Hey there! For the remainder of ‘07, Indie Rock Baseball we'll be taking a look back at the ‘07 releases that all the list-makers are talking about, but this columnist hasn’t actually heard yet. Play ball!

The Shins Wincing the Night Away Sub Pop	Babyshambles Shotter’s Nation Astralwerks

Scouting Report: Wincing the Night Away is the new one from Braff-core quintet The Shins, and the hope is that it’s better than its title. Typically, a band this pro-sounding and yelpy would never enter my radar, but the smart, quirky pop writing evinced in their two Garden State songs made an impact. In researching the band, I was stunned to learn their ranks includes the former front man from Albuquerque new-school punks Scared of Chaka?! How come nobody told me this? Seriously, it’s like Fat Mike playing bass for the New Pornographers or something.

Babyshambles are the new artistic vehicle for ex-Libertine turned professional drug-sponge Pete Doherty. Don’t get me wrong: we should all be thankful that someone could break career ground for Amy Winehouse’s Dionysian appetite for intoxicants. But I can at least sing the chorus from a Winehouse number or two. If ever a guy has had a musical career sustained completely on buzz (both media and chemical), Doherty is it. Sound-wise, I have no idea, but here’s a potential highlight: several songs co-written by Kate Moss.

First Up: Wincing the Night Away

1. Sleeping Lessons (3:58) | Excellent. A simmering synth opener turns into rave-up. | DOUBLE, one on
2. Australia (3:57) | STRIKE, 0-1
3. Pam Berry (0:57) | More an interlude than a song. Check swing. | BALL, count evens at 1-1
4. Phantom Limb (4:49) | Winner of the Most Oppressively Over-Mixed Tambourine Award 2007, but undeniably hooky. | HIT, one in, one on
5. Sea Legs (5:23) | You had me until the flute, boys. | STRIKE, 0-1
6. Red Rabbits (4:32) | Great synth choice. This is like drips in the pools of a happy cave. | DOUBLE, another run scores, man on 2nd
7. Turn on Me (3:43) | BALL, 1-0
8. Black Wave (3:19) | STRIKE, 1-1
9. Split Needles (3:47) | The fans are getting restless. | STRIKE, 1-2
10. Girl Sailor (3:46) | FOULED OFF, count holds 1-2
11. A Comet Appearsszz . .zzz… | STRIKE 3, out.

A great disc if you’re trying not to wake a baby. A few worthwhile tunes showcase the band’s grasp of pop construction and memorable melodies, but a complete power outage at the bottom of the line-up. Grab the good ones and go. For The Shins, 2 runs on 3 hits, none left on.

Next Up: Shotter’s Nation

1. Carry On Up the Morning (2:58) | Nice to see someone is still making Oasis records. | HIT, one on
2. Delivery (2:42) | HIT, runners at 1st and 2nd
3. You Talk (3:30) | BALL, 1-0
4. UnBiloTitled (3:52) | The predictable - and predictably dumb - ballad. Johnny Thunders, he’s not. Quite. | STRIKE, 1-1
5. Side of the Road (2:09) | BALL, 2-1
6. Crumb Begging Baghead (3:44) | You know, if there’s one thing shotters hate, it’s crumb-begging bagheads. Man, Brits are weird. Nice blast of organ at the end, though. | HIT, one in, two on
7. Unstookie Titled (4:30) | STRIKE,0-1
8. French Dog Blues (3:32) | Oh man, who can’t relate to this one, eh? | BALL, 1-1
9. There She Goes (3:36) | STRIKE, 1-2
10. Baddie’s Boogie (3:55) | STRIKE 3, out.

Well, it’s not like he can’t (co-)write a song. Still, I’d hate to think where this guy would be career-wise without the drug binges and lengthy arrest record and / or not British. Musically, this could be anybody. For Babyshambles, 1 run on 3 hits, 2 left on.

Your final today, The Shins 2, Babyshambles 1. Stay tuned for more Indie Rock Baseball.

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Lastly, enjoy a response to a comment (and the comment itself) left on a previous edition of IRB. Thought provoking discourse!