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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Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)

Released in 1995 during the first round of Wu-Tang solo albums, this solo debut from Wu-Tang member GZA (pronounced 'Jizza') is often regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. Almost all of Liquid Swords was produced by Wu-Tang leader RZA, whose dark, ominous, and brooding beats perfectly set the gritty atmosphere of the album. GZA is simply the most talented lyricist of the group, and while his delivery might not be quite as interesting as some of his fellow clansmen, the depth and intricacy of his writing certainly makes up for it. Every Wu-Tang member makes a cameo here, but I think Method Man's appearance on the excellent Shadowboxin' stands above the rest. A must listen for fans of hip-hop.

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Dynospectrum - The Dynospectrum (1998)

Not much in the way of interested new releases lately aside from stuff you've probably already checked out, so I'm just going to go ahead and post another album I've been digging a lot lately. If you're familiar with Rhymesayers Entertainment then you already know they put out quality hip-hop records, and The Dynospectrum is no exception.

Essentially a supergroup of Rhymesayers artists (including Slug and Ant from Atmosphere), this is a dark hip-hop record perfect for those murky rainy days. Ant's production sets the mood with simple, hard hitting beats and every emcee is consistently on point and in their prime, both lyrically and in delivery. This is a must-listen for fans of east coast hip-hop.

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