Chutes Too Narrow is the second studio album by American rock band The Shins. Produced by Phil Ek and the band themselves, the album was released on October 21, 2003, through Sub Pop. The album title comes from a lyric in the song "Young Pilgrims". The album was very well received by critics, garnering an overall score of 88/100 on Metacritic. As of August 2008 according to Nielsen SoundScan, they have sold over 393,000 copies to date. Chutes Too Narrow features cleaner production standards than The Shins' "lo-fi" debut Oh, Inverted World. This is largely due to the album's being mixed by producer Phil Ek, who has also worked with Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. Chutes Too Narrow also departs from the band's previous keyboard-driven sound and shifts towards more emphasis on guitars. The album also included violin parts on "Saint Simon", played by Annemarie Ruljancich, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. The cover art was designed by Jesse LeDoux. The songs "Gone for Good" and "Those to Come" were used in the 2004 film In Good Company. "Those to Come" was also used in the 2005 film Winter Passing. Background and recording Chutes Too Narrow was recorded in the basement of James Mercer's former home, located in a particularly rough neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Although recording in the basement was less than pleasant, the band found it "cheaper than a real studio", with Mercer noting that "it only costs sixty bucks to buy deadbolts for the doors." Near the end of the recording process, the band was robbed of the computer they recorded on. "So the master files are now in some crack addict's basement," Mercer told Rolling Stone in 2003. Having cut ties with a bad relationship and a bad job, Mercer felt his songwriting reflected a broader perspective as a result. During the recording process, keyboardist Marty Crandall and his girlfriend, Elyse Sewell, saw a television advertisement for America's Next Top Model and joked that she should try out. Host Tyra Banks called his girlfriend a week later, and Sewell went on to win third prize on America's Next Top Model, wearing "three different Shins T-shirts" on the program. Following the record's completion, the album was mixed at Avast! Studios in Seattle and mastered at The Lodge in New York City. Music Rolling Stone wrote that Chutes Too Narrow is "a