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The Shins — Spilt Needles
Album: Wincing The Night Away
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1800









Released: 2007
Length: 3:42
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I've earned myself an impossible crime
Had to paint myself a hole and fall inside
If it's far enough in sight and rhyme
I get to wear another dress and count in time

Oh, won't you do me the favor, man
Of forgiving my, polymorphing opinion here
And your vague outline?

I'll find myself another burning gate
A pretty face, a vague idea I can't relate
And this is what you get for pulling pins
Out of the hole inside the hole you're in

It's like I'm perched on the handlebars
Of a blind man's bike
No straws to grab, just the rushing wind
On a rolling mind

La la la la la

They'll want you to decide, eventually it happens
Some gather on one side, with all their pearly snapping
They'll close the basement door, it sets our teeth to chatter
You never saw it before, but now that hardly matters

You're old enough, boy
Too many summers you've enjoyed
So spin the wheel, we'll set you up with some odd convictions
'Cause you're finally golden, boy

It's like I'm perched on the handle bars
Of a blind man's bike
No straws to grab, just the rushing wind
On a rolling mind
Comments (249)add comment
Oh Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow are great albums, but for my tastes this is their best album by a mile.
best song on the best album of the 00's
Me too.  Wanted it to be "Spit Needles" first, tho.

 
DrLex wrote:
I keep misreading the title as “Split Needles,” which may sound even more interesting than the true title…
 

Album is pure genius.
Infinitely discoverable.
Ever heard the fast version of this one? I can't remember where I got it. Some alt-cut b-side? It was actually my first experience with this song and I still prefer it.
Favorite song from a favorite band.  
I keep misreading the title as “Split Needles,” which may sound even more interesting than the true title…
 ench wrote:
Started out wondering why I rated this a 2... Surely it deserved better... And then that horrible discordant cutting-in-and-out they put into the middle. Without that it would be an 8+... To bad.

 
Geesh... you're right. Up until the halfway mark or so, I was thinking, "Wow..."
 I get to wear another dress and count in time
Otherwise richer features of game won't unlock.
Started out wondering why I rated this a 2... Surely it deserved better... And then that horrible discordant cutting-in-and-out they put into the middle. Without that it would be an 8+... To bad.
What a great band they were!
{#Bananapiano}
No sound in my rp android app today :-(. TuneIn is working though.  
{#Arrow} 9
                     Nice work from The Shins 
                                     {#Clap}
 
Still totally dig this song and pretty much everything by this band all these years later.
 lemmoth wrote:


Can't agree more.  I would say they remind me the most of .......musically Talking Heads, Pink Floyd and....... the intellectual lyric writing heft of Leonard Cohen.

 

Haaaa - smiling, lemmoth!

Please do not get me wrong! I FULLY agree with you - as you did with me!

Just that you mentioned three bands and singers that are all on my "MOST-HATED" list!

 

Floyd, TH and, most of all, Cohen!


 rdo wrote:
GREAT BAND GREAT SONGS GREAT SINGER = THE BEST BAND SINCE 2000. WOOOOWEEEEE.  HUZZZZAAAH
 

I possibly had used other words, but yes, I definitely agree!

 

But it must also be said that this great band varies between "Kreisklasse" and "Weltklasse".

This song belongs into the latter category! Of course...!!!


GREAT BAND GREAT SONGS GREAT SINGER = THE BEST BAND SINCE 2000. WOOOOWEEEEE.  HUZZZZAAAH
 Stingray wrote:

What a great-great band!

Incredible singer - gorgeous songs!

PURE MAGIC IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS!



 

Can't agree more.  I would say they remind me the most of .......musically Talking Heads, Pink Floyd and....... the intellectual lyric writing heft of Leonard Cohen.

What a great-great band!

Incredible singer - gorgeous songs!

PURE MAGIC IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS!


Pretty good for the Shins.
I saw them live last month. Gutted that this song wasn't on their set.
"another hole inside the hole you're in"....great lyric! Love Love Love The Shins{#Jump}
ddiggins wrote:

Hmmm... and again on Feb 20th, 2013
 
What, Bill's not allowed to do a little scripting in his playlists? I think that if he finds a great sequence of songs then he should by all means program it. I see no problem with human-composed playlists benefiting from the aid of computer programming.

Great song, BTW, Bill.

ONE OF THE BEST VOICES IN TODAY'S ROCK

...and a beautiful song anyway!


 adrianblack wrote:

Wow very odd you posted that back in June 2012 and it's Dec 19, 2012 and I just heard the same exact sequence of songs. Hmm!
 
 
Hmmm... and again on Feb 20th, 2013
 adrianblack wrote:
I would say their new album should be considered to be one of the best for 2012. (At least in my opinion) And best of all: they are from my city of Portland, OR. {#Good-vibes}

 
 
Well, actually... They are originally from MY city of Albuquerque, NM. They started out here before moving to Portland.

