 2007
    10
    this makes me happy. it's the best thing i've heard in a year. i fell in love with oh, inverted world, but was slightly disappointed by chutes too narrow. although it had strong songwriting, it was too crisp and in your face, which didn't keep with the gauzy, warm, multi-tracked, reverb tones of the first album. (i don't think at the time they'd adjusted yet to this makes me happy. it's the best thing i've heard in a year. i fell in love with oh, inverted world, but was slightly disappointed by chutes too narrow. although it had strong songwriting, it was too crisp and in your face, which didn't keep with the gauzy, warm, multi-tracked, reverb tones of the first album. (i don't think at the time they'd adjusted yet to better microphones, equipment, etc.) on this album i feel they've adjusted to better production and reclaimed their voice: a softer, more inviting, rich texture. it's gorgeous. for those of you who are questioning the songwriting, i think you're insane. that has been the constant factor on each of their albums. i think there's a touch of backlash with this band. if you're beyond all that, if you look to music for its beauty and craft rather than its social connotations, if you're not trying to figure out if you're SUPPOSED to like this band, then listen and enjoy. this is a really, really incredible record...as good as the first...in its own way. it baffles me that anyone would dismiss this album as sub-par.… Expand
  28. DeryW
    Mar 7, 2007
    9
    I've never really paid attention to The Shins until this made me sit up and listen. I don't think there is a dull moment in the album except "Pam Berry".
  29. romanmc
    Mar 5, 2007
    5
    Instantly forgetable first and then repeatedly forgetable after subsequent listens. "Australia" and "Sea Legs" are quality and salvage some measure of decency. I just think that this band could do a lot more with this record. They are good musicians, write inventive pop music and have one of the better pop/rock singers going. But someone needs to tell Mercer to stop writing lyrics like Instantly forgetable first and then repeatedly forgetable after subsequent listens. "Australia" and "Sea Legs" are quality and salvage some measure of decency. I just think that this band could do a lot more with this record. They are good musicians, write inventive pop music and have one of the better pop/rock singers going. But someone needs to tell Mercer to stop writing lyrics like "dodo's cunundrum" and "fond of you, fond of y-o-u." And I don't think it's cute that "Phantom Limb" is supposed to be written from the perspective of teenage lesbians. Mercer's lyrics and storytelling tend to detract from what the whole of this group. He tries too hard to be obtuse.… Expand
  30. drewp
    Mar 2, 2007
    10
    This is one album that can't easily be dissected into singles--no one of the songs is catchy or hooky enough to have one of your friends asking who's on the stereo, but the whole album is amazing! It's timeless without being retro or boring, and somehow it all these quirky songs add up to one VERY infectious and fun album.
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Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best Album of 2007
27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2007
80
#80 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Amazon.com
    60
    Wincing is neither the clever genre recombinant exercise of their second album nor is it the perfect little self-contained universe of their debut. This is not the Shins' best album; it's their growing pains third record.
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  2. Playlouder
    60
    I usually find Shins albums grow on me slowly but surely yet after a good dozen plays I feel my faith isn't being repaid this time, and as a fan that's frustrating.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    70
    Wincing the Night Away feels labored. Gracefully realized though it is, you can hear the three-plus years Mercer spent pondering how to satisfy the expectations his surprise classic had created -- and also how to remain fresh and true to himself.
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