Chutes Too Narrow

Chutes Too Narrow was recorded in the basement of James Mercer's former home, located in a particularly rough neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Although recording in the basement was less than pleasant, the band found it "cheaper than a real studio", with Mercer noting that "it only costs sixty bucks to buy deadbolts for the doors." Near the end of the recording process, the band was robbed of the computer they recorded on. "So the master files are now in some crack addict's basement," Mercer told Rolling Stone in 2003.{{cite magazine | title=New Faces - The Shins: Quiet Indie Rockers Date Models, Get Robbed| magazine=Rolling Stone| date=November 13, 2003 | author=Heath, Chris| issue =935| page =22| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X}} Having cut ties with a bad relationship and a bad job, Mercer felt his songwriting reflected a broader perspective as a result.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-shins-make-basement-tapes-20030805| title=The Shins Make Basement Tapes| magazine=Rolling Stone| date=August 21, 2003 | accessdate=July 14, 2013 | author=Eliscu, Jenny| issue =929| page =58| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X}} During the recording process, keyboardist Marty Crandall and his girlfriend, Elyse Sewell, saw a television advertisement for America's Next Top Model and joked that she should try out. Host Tyra Banks called his girlfriend a week later, and Sewell went on to win third prize on America's Next Top Model, wearing "three different Shins T-shirts" on the program.

Following the record's completion, the album was mixed at Avast! Studios in Seattle and mastered at The Lodge in New York City.{{cite AV media notes | title=Chutes Too Narrow| year=2003 | others=The Shins | type=liner notes | publisher=Sub Pop| location=United States | id=SPCD 625}}

Rolling Stone wrote that Chutes Too Narrow is "a study in old-school pop songwriting, full of Sixties-style psychedelic folk rock, abundant pop hooks and James Mercer's inimitable high-pitched croon."

"Fighting in a Sack" is the second single taken from Chutes Too Narrow. It was released on 13 July 2004.{{cite web|last=Collier|first=Kate|title=Album Review: The Shins - Fighting in a Sack EP|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/the-shins/fighting-in-a-sack-ep/13967/|publisher=prefixmag.com|accessdate=8 March 2014}}{{cite web|title=Fighting In a Sack - EP|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/fighting-in-a-sack-ep/73519001|publisher=iTunes|access-date=8 March 2014}}{{cite web|title=Fighting in a Sack|url=http://music.msn.com/music/album/the-shins/fighting-in-a-sack/|publisher=music.msn.com|accessdate=8 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308191450/http://music.msn.com/music/album/the-shins/fighting-in-a-sack/|archive-date=8 March 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Simpson|first=Dave|title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/mar/12/popandrock.shopping|publisher=theguardian.com|accessdate=8 March 2014}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 88/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/chutes-too-narrow/the-shins |title=Reviews for Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=November 25, 2015}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev2 = Alternative Press

| rev2score = 5/5

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = A−

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 8.9/10

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9score = B

| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10score = A−

}}

Chutes Too Narrow was met with critical acclaim upon its October 2003 release. Matt LeMay of Pitchfork designated it "Best New Music", summarizing that "Not simply an excellent album, Chutes Too Narrow is also a powerful testament to pop music's capacity for depth, beauty and expressiveness."{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7114-chutes-too-narrow/ |title=The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow |work=Pitchfork |date=October 20, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=LeMay |first=Matt}} AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote that the band "excel[s] at sounding happy, sad, frustrated, and vulnerable at the same time, and their best songs, whether they're fast or slow, feel like they're bursting with nervous energy."{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/chutes-too-narrow-mw0000693519 |title=Chutes Too Narrow – The Shins |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Phares |first=Heather}} The New York Times{{'s}} Kelefa Sanneh called Chutes Too Narrow a "sly, restless album that includes a cryptic protest song—full of sugary harmonies and disconcerting slogans—and a dreamy meditation on ontogeny."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/movies/pop-and-jazz-guide-979422.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=Pop and Jazz Guide |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 16, 2004 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Sanneh |first=Kelefa |author-link=Kelefa Sanneh |issn=0362-4331}} Rolling Stone gave the record four stars, with reviewer Barry Walters commenting, "It must mean something that the freshest indie rock boasts tunes more substantial than what is sold in the mainstream."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/chutes-too-narrow-20031021 |title=Chutes Too Narrow |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York |date=November 13, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Walters |first=Barry |issue=935 |page=94 |issn=0035-791X}}