(One of my best friends happens to be the original drummer's uncle. Jesse Sandoval left the band... errr... says he got fired... in 2009. According to this 2009 article he was running a food truck in Portland after his exit. Interesting... catering / restaurant business runs in the Sandoval family.)

Anyway, I do happen to like this album. Shins music definitely seems to be evolving here. Some say over-produced, I imagine. But still... interesting and more complex than previous Shins work.
 dyharenas wrote:
Pink Floyd — Shine On You Crazy Diamond Peter Gabriel — Of These, Hope Thievery Corporation — Lebanese Blonde The Shins — Spilt Needles
I say, top notch segue there old boy! 
 
Wow very odd you posted that back in June 2012 and it's Dec 19, 2012 and I just heard the same exact sequence of songs. Hmm!
 
I really like the Shins ... and I love this particular song. Just upgraded to a 9! Thanks RP

 well, surprisingly even to me.. The Shins simply suck
  sorry, but they really do! 
  especially after brilliant and lush Lebanese Blond by Thievery Corporation

{#Daisy}

Discovered The Shins on RP - really like them, very talented!
This is very good music:
How can I get work done with all of this playing?
Pink Floyd — Shine On You Crazy Diamond Peter Gabriel — Of These, Hope Thievery Corporation — Lebanese Blonde The Shins — Spilt Needles
I say, top notch segue there old boy! 
I would say their new album should be considered to be one of the best for 2012. (At least in my opinion) And best of all: they are from my city of Portland, OR. {#Good-vibes}

 
 fredriley wrote:

Nope - they've just released a new CD, at least one song of which has been played on RP in recent weeks, so either they're (back) together or a bunch of ringers has produced the new opus. Rumours of their demise are greatly exaggerated...
 
Mercer broke up The Shins in 2007. But, yes, he has resurrected the band with original members Dave Hernandez and Martin Crandall plus Janet Weiss replacing Jesse Sandoval on drums and a dozen other musicians. The new album, Port of Morrow, drops on March 20th. IMHO, the demise was real. Mercer went off and did Broken Bells and simply decided he wanted a band again. Sometimes that's the way things work with bands.
Excellent stuff. Haven't heard enough of this great band. They are under rated.
 WonderLizard wrote:

Well, they stopped by breaking up the band.

 
Nope - they've just released a new CD, at least one song of which has been played on RP in recent weeks, so either they're (back) together or a bunch of ringers has produced the new opus. Rumours of their demise are greatly exaggerated...


Short & sweet...
I love The Shins, but this album is my least fav.  Still pretty awesome, though.
 coyotexxx2 wrote:
I have seen it on several "best albums" lists (decade, century, etc).  I have not bought it yet but like what I have heard. 
 
They made only three: Oh, Inverted World, Chutes Too Narrow, and this one, Wincing the Night Away, each IMHO a masterpiece. Get 'em all.

 WonderLizard wrote:

Well, they stopped by breaking up the band. That aside, you can hear why Mercer decided to team up with Danger Mouse, whose quirky sound palette is much like Mercer's on this song.

 



I need to research this. Never having seen them live (I heard they were only so-so) I'm pissed this great album has to be their swan song. Broken Bells notwithstanding, its not in the same league as "Wincing..."


 
finoufk wrote:

PLEASE STOP THE SPECIAL EFFECTS in songs : we can ear it doesn't works    {#Snooty}
 
Special effects? WTF? This ain't star wars... Maybe that new fangled electric music stuff is not for you :)
 WonderLizard wrote:

Well, they stopped by breaking up the band.

 
Seriously?!!!  Well that sucks!

 Sasha2001 wrote:
This album is a masterpiece. It may take years for people to appropriate it's greatness.
 

I have seen it on several "best albums" lists (decade, century, etc).  I have not bought it yet but like what I have heard. 
 finoufk wrote:
PLEASE STOP THE SPECIAL EFFECTS in songs : we can ear it doesn't works    {#Snooty}
 
Well, they stopped by breaking up the band. That aside, you can hear why Mercer decided to team up with Danger Mouse, whose quirky sound palette is much like Mercer's on this song.


PLEASE STOP THE SPECIAL EFFECTS in songs : we can ear it doesn't works    {#Snooty}
This album is a masterpiece. It may take years for people to appropriate it's greatness.
The picture I just saw on Radio HD (close-up shot of porcupine quills) reminded me:

Do you know what you call a group of porcupines?

(Answer: a prickle of porcupines.)

https://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm
Wow. Truly fantastic album! The more I hear the more I appreciate.....
 reviep wrote:

Or, more likely, the Urban Dictionary definition:Taking two (or more) times the prescribed quantity of prescription pain killers, usually for the specific purpose of getting high. The phrase refers to the oral ingestion of tablets or capsules only. The most common pain killers used for recreational polymorphing are t3, also called Tylenol #3, with codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. 
 

