Although today seems like any other Tuesday on the calendar, for music fans, today is the first day of new releases in 2007. Expect another stellar year for new music. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away and Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You Destroyer get things rolling this year, as does the debut country album from 7 th Heaven dolt Beverly Mitchell. Today you can also expect releases from the following:

Animal Collective, People, EP

Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity

The Walkmen, Pussy Cats

Camera Obscura, If Looks Could Kill

Julie Doiron, Woke Myself Up

Lovers, Sleep With Heat

Fujiya & Miyagi, Transparent Things

Headman, On

The Affair, Yes Yes To You

Pelican, After The Ceiling Cracked

Before anyone heard tracks from The Shins Wincing, many feared the band’s first foray into the mainstream. Some thought the band was ready to kiss the indie-kids goodbye in exchange for a big paycheck; the release of the first single, the Jesus & Mary Chain-esque “Phantom Limb,” eased the apprehension. Although the band now appears more comfortable in the studio, they stayed faithful to their signature melodic and spacey sound and strong instrumental abilities. With only a few departures from their comfortable sound, the band became a more cohesive unit, ready for mainstream attention. In a nutshell, Wincing the Night Away, doesn’t disappoint.

More on this week’s new releases after the jump.

Of Montreal, who curiously once covered the Shin’s tune “Know Your Onion,” have this week’s second most anticipated release with Hissing Fauna, Are You Destroyer. I haven’t checked out the entire disc yet, but judging by the first single, “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse,” the rest of the disc won’t be my cup of tea. Don’t let this influence you too much- I may be the only person online who disliked the single. The YouTube video release created a huge frenzy, with many fans and critics, including VH-1′s Best Week Ever, declaring it the best video of 2007. Such grandiosity only twenty-three days into the year can’t be too insightful.

The year looks promising for new releases; we can look forward to long-awaited releases from Arcade Fire, Bjork, Radiohead, and Wilco. This should be a pretty good year.

MP3: The Shins: “Phantom Limb”