Metallica and Sigur Ros want to know: Are you in?

How the hell did music fans ever manage to contain their excitement for a band's impending album release before the Interweb came around? I mean, these days only music purebloods and the Amish wait for an official release date before snacking on appetizers of the record - album title, track names, cover art, single, other snippets, or drip drip drip, a leaked main course. All surface as music blog "news" long beforehand - really, before the band even makes its decisions. (Seriously though - do people actually get worked up over the "news" of an album title unveiling? Time for a new hobby.) For some, it's like wanting to learn the sex of your baby so that you'll know to buy the powder pink footsie outfit instead of the periwinkle blue one. This week two bands on disparate ends of the rock spectrum and world geographical landscape launched respective, and in some cases, respectable online efforts to generate enthusiasm for their upcoming albums. There's the Metallica sneak peak. Geez, it's a good thing these guys aren't desperate for attention. Maybe next time their album preview site will be a bit flashier. Iceland's Sigur Ros also posted studio footage, album art ruminations and portions of songs in short-video blips, a reminder, really that Sigur Ros is an ensemble that begs to be heard in its entirety. In a good way. Guess their intended result has been realized, sneaky Icelanders, them. (Relatedly, they'll be touring soon too. But unless you're trekking to Europe or Mexico, better hope your residence lies in a locale beginning with the letter "Omaha" and ending in "Nebraska," or somewhere East of thar.) Truth told, maybe Web sites are the new single. Unless, that is, you're Nine Inch Nails, and roll out of bed one day and decide. "Hey. I've got a new album. I think I'll put it out right now. For free."