Tag Archives: James Mercer

The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow

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On October 21, 2003, “Sub Pop” label released “Chutes Too Narrow”, the second Shins (The) album. It was recorded June – July 2003, at “Avast! Studios” in Seattle, Washington, James Mercer’s basement in Portland, Oregon, and was produced by Phil Ek, James Mercer, Dave Hernandez, Jesse Sandoval and Mart Crandall.

Personnel:

  • James Mercer – vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Marty Crandall – keyboards
  • Dave Hernandez – bass, guitars
  • Jesse Sandoval – drums
  • Kevin Suggs – pedal steel guitar
  • Annemarie Ruljancich – violin
  • Phil Ek – mixing
  • Emily Lazar – mastering
  • Jesse LeDoux – design

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer.

  1. Kissing the Lipless
  2. Mine’s Not a High Horse
  3. So Says I
  4. Young Pilgrims
  5. Saint Simon
  6. Fighting in a Sack
  7. Ping Bullets
  8. Turn a Square
  9. Gone for Good
  10. Thos to Come

Broken Bells: Into The Blue

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On October 7, 2022, “AWAL” label released” Into the Blue”, the third Broken Bells studio album. It was recorded in 2022, and was produced by Danger Mouse.

Personnel:

  • James Mercer – vocals, guitar, bass
  • Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) – organ, piano, synth, mellotron
  • Inflo (Dean Wynton Josiah Cover) – piano, backing vocals
  • Sam Cohen – drums, synth, bass, bells, guitar, backing vocals
  • David Christian – drums
  • Nate Walcott – horns
  • Oliver Hill – strings, violin
  • Kaitlin Wolfberg – strings, violin
  • Lauren Baba – strings, viola
  • Emily Elkin – strings, cello
  • Alba Ponce De Leon, Alecia Chakour – backing vocals
  • Oliver Hill – strings arrangements
  • Matt Koening – recording
  • Kennie Takahaski – recording
  • Todd Monfalcone – additional engineering
  • Bob Weston – mastering
  • Jacob Escobedo – artwork, illustration
  • Kelly Ford – design

Track listing:

All tracks by Brian Burton and James Mercer except where noted.

  1. Into the Blue – Brian Burton, James Mercer, Sam Cohen
  2. We’re Not in Orbit Yet…
  3. Invisible Exit
  4. Love on the Run – Brian Burton, Dean Josiah Cover, James Mercer, Sam Cohen
  5. One Night
  6. Saturdays – Brian Burton, James Mercer, James Milne
  7. Forgotten Boy – Brian Burton, Emil Thielhelm, James Mercer, Michael Esposito, Ralph Scala, Ronald Gilbert
  8. The Chase
  9. Fade Away

The Shins: Heartworms

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On March 10, 2017, “Columbia” label released “Heartworms”, the fifth Shins (The) studio album. It was recorded 2014 – 2016, and was produced by James Mercer and Richard Swift.

  1. James Mercer – voices, guitar, bass, chord organ, harmonica, synthesizer, ukulele, percussion
  2. Mark Watrous – guitar, piano, castanets, kalimba, strings, synthesizer bass
  3. Chris Funk – guitar, dulcimer
  4. Yuuki Matthews – bass, synthesizer, drums, percussion, mixing
  5. Richard Swift – drums, percussion, mellotron, synthesizer
  6. Joe Plummer – drums, engineer
  7. Jon Sortland – drums
  8. Brian Lucey – mastering
  9. Steve Drizos – percussion
  10. Jacob Escobedo – artwork, design

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer.

  1. Name for You
  2. Painting a Hole
  3. Cherry Hearts
  4. Fantasy Island
  5. Mildenhall
  6. Rubber Ballz
  7. Half a Million
  8. Dead Alive
  9. Heartworms
  10. So Now What
  11. The Fear

Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

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On March 20, 2007, “Epic” label released “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”, the fifth Modest Mouse studio album. It was recorded 2005 – 2006, at “Sweet Tea Studio” in Oxford, MS, “Audible Alchemy” in Portland, OR, and was produced by Dennis Herring.

