Pitchfork

The album version of the Shins' "Split Needles" is a daydream of a tune, floating by on lazy acoustic guitars and synth waves like little fluffy clouds.

This version, from the "Phantom Limb" CD single (and available for free download for a limited time from Amp Camp), is quick and punchy, imagining what XTC circa Drums and Wires might have done with the track.

The original "Split Needles" will appear on the new Shins album Wincing the Night Away, due out January 23 on Sub Pop in the U.S. and January 29 on Transgressive in the UK.

As previously reported is the Shins' brief West Coast tour, starting this week in Seattle. On January 5, the band will perform and be interviewed on NPR's World Café.

12-07 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
12-08 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
12-09 La Jolla, CA - RIMAC Arena (UCSD)
12-13 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom