Bobby Markos, Author at ALARM

Interview: Kaki King’s virtuosic return

Kaki King: Glow (Velour, 10/9/12)

“Great Round Burn”

After an auspicious start as a finger-tapping virtuoso and a transformation to singer-songwriter, guitarist Kaki King has returned to her instrumental roots with Glow, her first vocal-free LP since 2004. It’s much more than a rehash or a collection of melodies; Glow marries the best of her developed songcraft with melodic beauty and multi-layered accents.

The direction may surprise some, seeing as when King last left us, she was lathering her songs in vocal harmonies, catchy choruses, and quirky lyrics. But Glow brings King full circle, back to a method of telling stories with quickly picked melodies, percussive tapping, and calmly strummed chord progressions. What caused this shift? A simple fork in the road.

“I think what helped shape Glow,” King says, “was the sort of ambivalence I was beginning to feel at that time, about if I was going to continue to play guitar for a living.”

Interview: Pelican stretches far, geographically and acoustically, on Ataraxia / Taraxis

This content appears in the iPad-exclusive ALARM 39. Download it for free and subscribe to our new print edition.

Pelican: Ataraxia / Taraxis (Southern Lord, 4/10/12)

“Lathe Biosas”

Pelican_Lathe_Biosas

Ten years is a time frame in which anything can happen, especially in the music industry. Relationships begin and end, bands come and go, and trends begin and overturn, causing new heroes to rise and the kings of yesterday to be left in the shadows. But sometimes bands remain on top of their territory past this milestone and beyond.

Enter Chicago’s Pelican, whose ten-plus years on the circuit have taken it around the globe and left it in the higher ranks of post-metal acts. Though 2010 marked the band’s tin anniversary, 2012 is a year of progress, reflected in its new EP, Ataraxia / Taraxis.

Interview: The Melvins on getting freaky-pukey with Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn

This interview appears in ALARM #40. Subscribe here to get your copy!

(The) Melvins: Freak Puke (Ipecac, 6/5/12)

Twenty-one studio full-lengths could spell one thing: redundancy. But the Melvins, whose back catalog reads like the Library of Congress, has recognized and conquered this plague with two tools in hand: reinvention and unpredictable match-ups.

As if writing with Lustmord and Jello Biafra wasn’t enough, Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover recently joined forces with famed Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn to form “Melvins Lite.” The trio’s first effort, Freak Puke, has it all: bowed and plucked upright bass, metal riffs, classic-rock flourishes, pick harmonics, punishing drums, and Osborne’s distinct vocal delivery. And to bring it to the masses, the band undertook an ambitious fall tour of the 50 United States plus Washington, DC, in 51 days. We chatted with King Buzzo about the band’s (latest) new direction.

Interview: P.O.S throws an anarchist dance party

This interview appears in ALARM #40. Subscribe here to get your copy!

[Ed. note: ALARM contributing writer Bobby Markos was improperly uncredited in print. We sincerely regret the error.]

P.O.S: We Don’t Even Live Here (Rhymesayers, 10/23/12)

“Fuck Your Stuff”

P.O.S: “Fuck Your Stuff”

With an ear for diversity and a mind for critical thought, Stefon Alexander — better known as rapper P.O.S — has maintained operations as a multi-instrumentalist by day and rap artist by night. The early-30-something is a man whose DIY/punk upbringing aligns him more with Ian MacKaye than Kanye West, and that’s reflected in his many and assorted rock-band roles, including his current gig as keyboardist/vocalist for Marijuana Deathsquads.

But no matter the project, Alexander continues to reinvent himself with each release. His latest as P.O.S, We Don’t Even Live Here, is a testament to his 360-degree perspective of both music and the world we live in. Here he discusses what has changed in his life as well as the new album’s danceable vibe and anti-capitalist theme.

Review: Judgement Day’s Polar Shift

Judgement Day: Polar Shift (Minus Head, 7/31/12)

“Forest Battle”

Judgement_Day_Forest_Battle

Armed with simply a violin, cello, and drum kit, Judgement Day began its existence with one goal in mind: to make metal and other types of nontraditional rock music using unconventional instruments.

Review: Old Man Gloom’s NO

Old Man Gloom: NO (Hydra Head, 6/26/12)

“Common Species”

Old Man Gloom: “Common Species”

Let it be known that 2012 has been a great year for reunions in the music industry. We all know about the names of the past coming together again for live performances, but few end up writing new material or actually functioning as a band. Enter Old Man Gloom: an all-star noise-sludge lineup that has moved in mystery since the end of the 1990s. Now, following a few recent live shows of its own, the Boston-based four-piece has released NO, its first recorded effort in eight years.

Review: Bereft’s Leichenhaus

Bereft: Leichenhaus (The End)

“The Coldest Orchestra”

[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Bereft_The_Coldest_Orchestra.mp3|titles=Bereft: “The Coldest Orchestra”]

In a field as saturated as doom metal, the only way to make a splash is to play heavier and harder than the band before. Bereft — a Los Angeles quartet featuring members of Intronaut, Graviton, Abysmal Dawn, and The Faceless — is clearly pushing ahead with that mentality on its debut album, Leichenhaus. The seven song, 40-minute onslaught has no breaks and no mercy.