Reading this definition really brings home how pathetically stupid this kind of behavior is. 

Bmccaul, I'm right there with you. 
 Kittee wrote:
I like the shins, I really do, but this song, not so much.  I can't put my finger on why that is.
 
possibly the distorted, out-of-tune interlude between each vocal segment?

I like the shins, give their other songs 7+ ratings.  But this one is a 1 for me.  I can't get past the chalkboard-scratching noise, and this is one of the few songs on RP that I have to mute every time it comes on.

The third Shins song I've heard today.  I love it!  I read through the lyrics on this album.  Almost no chorus, no repeated words.  The guy's a brilliant lyricist. And I love the jerky rhythm in this one.

 Poacher wrote:

I had to look that up and found this. . . 

Polymorph
 may refer to:

Science

. . . nice. 

 
It also (I write with my programmer hat on) is a feature of object-oriented programming - see Wikipedia on polymorphism. I should get out more...

 Poacher wrote:

I had to look that up and found this. . . 

Polymorph
 may refer to:

Science

. . . nice. 
 
Or, more likely, the Urban Dictionary definition:Taking two (or more) times the prescribed quantity of prescription pain killers, usually for the specific purpose of getting high. The phrase refers to the oral ingestion of tablets or capsules only. The most common pain killers used for recreational polymorphing are t3, also called Tylenol #3, with codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. 
I like the shins, I really do, but this song, not so much.  I can't put my finger on why that is.
 fredriley wrote:
Gnomic and incomprehensible as ever - surely the only song ever to include the word "polymorphing" - but a catchy sound. 7 from the Nottingham jury.
 
I had to look that up and found this. . . 

Polymorph
 may refer to:

Science

. . . nice. 


I'll find myself another burning gate,
A pretty face, a vague idea I can't relate,
And this is get what you get for pulling pins,
Out of the hole,
Inside the hole you're in


 Stefen wrote:
There are a couple of tracks on this album which I like, but for the most part, the album title is right on.
 
I don't even like a couple. {#Yell}
Gnomic and incomprehensible as ever - surely the only song ever to include the word "polymorphing" - but a catchy sound. 7 from the Nottingham jury.
BETTER is hardly possible!
Is this band still together? I hope so. {#Pray}
 arserocket wrote:
I love it - but Keith richards said about younger bands today, 'I ain't got any, they're all a load of crap
"Everyone's a load of crap. They're all trying to be somebody else and they ain't being themselves. The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party? Load of crap, load a crap. Posers, rubbish. There ain't nothing out there that's worth shit. I listen to the real shit, I don't listen to bullshit. I listen to my shit, baby, Motörhead, reggae, Moroccan music. All kinds of shit."

 
Well, I'd say Keith Richards is full of crap.  This is lyrical brilliance to my mind but I wouldn't necessarily put the Shins in the same group as the bands he mentions either.  I guess Keith can't get no satisfaction.  Reggae?  Ok, Keith.  Keep on rockin' you dinosaur! 



oblique. . . but it made me laugh.

 Sasha2001 wrote:
The best song from the best album of the best band of the last 10 years.
 
And the award for Best Hyperbole?  Did they sweep that too?

Just kidding...I like this a lot.  But let's keep it in perspective.
To me, something about this song is always vaguely reminiscent of Ultravox's "Reap the Wild Wind" — which is a good thing!  loved that song & love this one too
The best song from the best album of the best band of the last 10 years.
I just love a song that  flows with the wind.  Just jump in your car and take this CD  with you as your partner.  This song sets your soul free, just Amazing.
JUST AMAZING!!!!

SONGWRITING AND VOICE!!!!
"9"

This is much better than the Broken Bells!!!. Long live the Shins
The Doors, the Cure...now this!  C'mon RP, cut it out!  I gotta go home!
This song is fan-freaking-tastic! I never get tired of it.
PERFECT ALBUM - PERFECT VOICE - PERFECT COVER - PERFECT BAND!
"9"

 sdn wrote:

"Perched", I think.

 
Thanks

 a_genuine_find wrote:
It's like I'm pushed on the handle bars,

 
"Perched", I think.

 Bocephus wrote:
The bridge reminds of of Rush for some reason.
 
The entire song is Rushlike


The bridge reminds of of Rush for some reason.
 Stefen wrote:
There are a couple of tracks on this album which I like, but for the most part, the album title is right on.
 
There are a couple of tracks on this album which I don't like, for the most part I think you're mad!

More Shinanigans. {#Music}
Way better on headphones.
There are a couple of tracks on this album which I like, but for the most part, the album title is right on.
I met a man who didn't like the Shins. It was a deal breaker.

