Brandon Goei, Author at ALARM

Heroes and heroines: The comic-book-collage portraits of Sandra Chevrier

Artist Sandra Chevrier combines comic books and female portraits to create striking works of art.

Man or Astro-Man?: Defcon 5...4...3...2...1...

10 awesome album covers from May 2013

From simple to psychedelic, here’s a look at ten great works of album art from this month.

Chrome’s postbag to weather storms and daily commutes

Chrome Industries, one of the leaders in ultra-tough city bags, has a new postbag-style model, which is a top-loaded, fold-over bag — think of a weatherproof manilla envelope with handles.

Wander the cosmos with Titles’ take on celestial circus music

“Carousel,” a track from Titles’ swan song, is brimming with jangly arpeggios, wandering slide guitar, and the robotic drone of an organ.

New suede Converse All-Stars bring texture to your strut

Converse recently teamed up with UK-based retailer Size? to create a version of the classic All-Star Oxford with a unique suede upper.

Life as a touring punk musician: Watch Retox’s YPLL doc in full

Last week we premiered footage from Retox’s YPLL documentary, giving an in-depth look at the existence of the punk-hardcore outfit and touching on realities that face bands looking to play music for a living. Now, as promised, here’s the hour-long film in full.

The Great Gatsby limited-edition vinyl set

Blingin’ vinyl: Third Man moves gold/platinum records from wall to turntable

Jack White’s Third Man Records is taking a cue from The Great Gatsby’s glittering scenery and releasing a fittingly extravagant collectable — a two-disc gold and platinum metallized record set.

Hammacher Schlemmer Portable Solar Speaker

Harness the sun’s rays to power this portable Bluetooth solar speaker

With spring weather finally hitting the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a good time to think about music accessories for the season’s barbeques, beach parties, picnics, and soirées. Enter the Hammacher Schlemmer portable solar-powered speaker.

Cider surge: Stella Artois finally shares hard apple brew with USA

Sometimes you just don’t want beer. Luckily, for fans of Stella Artois who are in a fruitier mood, the Belgian brewer is introducing a new hard cider into the US market.

Taiwanese death metal and epic martial arts in Chthonic’s “Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace”

Chthonic: Bú-Tik (Spinefarm, 6/18/13)

Taiwanese melodic-death-metal outfit Chthonic is a unique group in many ways. For one, it’s not every day that a symphonic metal group chooses to include a hena or erhu (a traditional two-string bowed fiddle) into the mix. Also, there’s the band’s ongoing advocacy of Taiwanese history and culture in its music, from lyrical content to music videos. In short, Chthonic is committed to its craft, and as the video for “Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace” shows, neither thunderstorm, nor gravity, nor sword-wielding cyborg general can stop it.

An ode to a stabbing (and Earth’s eventual demise) in KNTRLR’s “Stabs”

It’s an age-old story: 1980s child actor turned drummer meets seminary-school dropout in a Russian bath house; they witness a man getting stabbed outside their practice space; they write a few songs.

Screaming feelings: Have Mercy’s “Ancient West”

Honest, soul-baring rock is in short supply these days, but Have Mercy has the sound pinned down with new track “Ancient West.”