Oh, Inverted World
Oh, Inverted World is the debut studio album by American indie rock band The Shins, released on June 19, 2001 to critical acclaim. Omnibus Records put out an initial run of vinyl distributed by Darla. Sub Pop Records reprinted the vinyl, but the Sub Pop logo only appears on later pressings.
Oh, Inverted World | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 19, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:31 | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Producer | James Mercer, The Shins | |||
The Shins chronology | ||||
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Singles from Oh, Inverted World | ||||
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The album contains the songs "Caring Is Creepy" and "New Slang", both of which appeared in the 2004 film Garden State.[1]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Austin Chronicle | [3] |
The Boston Phoenix | [4] |
Drowned in Sound | 9/10[5] |
The Guardian | [6] |
NME | 8/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10[8] |
Q | [9] |
Rolling Stone | [10] |
Under the Radar | 9/10[11] |
Oh, Inverted World placed at number 35 on the Pazz & Jop critics' poll for best album of 2001. Online music magazine Pitchfork placed Oh, Inverted World at number 115 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[12]
Legacy
"Oh, Inverted World" was also the name of a web series created by Terence Krey.[13] Released in November 2010, it was largely inspired by The Shins music as well as other indie artists such as Arcade Fire and The Decemberists. The 13-part sci-fi web series was a story of four twenty somethings returning home from college to find that the Moon is falling into the Earth. The web series was called by The New York Times a "mumblecore Night of the Living Dead".[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by James Mercer.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Caring Is Creepy" | 3:19 |
2. | "One by One All Day" | 4:08 |
3. | "Weird Divide" | 1:57 |
4. | "Know Your Onion!" | 2:28 |
5. | "Girl Inform Me" | 2:19 |
6. | "New Slang" | 3:49 |
7. | "The Celibate Life" | 1:49 |
8. | "Girl on the Wing" | 2:48 |
9. | "Your Algebra" | 2:22 |
10. | "Pressed in a Book" | 2:54 |
11. | "The Past and Pending" | 5:21 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Sphagnum Esplanade" | 4:20 |
Personnel
The Shins
- James Mercer – vocals, guitars, keyboards, xylophone, autoharp, programming, harmonium, percussion, harmonica
- Marty Crandall – keyboards
- Neil Langford – bass
- Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Dave Hernandez – bass line design and performance on "New Slang"
- Melanie Crandall – cello on "Your Algebra"
- Neils Galloway – French horn on "The Past and the Pending"
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[15] | 14 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Garden State (2004) - Soundtracks IMDb - Garden State
- Phares, Heather. "Oh, Inverted World – The Shins". AllMusic. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- McCord, Jeff (August 3, 2001). "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- Wood, Mikael (January 24–31, 2002). "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- Butler, Chris (July 31, 2001). "Album Review: The Shins – Oh, Inverted World". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- Simpson, Dave (May 24, 2002). "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)". The Guardian. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World". NME: 35. May 18, 2002.
- Kearney, Ryan (June 30, 2001). "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World". Q (190): 119–21. May 2002.
- Eliscu, Jenny (July 24, 2001). "Oh, Inverted World". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- "Oh, Inverted World - The Web Series". Official Site.
- Hale, Mike (January 14, 2011). "Mishaps in Politicking, Single-Parenthood and Finding a Partner". New York Times.
- "The Shins Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- "American album certifications – The Shins – Oh, Inverted World". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 1, 2021. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.