As a fan of The Shins, I had resigned the idea of ever hearing from them again. I spent some time flirting with Broken Bells (which didn't quite fill The Shins-shaped hole in my heart) and most of the intervening years coddling each of the previous albums.

Port of Morrow, the fourth addition to the family, is not as longing as Oh, Inverted World, angsty and introspective as Chutes Too Narrow or smooth and abstract as Wincing the Night Away. It's rather dark; even deceptively so. Musically, the tracks feature an array of instruments, and range from gentle and subdued ("September") to catchy and loud ("Simple Song"). The lyrics - both personal, and observational - hover around themes of love, nostalgia, childhood and mortality. Port of Morrow retains The Shins trademark sound, whlist taking risks and embracing the eclectic. Probably the most surprising is the title track, "Port of Morrow" a syrupy number that trails with Mercer in a strained singing voice observing the parrallels of beauty and death: "there are flowers in the garbage/and a skull under your curls"

If you are not a fan of The Shins, this album likely won't garner your devotion. But if you are, it most certainly does not dissapoint.* Below is my favorite track (at the moment), "For A Fool".

The Shins will be playing Sasquatch! in May.

*Fun fact: If you look closely, the smoke on the mountain of the album cover has naked lady silhouettes in it, how's that for not disappointing?