Personnel:

  • Isaac Brock – lead vocals, guitar, art direction
  • Johnny Marr – guitar
  • Eric Judy – bass
  • Jeremiah Green – drums, percussion
  • Tom Peloso – vocals, bass, piano, trumpet, tuba, fiddle, synthesizer
  • Joe Plummer – drums, percussion
  • Clay Jones – acoustic guitar, shaker, programming
  • Dennis Herring – claps, stomps, Rhodes, pump organ, backing vocals, mixing
  • Kyle “Slick” Johnson – programming
  • Naheed Simjee – backing vocals, claps, stomps
  • James Mercer- backing vocals
  • Joe Zook – engineer, mixing
  • Clay Jones – engineer
  • Tom Queyja, Rob Cooper – assistant
  • Kyle “Slick” Johnson, Reto Peter, Tom Queyja – additional engineering
  • Howie Weinberg– mastering
  • Christian Helms – art direction, design
  • Nahjeed Simjee – art direction
  • Christian Helms, Geoff Peyeto at The Decoder Ring – design
  • David Ellis, Casey Burns – booklet interior illustrations

Track listing:

All lyrics by Isaac Brock; all music by Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green, Eric Judy, Tom Peloso and Joe Plummer.

  1. March into the Sea
  2. Dashboard
  3. Fire It Up
  4. Florida
  5. Parting of the Sensory
  6. Missed the Boat
  7. We’ve Got Everything
  8. Fly Trapped in a Jar
  9. Education
  10. Little Motel
  11. Steam Engenius
  12. Spitting Venom
  13. People as Places as People
  14. Invisible

Broken Bells: Same

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On March 9, 2010, “Columbia” label released the self-titled, debut Broken Bells album. It was recorded 2009 – 2010, at “Mondo Studio” in Los Angeles, “Glenwood Place Studios” in Burbank, California, and was produced by Danger Mouse (Brian Burton).

Personnel:

  • Brian Burton– organ, synthesizer, bass guitar,  piano,  drums,  programming
  • James Mercer– vocals, bass guitar, guitars
  • Christopher J. Tedesco, Philip Vaiman, Jessica van Velzen, Jennifer Walton, John Wittenberg, Alwyn Wright, Adriana Zoppo, Carolyn Osborn, Michele Nardone, Miriam Mayer, Peter Kent, Johana Krejci, Calabria McChesney,Peggy Baldwin, Alisha Bauer, Ruth Bruegger, Ronald Clark, Yvette Devereaux, Kirstin Fife, Stefanie Fife, Vanessa Freebairn-Smith, Ilona Geller, Neel Hammond, Margot Aldcroft – strings
  • Daniele Luppi – string conductor
  • Jeff Antebi– artist development
  • Kennie Takahashi – programming, engineer, mixing
  • Todd Monfalcone – engineer, mixing
  • Stephen Marcussen– mastering
  • Jacob Escobedo – artwork, design, layout
  • Frank W. Ockenfels – photography
  • Anton Riehl – score preparation

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer and Brian Burton.

  1. The High Road
  2. Vaporize
  3. Your Head Is on Fire
  4. The Ghost Inside
  5. Sailing to Nowhere
  6. Trap Doors
  7. Citizen
  8. October
  9. Mongrel Heart
  10. The Mall & Misery

Broken Bells: After the Disco

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On January 31, 2014, “Columbia” label released “After the Disco”, the  second  Broken Bells studio album. It was recorded October 2012 – November 2013, at “Mondo Studio” and “Sound Recorders” in Los Angeles, Glenwood Place Studios” in Burbank, California, “Firehouse Studios” in Pasadena, California, and was produced by Danger Mouse (Brian Burton).

