The Shins
Indie rockers The Shins have had a line-up change following the departures of keyboard player Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval.
The pair quit the band on good terms during a recent hiatus, according to frontman James Mercer, and they have been replaced by the Fruit Bats' Ron Lewis and Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer.
The group has been on a break for over a year, during which Mercer announced he was leaving Sub Pop Records for own label, Aural Apothecary. But they are back on tour with a new look and new material.
Mercer tells Rolling Stone he has penned 30 tracks for a new album, which will be whittled down for a 2010 album.
New drummer Plummer isn't Mercer's only link to fellow cult indie act Modest Mouse - he is writing the soundtrack to filmmaker Chris Malloy’s new Chile travelogue with frontman Isaak Brock.
The band enjoyed global success with its third album, Wincing the Night Away, in 2007. The album was nominated for a 2008 Best Alternative Music Album Grammy. The Shins' The Past and Pending was reportedly played at Heath Ledger's funeral.
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison