The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow (LP, Sub Pop)

Chutes Too Narrow is the second studio album by American rock band The Shins. Produced by Phil Ek and the band themselves the album was released on October 21 2003 through Sub Pop. The album title comes from a lyric in the song Young Pilgrims. The album was very well received by critics garnering an overall score of 88/100 on Metacritic. According to Nielsen Soundscan they have sold over 393 000 copies to date. Chutes Too Narrow features cleaner production standards than the lo-fi Oh Inverted World. This is largely due to the album s being mixed by producer Phil Ek who has also worked with Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. Chutes Too Narrow also departs from the band s keyboard-driven debut and shifts towards more emphasis on guitars. The album also included violin parts on Saint Simon played by Annemarie Ruljancich and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. The cover art was designed by Jesse LeDoux. The songs Gone for Good and Those To Come were used in the 2004 film In Good Company. Those to Come was also used in the 2005 film Winter Passing.