Congo Sanchez: Vol. 1

Video Premiere: Congo Sanchez’s “Ghost Dance”

Drummer/producer Congo Sanchez has made waves across the DC scene, but now he brings his distinctive Afro-Latin beats and funky dub vibe for a solo debut. Check out the video premiere for “Ghost Dance.”

Zammuto

Video: Zammuto’s “The Shape of Things to Come”

Formerly one-half of experimental duo The Books, singer / multi-instrumentalist Nick Zammuto has gone the solo course, forming the aptly named Zammuto with a group of complementary musicians. Check out the multi-camera rehearsal piece for “The Shape of Things to Come,” complete with neck-bending perspectives.

OFF Festival

Lineup for OFF Festival 2012 (Katowice, Poland)

Poland’s much-loved OFF Festival returns August 3-5, featuring ALARM favorites such as Battles, Converge, Baroness, Henry Rollins, Other Lives, Swans, Das Racist, Jacaszek, Africa HiTech, Akron/Family, and more.

Om

Video: Om’s Advaitic Songs album teaser

This summer, the hypnotic drum/bass duo Om (featuring Al Cisneros of Sleep and Shrinebuilder) will release its followup to God is Good, a two-LP/CD set titled Advaitic Songs. If you have 90 seconds to kill, check out the album’s mysterious teaser.

Cock and Swan

Video Premiere: Cock and Swan’s “Tectonic Plates”

Lost Tribe Sound’s Cock and Swan is set to release its fourth studio effort, Stash, later this month. The album marks a departure from the band’s haunting use of electronics in favor of a more stripped-down acoustic aesthetic, which can be heard in the band’s new video for “Tectonic Plates.”

Abner Smith: "The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting"

Zine Scene: Abner Smith’s The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting

Abner Smith: The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #6Abner Smith: The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #6 (Microcosm)

For more than a decade, zine writer Abner Smith has tackled what we usually consider USA-related “conspiracy theories” in The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting. The series’ six issues delve into the shocking details of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, HIV, Iran-Contra, and more. Smith’s writing reacts against both the personal-story vogue in the zine genre and the uncritical eye that most people give to historical accounts (you can read more about Smith in a wonderful interview with his publisher).

In each issue, Smith shows that all it takes is a little digging to uncover a more complex and troubling version of historical events than what the authorities or the media report. Reprints of all six of his zines are available through Microcosm, including his newest: an updated biography of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mastodon

Video: Mastodon’s “Dry Bone Valley” (live)

Atlanta’s Mastodon took its melodic sludge metal across the pond this past winter with Red Fang and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Along the way, it sold out London’s Brixton Academy to make it the largest UK headlining show in the band’s touring history. Catch a glimpse of the night’s action with a clip of Mastodon performing “Dry Bone Valley.”