Music

Chamber/jazz composer James Falzone to release new Allos Musica album

Chicago clarinetist and composer James Falzone uses his different Allos Musica ensembles to traverse modern chamber music, world music, and jazz — often within the same song.  Lamentations, the debut album from his newest Allos incarnation, will be released on November 2 and derives a good deal of inspiration from Arabic music.

“I was working on a lot of this music in 2006 as US forces were more and more entrenched in the Iraq war,” Falzone says. “It did, and continues to, trouble me a great deal.”

Kylesa to release Spiral Shadow on Season of Mist

Just a year and a half after Static Tensions, psych-sludge quintet Kylesa will release Spiral Shadow, its fifth full-length album, on October 26 via Season of Mist. With the album, Kylesa’s cross-genre sound jumps from Prosthetic Records, which put out its last three discs.

The new album was produced again by Kylesa’s guitarist/vocalist Phillip Cope, who has manned the boards for Baroness and Withered.

Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin pens book on evolution

Singer Greg Graffin of punk stalwarts Bad Religion has co-authored a new book called Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science and Bad Religion in a World Without God with National Academy of Sciences journalist Steve Olson.  You may be familiar with Graffin’s thoughts on evolution and other matters via Bad Religion lyrics, but many are unaware that he teaches the subject at UCLA and holds a PhD.

The book and Bad Religion’s new album, The Dissent of Man, will be released on September 28.  Get to know him on a personal and intellectual level with his new offerings.

Moogfest 2010 unveils big names and hidden gems

The beloved, yearly music festival known as Moogfest is back. Usually held in New York City, Moogfest 2010 will be in Asheville, North Carolina, Robert Moog’s former home, to honor the late legend’s contributions to modern music. AC Entertainment has released its ever-expanding lineup, featuring artists carving out their own places in history as creative pioneers.

Taking place over Halloween weekend, from October 29-31, Moogfest 2010 will host performances in venues all over the historical city. Our favorites include El-P, Matmos, Jon Hopkins, Dan Deacon, DJ Spooky, Massive Attack, Four Tet, Jónsi, and RJD2.

String-metal trio Judgement Day goes (Mid)west

ALARM 39 featured artist Judgment Day has announced a three-week West Coast and Midwest tour, starting on September 1. Coming off the April release of Peacocks / Pink Monsters, its second studio album, the trio proves that hardcore shredding is just as heavy and intense with a violin and cello as it is on guitar and bass.

Watch the band’s “Violin Hero” video for “Cobra Strike” below and click ahead for tour dates.

Wu Fei: Experimental Expression of Chinese Traditions

Wu Fei‘s work is a marriage between the East and West. Using traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng and erhu in unconventional ways, Fei strays from the strict, painterly elegance of the instrument’s usual genre, instead introducing improvised and experimental elements.

Seattle’s Decibel Festival announces massive lineup

[UPDATE (8/18/10): Flying Lotus has been added]

Seattle’s Decibel Festival is back for its eighth year, this time boasting talent from 14 countries. The festival brings together technology and creativity through visual art, workshops, panel discussions, and electronic-music performances.

The musical lineup this year is long and impressive; Fennesz, Ben Frost, Eskmo, Alex B, Ctrl_Alt_Dlt, Mount Kimbie, and Starkey are among the nearly 100 performers, speakers, and visual artists scheduled for appearance.  With a world-class conference included (details have yet to be released), this event is an oasis of underground electronic music and art with plenty to offer.

Ewerdt Hilgemann’s imploded volumes

German artist Ewerdt Hilgemann has been recognized in the States for some time now, his work reflective of America’s current post-industrial state: a gleaming façade collapsing from within. Comparable to Los Angeles’ industrial damage in the past years, Hilgemann’s volumes express the remnants of a bruised economy and the resultant collective mindset.

Zine Scene: Loserdom

Anto McFly, who produces the eclectic DIY punk-rock zine Loserdom with his brother Eugene, is not the only zine writer in Dublin, Ireland, but it can feel that way. “I think that zine publishing is still alive, though not as well as its been in the past,” he says. “I would love to see more Irish zines being produced.”

Maybe the problem isn’t the availability of zines but what the future of Irish zines looks like. “Those being produced are mostly by people who have been around for a while,” Anto adds. “I fear that younger people aren’t inclined to venture into producing something on paper, or if they do, they spend so much time trying to perfect their first issue that it never sees the light of day.”