[Listen] The Shins - "Simple Song"

We received word at the end of last year that The Shins had wrapped up on Port Of Morrow, which will be their first album in five years. After waiting patiently for our first real taste of the album, we have the appropriately titled single "Simple Song" for you to try on. It's been so long since Wincing The Night Away came out but fortunately for us it sounds like the guys picked up right where they left off.

You can pre-order the album now and get "Simple Song" instantly. They also have a bunch of pre-order bundle options, including the Deluxe Audiophile Pack that includes a limited reel-to-reel version of the album in addition to all sorts of other goodies like totes, t-shirts, etc. Head over to the official website for The Shins for more information.

[News] The Shins Reveal New Album Details, Including Tracklisting, Album Artwork

Clearly the album cycle for Broken Bells is fully over because The Shins have announced that they will be releasing a new album in March 2012. The upcoming album is called Port Of Morrow and you can have a look at the gloomy artwork above. The album follows their 2007 release, Wincing The Night Away. The band has also released the tracklisting for the upcoming album, which you can check out after the jump.

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[Watch] New Song From The Shins!

Our buddy over at Twentyfourbit came across this delightful gem. Last month at a benefit for Portland, OR's Puddletown School, James Mercer along with Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer on drums played a new Shins track during their encore. Just before the song, Mercer told the audience,“We’re working on a new record and this is one of the songs that should be on there.”

Sounds pretty catchy! I'm all for it! Wonder what else they have up their sleeves? Guess we'll have to wait and find out!

Check out the video above for the performance, or you can just listen to the audio below, courtesy of 24B.

New Shins Song (James Mercer w/Joe Plummer, Live) by TwentyFourBit.com

[Watch] Broken Bells - "Heartless Empire"

The Meyrin Fields EP just dropped this week. To celebrate, we now have a video for "Heartless Empire"! It's not anything too fancy, but now you can enjoy this song in multiple formats!

Make sure you go pick it up if you haven't already!

[Listen] Broken Bells - "Heartless Empire"

Another song from the upcoming Broken Bells EP Meyrin Fields has surfaced! I am starting to understand why these four songs weren't included on the full album. They really don't fit the vibe of the album at all, but not in a bad way. "Heartless Empire" is a bit more chipper and a little rough around the edges than what we've heard in the past. 

Now that we're halfway into what's on the EP, what say you about this direction? I'm rather enjoying this slightly different direction. I don't think I prefer it more than what's on the album, but I'm still feeling it nonetheless. 

 March 29th is coming up fast! Make sure you pre-order the EP if you haven't already. 

[Listen] Broken Bells - "Windows"

A little while ago, NPR debuted the new Broken Bells song "Windows". According to NPR, the songs were recorded while James Mercer and Danger Mouse were recording Broken Bells but these four songs just didn't feel like the other songs that made the album. They sure weren't kidding about that! "Windows" is still pretty chill a la Broken Bells but has a rugged feel to it. 

Check it out for yourselves!

So? What do we think? 

Broken Bells Are Back With A New EP

Let the universe rejoice! The power duo that is Broken Bells are releasing more music! What's better: it comes out at the end of the month! Meyrin Fields, the upcoming EP from James Mercer and Danger Mouse will drop on March 29th, 2011 and features four previously unreleased tracks. The first single will be revealed on March 7th and you can pre-order the EP on vinyl, CD and mp3 over on their site. 

[Download] Cee-Lo "The Ol' Sauseej (Broken Bells "The Ghost Inside" Parody)"

Oh Cee-Lo, I'm so glad that you have an odd sense of humor and that you are so tight with Danger Mouse, because it makes this parody of "The Ghost Inside" that much more amusing. Cee-Lo's version, "The Ol' Sauseej" is about, well, sausages. It starts of sounding like he's hungry and then you get the feeling that maybe talking about food made him a bit horny, as sausage takes on a different meaning in the second half of the song. Either way, we had a good laugh at it. If you like what you hear below you can download it over here. 

Cee-Lo - "The Ol' Sauseej" (Broken Bells "The Ghost Inside" Parody) by Some Kind of Awesome