The Shins appeared out of the middle of New Mexico as if by magic, though they had been around for a while under several other names on several different labels. In a landscape of boy bands, pre-teen chanteuses, and nu metal, the literate, ’60s-influenced jangle of the Shins’ debut seems a bizarre anomaly. This is indie rock that channels Love and Creation rather than the Ramones and Sex Pistols.

Standouts include “One by One All Day,” with its Space Invader intro, rattling drums, and retro keyboard solo, the gentle “Weird Divide,” which highlights James Mercer’s Brian Wilson-esque voice, and “Your Algebra,” with its echoing vocals and guitar arpeggios. Arguably, the album’s best track is “New Slang,” which begins with the lines “Gold teeth and a curse for this town are all in my mouth/Only I don’t know how they got out.” For listeners with a computer, the disc also contains a charming if very low-fi video for “New Slang.”

Tracklisting
1. Caring Is Creepy
2. One by One All Day
3. Weird Divide
4. Know Your Onion!
5. Girl Inform Me
6. New Slang
7. Celibate Life
8. Girl on the Wing
9. Your Algebra
10. Pressed in a Book
11. Past and Pending

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (8/16/01, p.105) – 3.5 stars out of 5 – “…Their pop songs jangle without being too sunny….These 11 songs whiz by in a gorgeous blur, over far too soon.”

Q (May 2002, pp.119-121) – 3 out of 5 stars – “…The Shins fall into the folk category, focusing on hazy Beach Boys pop and swooning Simon & Garfunkel harmonies…”

CMJ (8/01, p.89) – “…Palpable, ’60s-influenced jangle pop….one of the most consistently enjoyable takes on Brian Wilson…”

Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.68) – Ranked #14 in Mojo’s “Best [40] Albums of 2001″.

Mojo (Publisher) (9/01, p.99) – “…[Their] lovely jangly appeal is all their own…”

NME (Magazine) (5/18/02, p.35) – 8 out of 10 – “…Evokes the shimmering coastlines and baked desertscapes of California with a vivid beauty seldom glimpsed since The Beach Boys hung up their surfboards…”