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called Mercer "a gifted melodist with an arranger's knack for psychedelicizing simple structures and a folkie's fondness for acoustic strum."{{cite news |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv104-04.php |title=Consumer Guide: MLK Fever |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |date=January 13, 2004 |accessdate=November 25, 2015 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}} Q called the record "a leap forward",{{cite journal |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Q |location=London |date=April 2004 |issue=213 |page=120 |issn=0955-4955}} while Uncut wrote that "You don't expect progression from such evident classicists, but there's a new clarity, poise and refinement."{{cite journal |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Uncut |location=London |date=April 2004 |issue=83 |page=107 |issn=1368-0722}} Mojo wrote that the album "sears through the essence of what makes this band special, the brave voice and ebullient delivery of singer-songwriter-guitarist James Mercer."{{cite journal |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Mojo |location=London |date=April 2004 |issue=125 |page=98 |issn=1351-0193}} Spin{{'s}} Zac Crain compared their style to their "fellow travelers the New Pornographers", writing that "the Shins are reverent and referential, practically documenting their source material with footnotes, while acting like they own it."{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crQoYila-dAC&pg=PA133 |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Spin |volume=19 |issue=12 |location=New York |date=November 20, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Crain |first=Zac |page=133 |issn=0886-3032}} While Dave Simpson of The Guardian opined that "downbeat self-deprecation" permeates the recording, he wrote that "there's a certain small-town romance vibe throughout, they're not averse to surprises."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/mar/12/popandrock.shopping |title=Pop CD: The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=March 11, 2004 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Simpson |first=Dave}}

Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club felt the record was a disappointment in contrast to its "near-perfect" predecessor, but did speak positively when comparing: "[Chutes Too Narrow] does share its intelligence and concision, as well as its remarkable ability to make kicky pop-rock sound both simple and complex, retro and modern."{{cite journal |url=https://www.avclub.com/articles/the-shins-chutes-too-narrow,11749/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911224202/http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-shins-chutes-too-narrow,11749/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 11, 2011 |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=The A.V. Club |location=Chicago |date=October 21, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Thompson |first=Stephen}} In contrast, The New Yorker considered the album an improvement over Oh, Inverted World: "With better writing, better playing and better singing, the album illustrates the breadth of the lead singer and songwriter James Mercer's vision; the cuts […] are elevated by accessible pop hooks and literate but unpretentious lyrics."{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/01/05/040105gore_GOAT_recordings |title=A Dozen Favorite CDs from 2003, Listed Alphabetically, And Another Dozen That Merit Mention |newspaper=The New Yorker |date=January 5, 2004 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Sanneh |first=Kelefa |author-link=Kelefa Sanneh |issn=0028-792X}} Similarly, Robert Christgau felt it "faster and clearer" than the band's "paisley-fringed" debut, writing that the album "advances the Shins well beyond the dreamy indistinctness that has replaced lo-fi as Indieland's distancing strategy of choice."{{cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-12-09/music/an-alternative-universe/full/ |title=An Alternative Universe |newspaper=The Village Voice |location=New York |date=December 9, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |issn=0042-6180}} Alternative Press wrote that the band "satisfy largely by serving up more of what made their debut so good",{{cite journal |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Alternative Press |location=Cleveland |issue=185 |date=December 2003 |page=142 |issn=1065-1667}} and Blender felt similarly: "Their second album is equally charming and more consistent."{{cite journal |url=http://www.blender.com/reviews/review_1409.html |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Blender |location=New York |issue=21 |date=November 2003 |accessdate=April 11, 2019 |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |page=120 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040419194754/http://www.blender.com/reviews/review_1409.html |archive-date=April 19, 2004 |url-status=dead}} Magnet felt it "a better record than the Shins' first—a sonically bolder production with fewer effects and more hooks per square inch than a flyrod factory."{{cite journal |title=The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow |journal=Magnet |location=Philadelphia |date=November 2003 |issue=61 |page=109 |issn=1088-7806}} Will Hermes of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "[the band] follow 2001's pop-a-licious Oh Inverted World with just the record you'd want: production a bit bigger […] and songs more adventurous but no less indelible."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2003/10/17/chutes-too-narrow |title=Chutes Too Narrow |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |location=New York |issue=733 |date=October 17, 2003 |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |last=Hermes |first=Will |author-link=Will Hermes |issn=1049-0434 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906005449/http://ew.com/article/2003/10/17/chutes-too-narrow/ |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

Chutes Too Narrow appeared on numerous music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists. Stylus Magazine placed the record at number three on their respective list,{{Cite news| last=Reid| first=Scott| title=Stylus Magazine's Favorite Albums of 2003

|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=776|publisher=Stylus Magazine|accessdate=July 14, 2013| date=December 31, 2003}} while Billboard and The Village Voice{{'s}} Pazz & Jop followed at number six.{{Cite news| title=Albums of the Year|url=https://www.billboard.com/bb/yearend/2004/top10.jsp|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=July 14, 2013| date=December 2004}}{{Cite news|author=Christgau, Robert| title=The 2003 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres03.php|accessdate=July 14, 2013| author-link=Robert Christgau}} Pitchfork placed the record at number seven on their year-end list, writing that "Chutes Too Narrow shattered expectations, a meticulously sequenced, stripped-down collection of indie pop gems encompassing endless Technicolor universes."{{Cite news|title=Staff Lists: Top 50 Albums of 2003|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5925-top-50-albums-of-2003/5/|work=Pitchfork|accessdate=July 14, 2013|date=December 31, 2003|archive-date=February 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229081214/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5925-top-50-albums-of-2003/5/|url-status=dead}} Mojo also placed the album at number seven on their list,{{Cite news| title=Recordings Of The Year 2004|journal=Mojo| date=December 2004| location =London | issn = 1351-0193}} and Rolling Stone on an unordered list of "Best Albums of 2003".{{cite journal | title=50 Best Albums of 2003| journal=Rolling Stone| date=December 25, 2003 | issue =938/939| page =110| publisher =Wenner Media LLC| location =New York City | issn =0035-791X}}

All songs written and composed by James Mercer.

{{Track listing

|title1 = Kissing the Lipless

|length1 = 3:19

|title2 = Mine's Not a High Horse

|length2 = 3:20

|title3 = So Says I

|length3 = 2:48

|title4 = Young Pilgrims

|length4 = 2:47

|title5 = Saint Simon

|length5 = 4:25

|title6 = Fighting in a Sack

|length6 = 2:26

|title7 = Pink Bullets

|length7 = 3:53

|title8 = Turn a Square

|length8 = 3:11

|title9 = Gone for Good

|length9 = 3:13

|title10 = Those to Come

|length10 = 4:24

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

The Shins

• James Mercer – vocals, guitar, harmonica, production
• Dave Hernandez – bass, guitars, production
• Jesse Sandoval – drums, production
• Marty Crandall – keyboards, production

;Additional musicians

• Annemarie Ruljancich – violin on "Saint Simon"
• Kevin Suggs – pedal steel guitar on "Gone for Good"

{{col-2}}

Production

• Phil Ek – production, mixing
• Jesse LeDoux – design
• Emily Lazar – mastering

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Chutes Too Narrow|artist=The Shins|type=album|award=Gold|refname="RIAA"|relyear=2003|certyear=2016}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Metacritic album}}

{{The Shins}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2003 albums

Category:Sub Pop albums

Category:The Shins albums

Category:Albums produced by Phil Ek