We’ve heard three cuts off the Shins’ Port of Morrow LP so far, but the one I keep coming back to is “September,” perhaps James Mercer’s most overt love song to date. As it turns out, though, this might be the best from the set: While I’ve yet to hear the remaining 7 tunes, AV Club’s Steven Hyden has and that was his take, per in an early look at the record:
“September” is the least representative song on Morrow, but it also happens to be the best, showing that Mercer’s talent for simple, acoustic pop strummers hasn’t abandoned him.
What strikes me most about this carefully crafted ode to Mercer’s wife of 6 years is a trait common among most year’s standout tracks: a feeling of having been around forever, left undiscovered until an old CD-R or cassette mixtape for a lost love turned up. To wit, Mercer sounds and looks remarkably comfortable playing the new tune in this clip for Kink 101.9FM — as if it’s been tucked within his live repertoire since those early Shins days in Albuquerque over a decade ago. Check it out below: