The band hitting Terminal 5 this week for a three-night stand shares exactly one member with the group Natalie Portman famously promised would change your life: frontman James Mercer, who followed up 2007’s Wincing the Night Away by replacing his mates with various indie-rock ringers. Yet if the Shins have undergone fundamental transformations over the past five years, there’s no mistaking the essential Shins-iness of the just-released Port of Morrow: Here, once again, we find Mercer pondering life’s big questions in long-lined vocal melodies that seem to float over jangly, detailed guitar-pop arrangements. It’s a welcome return, however notional. Pay heed: Each of these gigs features a different opener, so choose wisely. Our pick? Monday 30, with Brooklyn’s synthed-out Chairlift.—Mikael Wood
Each of these gigs features a different opener—St. Lucia on Sunday, Chairlift on Monday and Real Estate on Tuesday.