VINYL FORMAT. From the ashes of Flake, then Flakemusic, The Shins took shape in 1997 -- same members, different instruments, different approach, all culled from nearly a decade of playing together. Counterpoint guitars gave way to a single guitar pitted against calculated keyboard passages, swarming indie rock machinations to pop-base melodic endeavors. The resulting sound germinates in a post-punk aesthetic with nods to a traditional pop ethos.