They sound like the strokes but more indie, they're a great band. If you like them try Modest mouse, and Death Cab for Cutie.

I like the Shins, but not really Modest Mouse and Death Cab. Although I like Modest Mouse more (way more, really) than I do Death Cab.

well seeing how i dislike all of that music, this guy might be onto something.

Is this supposed to be news? Surely not...

(Edited by damon at 10:55 am on Jun. 11, 2004)

i don't think the shins are anything like they strokes at all...the only similarity being that they are two bands wallowing in the sounds of the past...i do like the shins though...i don't like modest mouse at all, and death cab is ok, they have some good songs, but the shins are way better than either one of those bands. and the strokes? i simply don't care. i liked the first record, but the second one is the same thing over again and therefore not as good.

The Shins are amazing, I do not like Death Cab at all, Modest Mouse is very eh, and the Strokes mop the floor with the lot of them.

I'm a big Death Cab fan (and everything Ben Gibbard does for that matter) and I like The Shins alright. I guess I can see the comparison (sort of slow, rocking but not really rocking, lite/lo-fi indie rock). I think DCFC is 20 times more interesting, though. I don't see the comparison to the Strokes whatsoever. I still haven't checked out Modest Mouse, but I do not like what I've heard/heard about them.

I didn't notice that he'd said the strokes and shins sound alike. how's that supposed to work?

Ditto

On a more positive note: I too love the Shins.

(Edited by Lauren at 5:44 pm on Jun. 11, 2004)

I think they sound like the beach boys in spots.

What do their clothes matter?

hehee...this is why you're my brother

(Edited by Lauren at 6:30 am on Jun. 12, 2004)

they don't, but try telling that to the strokes!

Has anyone seen the Shins in concert before? I'm debating whether to see them tomorrow night. I love their music, but the couple of times I've seen them perform on tv haven't impressed me much, so I don't know if it's worth it. I don't want to pay the money just to hear crappier versions of the same songs on their albums. If anyone has seen them live and loved them or hated them let me know!

I don't think that the Strokes think that their clothes matter. I think that the media and the journalists who interview them have made it a huge deal. I've never once heard/read a Stroke say, "Man, I dress really hip and I put a lot of effort into it."

I saw them twice at the Slow Bar (RIP)- the first time, I knew nothing about them, and I fell in love & bought the album immediately after the show. The second time was before the new album came out & it was just as great.

man, you can tell just by looking at them. it's not a bad thing, I don't think, but it is obvious that they put some thought into how they look. it would be ridiculous to think otherwise.

The Shins are fan-F-ing-tastic. Is indie really a sound or just a kind of car?

The Shins are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the Strokes. 110 times better. See, the Shins actually have a grasp of this little concept called mel-o-dy. Also, they don't sing through a bullhorn, which is a good thing.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 12:10 am on Jun. 14, 2004)

while we're piling on, let me say that the strokes are clearly more concerned with their look than their development as a bland, er, excuse me, band, i meant to say...."indie" means, technically, 'we sort of know how to play our instruments', if i've translated it accurately, but it has become an all-encompassing term more or less meaning 'white people with guitars'. it is also a kind of car that apparently only drives in circles, in which case it could be roughly interpreted as 'white people in cars, driving in circles really fast while rednecks everywhere in rapt attention swill their piss-flavored canned domestic beers'...of course, i'm not sure about all this.

Historical Reference

That's because it's even cooler to make you think they don't care.

Nice walk down memory lane, Miss 9. I remember exactly where I was when I was reading those posts for the first time, and man, that was a long time ago.

So anyway, yes, I did stick up for the Strokes back then. What can I say, feelings change. I still don't think they're a terrrible band, or even a bad band. I just don't think they're that great. Mediocre would be a fitting adjective. I still do think that maybe they can evolve into a great band. We'll see, I guess.

brianeno2 has changed his avatar again.

The Avatar Theif strikes again!

Dammit, you're right, Carl!

i probably would've stuck up for them back then, too--i will even confess to having a strokes t-shirt that i never wear. i liked the first album, the one with the real cover and nyc cops included, but 'room on fire' is the same thing, with slightly less memorable tunes. the charm the first one got by on has been stretched a little too thin...it was predictable though. the band got blown up before they were ready for it musically...i think they may have been a couple of years from being a roaringly great band, but they had success handed to them immediately--not just success, but arse-licking from every direction--and they got complacent, started dating similarly overrated hollywood actresses, and became, in short, rich bastards. i hope they can right the ship, but as of now they're getting one across the bow from me.

I didn't bring it up to call anybody out or say, "Liar! Two and a half years ago, you thought differently!" People's musical tastes change over time, and those who create the music change, too. I think that's precisely why it's interesting to compare these two threads.

It's also funny to me because the sentiments expressed in that thread kept me from ever liking The Strokes. I've never (to my knowledge) heard any of their music, but I still don't like them. Since I have a complete lack of musical sensibilities, I just let you guys tell me what I like and what I don't like.... except "Love Is Golden." That's just bad.

I completely agree. "Turn a Square" is one of my favorite songs. Music, not image.

haha!