The Shins-March7th-sight three by ~tinysherpa
©2007-2010 ~tinysherpa

The Shins, 03 07 07, The Backyard, Austin, TX

Great show.

Along the lines of the recent Radiohead re-mix; I'm wondering what Thomas Dolby could do if he re-mixed this track. On repeated listenings, the strain and tension in this track becomes a little overbearing. Maybe Mr. Robbertson could polish this up for a second take.
 WonderLizard wrote:
Broken Bells is pretty good, but I'm thinking that I'll be missing The Shins.
 
I have to agree... 
Broken Bells is pretty good, but I'm thinking that I'll be missing The Shins.
It's like I'm pushed on the handle bars,

Of a blind man's bike

{#Clap}

No straws to grab, just the rushing wind,

On the rolling mind

{#Good-vibes}

Great cut,listening at the Taproom in Numazu as they stream! www.bairdbeer.com
 MM_Prague wrote:
This song was OK the first couple of times, but it's quickly starting to get annoying...
 
Maybe not annoying, exactly. But it certainly losing it's luster.

This song was OK the first couple of times, but it's quickly starting to get annoying...
 pomalley wrote:
 SweTex wrote:


What band isn't?{#Think}

About 4 years ago, it was cool to like Coldplay.  Now all of a sudden, it's not cool. 

Gimmee a break.  I'm so hip, I don't like Coldplay. You're not a hipster cause you don't like a band.

 
Is that you, Chris Martin?

my daughter worships this band. they're ok, but worship status? huh?
{#Notworthy}

I'd say this is the best CD since OK Computer.  It just gets better and better with each listen, and I have heard it now going on 2 years. 
I'm beginning to really like this song...and I just bought the CD

This stays fresh no matter how often I hear it
Fantastic transition from The Cure's Lullaby to this song. Fantastic on so many levels. Well done RP! Today is going to be a good day!
Now I realize who the Shins are.
 guiguy wrote:
This song shimmers in a rich flashy way, coolx100 on many levels.
 
Good and Poppy!

As opposed to Bad and Poopy. {#Mrgreen}
This song shimmers in a rich flashy way, coolx100 on many levels.
 SweTex wrote:


What band isn't?{#Think}

About 4 years ago, it was cool to like Coldplay.  Now all of a sudden, it's not cool. 

Gimmee a break.  I'm so hip, I don't like Coldplay. You're not a hipster cause you don't like a band.

This song is AWSOME
 rumplestiltskin wrote:


If you're going to bare something repeatedly, make it more exciting than shins, I say!
 
snerkle
then Bill plays this

https://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=Music&file=songinfo&song_id=39409

nice album cover/context


 rumplestiltskin wrote:


If you're going to bare something repeatedly, make it more exciting than shins, I say!
 
LO (freaking) L

 MinMan wrote:
Bares repeating: "The Shins will change your life"
 

If you're going to bare something repeatedly, make it more exciting than shins, I say!
i simply LOVE this song!
long live The Shins
 superfido wrote:
Not only is the alblum a great one, as an extra bonus, the cover looks like something out of "Horton hears a Who" {#Dancingbanana}
 
Agree with you on the music but I find the cover hideous, maybe a 100x magnification of Horton's flu virus!!


This band is growing on me. Thanks RP. Would't have heard this sone on the radio otherwise.
I just smile every time you play this song.  Thanks!!!

It IS like I'm pressed to the handle bars of a blind man's bike!!  I get this song.  {#Dancingbanana}  {#Clap}


 Whirlpool wrote:
Better than Coldplay.
 

What band isn't?{#Think}
 bizon wrote:
This is a fantastic song! The singer's voice reminds me a bit of old Billy Joel.
 
Ole Billy had heavy lisp... watch dem ole MTV vids, especially any duets.  Some great catchy songs he had.  I don't hear much of a match up yet with The Shins.  Me like them, and they always seem to catch my attention.  Something new, alternative and something I find likeable. =)

 annersjen wrote:

That seems a tad excessive

 
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Brilliant song!
 wrangler wrote:
{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}

{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}

{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}{#Frustrated}
 
That seems a tad excessive

 Ando wrote:
Anybody else hear Styx in this?
 
Thankfully, I do not.

 Whirlpool wrote:
Better than Coldplay.
 
ANY band that doesn't rip off Radiohead ballads ten times per album is better than freakin Coldplay!

Bares repeating: "The Shins will change your life"
This is a fantastic song! The singer's voice reminds me a bit of old Billy Joel.
I really should have gone to see them when Jacquelyn said this band (that I'd never heard of) were playing at the local punk venue all those years ago. :(
 Whirlpool wrote:
Better than Coldplay.
 
{#Yes} Far, far better.