Well, just got Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins, Marc. Delightful! You
can tell that they're well-versed in all of the left-of-center pop
things like XTC, but they remind me of someone specific that I can't
quite put my finger on, especially on Mine's Not A High Horse. His
voice sounds like someone but I just can't place it. And the first
part of that soaring keyboard riff is stolen directly from a song that
I can't remember (it *will* come to me though). These groups know how
to turn a melodic phrase, *that's* for sure. Derivative? Well yeah...

I've already worn out the song that originally attracted me to them,
So Says I. I'd better back away before I ruin it.

So you say Inverted World is even better? I hope so because I just
bought a sealed vinyl copy of it. g