Oh, Inverted World
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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Oh, Inverted World is the debut studio album by American
The album contains the songs "Caring Is Creepy" and "
Background
The album was released several months after its lead single, "New Slang", had debuted. The song garnered substantial critical acclaim to the point where label Sub Pop gave the band a record deal. The album was thus seen as one of the most anticipated indie releases of 2001.
The song "Know Your Onion!" was based on a saying of Mercer's mother, who would say the idiosyncratic phrase "know your onion!" which referred to having discipline in order to do a job well, with Mercer giving an example by saying "you really gotta know your onion to, I don't know, be an electrician or something." Mercer had said that the song's lyrics are about "getting your shit together and figuring out who are. You know, after high school and all the stupidness of that."[5]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Boston Phoenix | [8] |
Drowned in Sound | 9/10[9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
NME | 8/10[11] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10[12] |
Q | [13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
Under the Radar | 9/10[15] |
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.[16]
Legacy
In a 2003 interview published in the San Francisco Foghorn, the official student newspaper of the University of San Francisco, Mercer was asked whether he was happy with the way Oh, Inverted World came out. Mercer responded by saying "As far as how it sounds, no. I don't know, it was okay. I mean, there are a lot of records that sound more perfect, or close to perfect."[5] In a 2021 retrospective interview, Mercer identified closing track "The Past and Pending" as most likely being his favorite song on the album, stating that "it just works on me probably more than the other songs do."[4]
"Oh, Inverted World" was also the name of a
Oh, Inverted World was certified platinum, for sales of one million units, by the Recording Industry Association of America in May 2023. It is the third album released by Sub Pop to be certified at that level, after Bleach by Nirvana and Give Up by The Postal Service.[19]
20th anniversary reissue
The original mastered audio files for both this album as well as its follow-up Chutes Too Narrow, which were stored on an HP Pavilion in Mercer's home, were stolen in 2003. However, this didn't affect the ability to remaster the album because he still had access to the original masters stored on DATs by the mastering company, and only made it impossible to do remixes (save for "New Slang", the relevant file of which was preserved on a DVD Mercer made).[4] In April 2021, a 20th anniversary reissue of Oh, Inverted World was announced for release on June 11, 2021. The reissue was remastered by Bob Ludwig, with The Shins' James Mercer serving as an assistant,[20] and features new artwork, booklet and packaging.[21]
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
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[22]
The Shins
- James Mercer – vocals, guitars, keyboards, xylophone, autoharp, programming, harmonium, percussion, harmonica
- Marty Crandall– keyboards
- Neal Langford – bass
- Jesse Sandoval – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- David Hernandez – bass line design and performance (6)
- Melanie Crandall – cello (9)
- Neils Galloway – French horn (11)
Production
- James Mercer – production
- The Shins – production (1, 4, 5, 8, 10)
- John Golden – mastering
Artwork
- Andrea Leah – design
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
US | 14 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] | 50 |
US Billboard 200[25] | 168 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[26] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Maher, Natalie (2 June 2022). "50 of the Best Songs from the 2000s". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
...from their 2001 record Oh, Inverted World, a delicate, folky pop morsel...
- ^ Garden State (2004) - Soundtracks IMDb - Garden State
- ^ Michael Henningsen (June 21, 2001). "Oh, Inverted World: The Shins Prepare to Turn the Music World Upside Down". Weekly Alibi. Archived from the original on April 19, 2003. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c Holub, Christian (2021). "James Mercer reflects on the Shins' Oh, Inverted World : 'There was this craving for some earnestness'". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ a b Hill, Andrea (2003). "Behind the Scenes with James Mercer: The Foghorn interviews the lead singer and guitarist of 'The Shins'". San Francisco Foghorn. p. 7.
- ^ 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.
- The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the originalon September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Butler, Chris (July 31, 2001). "Album Review: The Shins – Oh, Inverted World". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. 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. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009. 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.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum: Sub Pop". RIAA. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Moreland, Quinn. "The Shins Announce 20th Anniversary Reissue of Oh, Inverted World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "The Shins announce 20th-anniversary edition of 'Oh, Inverted World': "This record gave me the life that I never really dreamed I would have"". NME. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ Oh, Inverted World (liner notes). The Shins. Seattle, Washington: Sub Pop. 2001. SP 550.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Shins Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "The Shins Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Shins – Oh, Inverted World". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 3, 2023.