Anthony Green / Photo by Emily Shur

What? While his other band, emo-prog wizards Circa Survive, take a brief break, fire-piped frontman Anthony Green turns down the heat, reducing his voice to a heavenly, high-noted whimper on his first solo album, Avalon, due Aug. 5. Named for the New Jersey city it was cut in, the album -- a set comprising both new tunes and others dating back to high school -- features the likes of "Devils Song (This Feels Like a Nightmare)," an ode to "meaninglessness," the quest for numbness "Drug Dealer," and the requisite "chick" song, "Dear Child (I've Been Dying To Reach You)" -- all of which Green has shared with SPIN.com in various incarnations.

Who? First making his name as the chord-shredding vocalist of underground scenester sensations Saosin, Green then joined forces with members of his post-hardcore contemporaries to conjure a more spacey, progressive project they dubbed Circa Survive. After 2005's Juturna and last year's On Letting Go, Green is fulfilling a personal dream with a solo stint, culminating in the release of Avalon. Though a renowned vocalist and collaborator (Green is also involved in emo supergroup the Sound of Animals Fighting) his solo turn is not unprecedented: The singer/songwriter has been fronting live shows alone since 2005.

Fun Fact: Many of the tracks composing Avalon have been floating about the blogosphere as demos or live bootlegs for years. In fact, the first cut of "Dear Child (I've Been Dying To Reach You)" was recorded in 2005 and featured contributions from Weezer bassist Scott Shriner as well as Morrissey's on-again off-again drummer, Dean Butterworth.

Now Hear This: "Slowing Down" (DOWNLOAD MP3)