Review:

on 2011-11-11 CharlesMartel Said:

Although I never judge a book or an album by its cover, I have to say that this is one of the worst examples of cover art I have seen. That over with, "Chutes too Narrow" is not a bad album, but it another of those albums which frustrates the hell out of me because behind what is delivered up on this CD I can see a really great album lurking, desperate to get out, but like some 21st century genie, imprisoned in the lasered surface of the disc, it cannot manage to escape. Perhaps I should try rubbing it?

If I have to be critical (and let's be honest, I almost always have to be) then I would argue that this is slightly overproduced and poppy. It seems like an attempt to push the Shins into the mainstream where someone can make some big bucks off their backs. All the right elements are there for a selection of good songs, but somehow they just do not quite come together in the way that you feel they ought to. "Saint Simon" is probably the pick of the tracks but I always feel when I am listening to this that it is lacking commitment. It is almost as if the Shines wrote some good songs, and then gave them to a bunch of disinterested session musicians to perform.

Whether that is the fault of the band, I don't know. These songs should excite me more than they do. Considerably more. But while I can recognise the qualities of the album, I just do not feel at all moved by it. There are some good melodies here and if you measure each track by the standard set by the best of them, there is not what you would call a dud track on here. However, if you took some of these tracks and put them on other albums they would be labelled as fillers.

I will end up giving "Chutes too Narrow" an average rating, and feel that I am either cheating it out of its due or giving it credit for something it is not. In truth, it is not an average album and has the potential to be a great one. But that potential is unrealised. Somewhere along the line the Shins forgot the lessons they had learned before releasing "Oh, Inverted World" and the result is disappointing more for what it doesn't deliver than for what it actually does.
Rating: 6/10

Review:

on 2009-07-13 fortunecookie Said:

In the movie Garden State, Natalie Portman (or at least her character) tells Zach Braff's character that listening to The Shins will change his life. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but at the very least, Chutes Too Narrow is a solid indie pop album. The concept of "pop" is nearly literal -- the music sweetly bubbles in all the right places. Beyond the obviously lovely Kissing the Lipless, my favorite tracks are So Says I, the country-tinged, Wilco-like Young Pilgrims and gorgeous Caring is Creepy. Few albums have so many standout tracks.

The only complaint is with the lyrics. While many may be able to get beyond this, the words came off often too fuzzy and difficult to understand. To an extent it's part of the charm -- the lead vocalist can lure you into a happy daze, and it's perfectly nice to just sink into the music. Chutes Too Narrow is easily my favorite album by The Shins.
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2007-08-22 SolitaryMan Said:

My only complaint with Chutes Too Narrow is that it seems to end way too soon. At just over a half-hour, that's to be expected but what really does it is the pure quality of every song. I've been going back in their catalog, from their most recent on down, and I ask this question to nobody in particular; have the Shins made a bad record? I doubt it. While this one isn't as creatively spiked or tinged with innovation, Chutes Too Narrow is an enjoyable indiepop experience. Not easy to see why the Shins are so popular with albums like this in their past.
Rating: 7/10

Review:

on 2007-07-31 kev_stev Said:

Infectious pop-rock would be an understatement to describe Chutes Too Narrow, which is probably the best indie-pop album I have ever heard in my life. Every song on Chutes is a carefully crafted masterpiece; songs ranging from joyful anthems to pensive acoustics, with lyrics that are thought provoking and embed themselves in your head. For days, I was humming "My head's like a kite" randomly out of context. But that's what The Shins will do to you: a few listens to Chutes will leave you happily singing their catchy, charming tracks that avoid any form of pretension even when they delve into deep subject matters. Really, this album is perfect; it truly does surpass the sophomore slump label and creates even bigger expectations than after their debut.
Rating: 10/10