Between the Buried and Me - Colors_LIVE (2008)

The audio portion of Between The Buried And Me's upcoming live CD/DVD combo was leaked onto the internet just a few short hours ago. The show was filmed at the Rocketown in Nashville, Tennessee on August 2, 2008 and consisted of two different sets; the first set is Colors in its entirety, while the second includes a number of different songs from the band's previous releases. Unfortunately, the audio CD only covers the first set, so you'll need to actually buy the DVD (or acquire it elsewhere) in order to check out the insanely awesome second setlist. In regards to just the audio CD though, the band performs what is a pretty much a flawless rendition of their epic progressive metal album. I can't really recommend listening to it over the actual studio album however, unless you already love Colors and simply want to hear it performed live. Of course, this package really is all about watching the performance on DVD, so check that out to get the full experience.

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These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower And Dove (2008)

These Arms Are Snakes is a Seatle-based experimental post-hardcore band that formed after the breakup of the highly influential mathcore band Botch. Botch bassist Brian Cook joined up with members of Nineironspitfire and Kill Sadie to form These Arms Are Snakes sometime in 2003 (other members of Botch went on to form bands such as Minus The Bear, Roy, and Narrows). The band has currently released two full-length albums and is set to release their third, Tail Swallower And Dove, early this month. It's easily the most listener-accessible album they've released to date, with less focus on experimentation and more on solid songwriting and memorable, hard-hitting guitar riffs. I could see some people preferring this over the more experimental Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home, but my money still goes on the latter as being the better album.

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American Football - American Football (1999)

There haven't been any new releases in the past several weeks that have caught my eye, so instead of just sitting idly by with no updates, I thought I'd share an album I've been digging a lot lately. American Football was started in 1997 by multi-instrumentalist Mike Kinsella (formerly of Cap'n Jazz and Joan Of Arc and currently of Owen) in Urbana, Illinois.

Although the band was only together for a few short years, their one and only album has become somewhat of an underground classic in recent years. One of the most defining aspects of the album is that it is so easy to listen to, but difficult to fully explore and grasp, even upon multiple listens. The music can come off as rather simplistic at times, but underneath the jazzy drums and guitar lines are subtle melodic touches that really bring out the beauty and atmosphere of the album. Probably one of the last great emo albums.

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United Nations - United Nations (2008)

United Nations, a collaboration between members of Glassjaw, Thursday, Converge and The Number 12 Looks Like You, has made their entire debut album available for streaming on their myspace page. The project was started in early 2007 by Daryl Palumbo, the main man behind post-hardcore innovators Glassjaw, and Geoff Rickly, the singer/lyricist of Thursday. Definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of any of the aforementioned bands. It's much different than anything these guys have put out before and interesting enough to make it stand out from other albums in the genre.

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Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears - Flight of the Knife (2008)

An explosive psychedelic pop album reminiscent of many popular 60s and 70s acts such as The Beatles, ELO, Queen, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, and The Zombies.

Many of the songs are surprisingly piano-driven, however there is quite an assortment of different instruments to be found; there are just layers upon layers of sound here. And while each of the songs have their own distinctive qualities, they all share a certain ubiquitous energy that is hard to come across these days.

It's an incredibly strange and fun album that combines elements of everything you've already heard before and turns it into something unique and refreshing. One of the best albums I've heard all year.

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