Following on from a decision to move away from their indie label Sub Pop for their next album, The Shins have made some serious line up changes. Longtime members Marty Crandall and Jesse Sandoval are out, replaced by Fruit Bats' Ron Lewis on bass and Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer on drums. The pair will appear on The Shins' forthcoming album as well as on tour with the band.
Frontman James Mercer told Pitchfork.com that the change was due to new production ideas and a change in aesthetic.
"It's a lot more up-tempo stuff…I haven't really got any real ballad-y stuff right now. I've got 30 songs and none of them are real slow. I think maybe, I'm not so melancholy lately. I'm real happy. I've been lucky in love and I've got a wonderful kid now and things have been going well. Some of the songs are sort of aggressive in a new wave way. I'm excited about it."
The new Shins album will be released on Mercer's own label Aural Apothecary, along with a reissue of 1997's "When You Land Here, It's Time To Return" by Flake Music, The Shins before they were The Shins. Mercer admits the goal of setting up his own label was financial.
"I mean, it's more work and it's more headache and all that, but I think it'll be worth it in the end."
