The Shins - Saint Simon

2004

The Shins - Saint Simon (2004) Director: Dennis W. Fitzgerald Era: Mid-2000s Indie Rock Bloom (2003–2005) - Post-Garden State cultural moment for Pacific Northwest indie; the Shins at peak Sub Pop critical currency, song from Chutes Too Narrow (Oct 2003), video released 2004 Exceptional. A rare example of a music video that operates as a standalone work of nature cinematography. The near-elimination of conventional music video grammar, no performance, no narrative, minimal editing, combined with the ecological specificity of the monarch butterfly reserve setting makes this a landmark of the concept-documentary hybrid form. High preservation priority as both a cultural artifact of the mid-2000s indie boom and a document of a fragile natural ecosystem. Context: Released in 2004, this video arrives at the height of The Shins' cultural ascent, catalyzed by their inclusion on the Garden State soundtrack (also 2004). 'Saint Simon,' drawn from Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, Oct 2003), was already critically acclaimed, Pitchfork awarded the album 'Best New Music.' Fitzgerald's decision to foreground the monarch butterfly migration as the video's sole visual subject aligns with a mid-2000s indie ethos that prized naturalist beauty, quiet wonder, and an anti-spectacle sensibility over performance or narrative. The video's ecological subject, shot under scientific supervision at a protected Mexican reserve, anticipates broader cultural interest in environmental fragility, giving the piece a documentary weight that extends beyond conventional music promotion. Director notes: Fitzgerald conceived the concept of filming monarch butterflies in their Mexican overwintering habitat after reading about their migration in National Geographic, and spent approximately ten years seeking the right song before selecting 'Saint Simon.' The video was produced by Your Mom Films and shot on location at El Rosario de las Mariposas, a privately-owned butterfly reserve in Michoacán, Mexico. Production was supervised by scientists, and the crew was permitted to bring cranes and equipment into ecologically sensitive areas while adhering to strict conservation protocols. The video was created roughly two years after the song's original album release on Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, October 21, 2003), functioning as a belated visual companion intended to recontextualize the track for audiences.