The Shins polish up their pop for Port of Morrow

James Mercer is back with a new, heavyweight The Shins record.

Twelve years ago, at the dawn of the aughts, The Shins achieved a bunch of buzz on the back end of the "garage rock" craze -- a lo-fi sound that covered a whole slew of "the" bands from  The Von Bondies to The Libertines -- and an assist from the indie sweetheart film, Garden State. Natalie Portman and Zach Braff meet over a Shins song.

Now, Shins frontman and songwriter, James Mercer, is back with a new The Shins record, Port of Morrow, and a new The Shins band -- the original members departed after Mercer broke them up in 2009 or so. The result is a pretty enjoyable record with very strong pop sensibilities. It is at once far removed from the garage sound of the band's  Sub Pop debut, Oh, Inverted World, yet not far at all from band leader James Mercer's upbeat songwriting and trademark vocals.

Between The Shins big break on Garden State and Port of Morrow, The Shins released two critically acclaimed records, 2003's Chutes Too Narrow and 2007's Wincing the Night Away -- and Mercer, began recording with  Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton as Broken Bells, which also put out a critically acclaimed record in 2010. That record did so well, it seemed Mercer was going to dedicate his time going forward to that project.

But he had promised the whole time that The Shins would rock again. And so they do, for the most part. Port of Morrow starts really strong with the rocking "The Rifle's Spiral" and "Simple Song," a big anthem tune propelled by a back beat and an open, catchy chorus.

Things slow down a bit after this but remain sharp. There's a couple of melancholy guitar strummers -- old hat for Mercer -- and a few really interesting pop tunes. There are  the tropical sounds of "Bait and Switch," the breezy "No Way Down" and the aptly performed "Fall of '82," which sounds like it could have been done by Joe Jackson. Mercer is capable of changing formats quickly and skillfully. He has a knack for pop that may be on display here more than any other record he's done before.

Old-school fans might be turned off a little by the Shins' new sheen. The record certainly has its more mainstream moments and a polish that puts it slightly at odds with Shins records of old. I can appreciate that sentiment. My favorite Shins record, Chutes Too Narrow, definitely has a more rough-around-the-edges sound. It has almost a classic British Invasion feel to it. It was what made the band charming then.

That's gone from Port of Morrow, yet Mercer managed to retain a lot of what makes The Shins, well,  The Shins. The songs are energetic and upbeat, even at their most melancholy. Mercer is not a gloomy guy, or at least he never sounds that way. His songwriting, musically,always feels optimistic and human to me. Even when he's in mid-country-sad-ballad-man mode, he doesn't sound beat. His sad songs are always more beautiful than broken down.

And, more than anything else, Mercer's vocals are pretty much their own thing. Everything he sings is going to sound like The Shins. In fact, some of the melodies here recall Shins tunes of the past. So, yeah, more went into this record's production, for sure, but I don't think that lessened the essentials here.  It still sounds sincere. And it sounds really good. Port of Morrow is a solid record, professionally performed and heartfelt at the same time.