Personnel:

  • James Mercer– vocals, guitar, bass, organ, synthesizer, percussion
  • Brian Burton– drums, organ, piano, synthesizer, percussion, bass, guitar
  • Elizabeth Berg, Heather Porcaro, Myla Balugay, Rebecca Ann Stark- backing vocals

Orchestra

  • The Angel City String Orchestra – strings

Daniele Luppi – conductor, string arrangement

Anton Riehl – score

Peter Kent – concertmaster, violin

Chris Tedesco – contractor

  • Carolyn Osborn – violin
  • Erika Walczak – violin
  • Jennifer Walton – violin
  • Judy Yoo – violin
  • Julie Beavers – violin
  • Norman Hughes – violin
  • Shari Zippert – violin
  • Sharon Jackson – violin
  • Susan Chatman – violin
  • Vladimir Polimatidi – violin
  • Adrianna Zoppo – viola
  • Brianna Bandy – viola
  • Jessica Van Velzen – viola
  • Alisha Bauer – cello
  • Stefanie Fife – cello
  • Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello
  • Kamasi Washington – tenor saxophone
  • David Ralicke – trombone
  • Nathaniel Walcott- trumpet
  • Brian Burton – programmer
  • Kennie Takahashi – programmer, mixing, recording, engineer
  • Todd Monfalcone – recording
  • Jeff Peters – recording
  • Jacob Dennis – engineer assistant, mixing assistant
  • Chris Kahn – engineer assistant, mixing assistant
  • Laura Sisk – second engineer
  • Jeremy Underwood – engineer assistant
  • Todd Monfalcone – second engineer, mixing
  • Geoff Neal – mixing assistant
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Jacob Escobedo – artwork

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer and Brian Burton.

  1. Perfect World
  2. After the Disco
  3. Holding On for Life
  4. Leave it Alone
  5. The Changing Lights
  6. Control
  7. Lazy Wonderland
  8. Medicine
  9. No Matter What You’re Told
  10. The Angel and the Fool

The Shins: Oh, Inverted World

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On June 19, 2001, “Omnibus Records” label released “Oh, Inverted World”, the debut Shins studio album. It was recorded 2000 – 2001, and was produced by James Mercer, Marty Crandall, Neil Langford and Jesse Sandoval

Personnel:

  • James Mercer – vocals, guitars, keyboards, xylophone, autoharp, programming, harmonium, percussion, harmonica
  • Marty Crandall – keyboards
  • Neil Langford – bass
  • Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion
  • Dave Hernandez – bass
  • Neils Galloway – French horn
  • Melanie Crandall – cello
  • John Golden – mastering
  • Andrea Leah – design

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer.

  1. Caring Is Creepy
  2. One by One All Day
  3. Weird Divide
  4. Know Your Onion
  5. Girl Inform Me
  6. New Slang
  7. The Celibate Life
  8. Girl on the Wing
  9. Your Algebra
  10. Pressed in a Book
  11. The Past and Pending

The Shins: Wincing The Night Away

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Wincing_the_Night_Away

On January 23, 2007, “Sub Pop” label released “Wincing the Night Away”, the third Shins (The) album.  It was recorded in 2005 and 2006, at James Mercer’s basement studio, Phil Ek’s home in Seattle and in Oregon City, and was produced by James Mercer and Joe Chiccarelli.

Personnel:

  • James Mercer– vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, ukelele, banjo, cat piano, percussion, beat and MIDI programming
  • Marty Crandall– synthesizers, organ, bass guitar, percussion
  • Dave Hernandez– lead guitar
  • Chris Funk– lap steel guitar , hammered dulcimer, bouzouki
  • Jesse Sandoval– drums
  • Niels Gallaway – French horn
  • Paloma Griffin – violin
  • Eric D. Johnson– backing vocals, piano
  • Anita Robinson – backing vocals
  • Robert Mercer – illustration, design

Track listing:

All tracks by James Mercer.

  1. Sleeping Lessons
  2. Australia
  3. Pam Berry
  4. Phantom Limb
  5. Sea Legs
  6. Red Rabbits
  7. Turn On Me
  8. Black Wave
  9. Split Needles
  10. Girl Sailor
  11. A Comet Appears