Wincing The Night Away (Standard Black Vinyl)

Cosmetic issue: Torn shrinkwrap

Their third album is the sound of a band growing up and out. James Mercer's infectious, indelible melodic style is still at the core, but on various songs he also channels a Morrissey vibe, pairs a hip-hop beat with lush melodic lines and searing guitars, toys with tweaked-out piano steeped in psychedelic strings, utilizes fractured synth samples, adds gauzy, arpeggiated keyboards that cloak thunderous anthems, and even takes cues from early Jesus And Mary Chain sweeping, fuzz-toned epics. The album also contains the lilting, exhilarating, rollicking, rock-solid pop songs we've all come to covet from The Shins.