The highly-anticipated third album from The Shins, Wincing the Night Away, is set for release via Sub Pop Records on January 23rd, 2007. The album was recorded in the summer of ’06 in singer/guitarist James Mercer’s basement home studio, with Phil Ek in Seattle, and at Supernatural Sound in Oregon City, OR, and was produced by Mercer, and Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2).

The Shins are going to be incredibly busy this month. And, because we think that the various things they’re doing are pretty amazing, and also because we are having a hard time keeping track of it all ourselves (…), the following summation of January ’07, aka the month The Shins are totally all up in your grill:

After yesterday’s news about Iron & Wine the following is the sort of thing that, as recently as 2002, would have been akin to us proclaiming that Beachwood Sparks were scheduled to play a unicorn rodeo in Narnia. But, it’s true!

On Monday, October 8th, The Shins will be performing the song “Sealegs” from this year’s Wincing the Night Away on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Seriously!

You should watch!