These Arms Are Snakes

Considering These Arms Are Snakes’ sound—post-hardcore that’s equally melodic and grating—it’s a safe assumption that last year’s Tail Swallower And Dove isn’t a slice of sunny indie pop. The Seattle group’s third full-length ventures further into dark, abstract, textured brutality, and as such isn’t particularly hooky. Nor is it particularly rocking—and unfortunately, that middle ground winds up being less than memorable. Fortunately, TAAS is another matter live, when vocalist Steve Snere stalks the stage with a venomous intensity.