Pitchfork

The one form of irony that remains well-received by our post-9/11 sensibilities is the art of self-deprecation-- in the past three years, a gravy train of artists and entertainers have nearly exhausted every possible angle of talking shit about themselves. However, even Craig Kilborn has shied away from comparing himself to a fascist. Luckily, we have The Shins to take that leap.

Originally released as a seven-inch in 2000, "When I Goose-Step" has resurfaced on the soundtrack of the exceedingly crappy-looking Josh Hartnett vehicle Wicker Park, and succeeds cheerily in cracking smiles despite the black heart of its title. The music helps, ascending as it does on a fuzzy keyboard and upbeat tempo, militantly kept alive by rhythm guitar reminiscent of If You're Feeling Sinister-era Belle & Sebastian. What's more, there's never a let-down: The Shins pack a starful of sunny pop into these two glowing minutes.

The chorus brings the image of singer James Mercer stalking around the house all Mussolini-like, dictating marching orders to his girlfriend-- it's stark enough to elicit a laugh. That's right, emo-land, here we have someone expressing an emotion indirectly (penitence, no less) and he's not crying about it. In fact, he's a little demanding ("So don't get into it with me/ When I goose-step/ Across the kitchen floor"). Accompanied by the finger-snapping waves of music, his humility hits just that much harder when the shift in attitude occurs: "I'm so impressed that you hear/ My inventions, and that it matters more/ Than what you saw with your eyes."