Review Summary: A pretty good start for a band that would follow a totally different path onwards.
The transitioning point between the cheery and full of energy, power-pop sound of Flake Music and the mellow, Elephant 6 inspired sound of The Shins; Nature Bears a Vacuum is infinitely more aggressive and energetic than what came forward (their self titled demo EP that would be handed out at their early live shows was already a huge departure from their sound, despite coming out only around a year later). This was also back when The Shins was James Mercer’s solo project, so all of the music was done by him only.
This record sounds a lot like a Shins album, despite being a completely different style musically. You can tell some similarities between the simple yet memorable songwriting, Mercer’s delicate and almost intimate singing, and use of keyboards. The closest any songs released after this album sounded like it was on Girl On The Wing, from Oh, Inverted World, but other than that I can’t think of any later material that is as aggressive as the songs on this EP. The song’s opening track is very enjoyable; the chorus is very satisfying, and the synth used sounds great alongside the super distorted guitars. The second track is also really good, I’d go as far as to say it’s better than the first track -it has the Shin’s signature end, with a buildup that ends with a few chords and then fades out as the final chord is strummed. The last 2 songs I didn’t find interesting enough for me to care about.
It’s a pretty fun album, and definitely the odd one out from the band’s discography. If you wanna listen to some good ol’ fashioned power pop mixed with signature Mercer songwriting, an extremely lo-fi sound and abrasive guitar tones, then give this album a listen.
Not super intricate, and definitely not as good as their later material, but good regardless.
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Attribution: https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/zod_/the-shins/nature-bears-a-vacuum/136009970
