The Shins to Self-Release Fourth Album

Keeping pace with the changing atmosphere of the music industry, the Shins revealed that they would likely self-release their fourth album through frontman James Mercer's Aural Apothecary label. While the band is looking to make a deal that will allow them to keep their masters, they're also hoping to partner with a label to help assist with the marketing costs, the Shins' manager said. That partnering label may be Sub Pop, who released the band's first three albums. "The Shins have been a huge part of Sub Pop's story. We'd love to continue working with them," the label's general manager Megan Jasper told Billboard. The Shins' next album isn't due out until at least 2009.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

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