Imagination Collaboration: The Shins, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

From reading Paste and a slew of other music pubs, I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t know about The Shins and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.  In particular, I’ve learned more about the creative processes implored by their frontmen, James Mercer and Alec Ounsworth.  In a Filter interview conducted by actor John Krasinski (a.k.a Jim Halpert of “The Office"), Mercer explained that “Sea Legs” includes the sounds of a smashed plastic bag and bottlecaps on the amps.  And in Issue 27 of Paste, Ounsworth explains the method to his madness, following the completion of CYHSY’s new record, “Some Loud Thunder,” and the song “Underwater (You & Me).”

So I got to thinking… wouldn’t it be cool if these guys collaborated?

“In your dreams, Caren.”

Exactly… here is my dream as best as I can recall it…

I was on a plane heading towards New York.  John Krasinski had the seat next to me.  John was very excited to hear that I worked at Paste, because he was in Christopher Guest’s latest project, “For Your Consideration” (the cover subject of Issue 27), and he loved The Shins (the cover subject of Issue 28). We had lots to talk about.  But first we had to clear some things up and make nice. He forgave me for failing to invite him to be on the Issue 27 cover with the rest of the “For Your Consideration” cast; I forgave him for doing the Filter interview.  The rest of plane ride was quite nice. 

When I was leaving the plane, he said, “Do you want to meet The Shins?”

Of course I wanted to meet The Shins! I heard from Natalie Portman that they’ll change my life!

John told me that the band was going to be in Central Park and that he would take me there to meet them (how kind of him).  So we went to the park, and sure enough, The Shins were waiting there.  We talked for a bit, then saw a familiar face.  It was Alec Ounsworth, walking around the park with his Discman (which he is known to do in real life).  Mercer stopped Ounsworth and asked him about the new album.  Krasinski had to take off, so I was left with the musicians.  The conversation went like this:

Ounsworth: “I like what you did with that song...”
Mercer: “The one with the bottlecaps?”
Ounsworth: “Yeah. That’s the one.”
Mercer: “What do you do?”
Ounsworth: “I sing underwater.”
Mercer: “You can sing underwater??”
Ounsworth: “Yeah, I’ll show you how.”

They walked off together, but not before Mercer looked at me and asked, “Can you record this?” Then he and Ounsworth dove into one of the ponds in the middle of Central Park. 

How was I supposed to record underwater??  None of the land-loving Shins could help me!  Sure enough, I could see the two musicians playing guitars underwater, but couldn’t get to them.  Then Mercer popped his head above the water and looked at me.

“Oh, and can you throw us some bottlecaps?” he asked.

That’s the end of the dream.  How cool would it be if that really happened? Especially the singing underwater bit…

James and Alec—think about it.  I could be on to something…