Hella returns as a duo; Converge posts a studio preview of a new song; Busdriver, Shining (Norway), Om, Russian Circles and Aphex Twin all have new albums on the way.
31 Knots: Worried Well
So tight that merely listening to it raises shoulders to ears, Portland trio 31 Knots mixes the dissonance of Sonic Youth, the time signatures and stop-start changes of Fugazi, and the deconstructed funk of Talking Heads to create a nervous, hysterical din that reads like Michel Foucault having a nervous breakdown.
Do-It-Yourself Screenprinting: How to Turn Your Home into a T-Shirt Factory
Do-It-Yourself Screenprinting is a resourceful and knowledgeable DIY guide hidden in a comic book. Complete with illustrations, speech balloons, and even Comic Sans, this book is an ideal first step towards making your own wearable art.
Hella Recording New Album as a Duo
Despite each releasing a solo album in 2008 and having plenty of other projects on their plates, multi-instrumentalist Spencer Seim and drummer Zach Hill are working on their first full-length album as Hella in four years.
Another Kind of Record: The Merger, The Incident, and The Girl
Pat O’Neil has long been a mainstay of the Los Angeles art scene as a renowned experimental filmmaker and as an influential professor at CalArts.
For his first book, O’Neil compiles dozens of collage drawings and altered digital prints to create an ambiguous work whose bold designs speak louder than the sporadic text ever could.
Win Two Tickets to See Dub Trio at Chicago’s House of Blues
Dropped-D dub-metal pioneers Dub Trio return to Chicago this coming Monday, March 16 in support or Irish punk rockers Flogging Molly. If you’re in town, enter to win two free tickets ($50 value) to see both bands next week.
Nisennenmondai: Neji/Tori
Nisennenmondai is the Japanese term for “Y2K bug,” and, yes, the band does sound like the end of the world.
Originally self-released in 2004 and 2005 respectively, Neji/Tori are a maelstrom of furious drumming, completely blown/ fuzzed-out bass, and screaming guitar that sucks your ears into a vortex of noise.
Kevin Hufnagel of Dysrhythmia Finds Inspiration in Composer John Cage
Whirlwind guitarist Kevin Hufnagel, one third of math-metal trio Dysrhythmia and half of atmospheric duo Byla, has released a beautiful, melancholy collection of solo tunes centered on acoustic guitars and percussion.
Weekly Burlesque: Honey & Spice DVD
For those of you dying to learn classic burlesque dance routines, check out Honey & Spice, the instructional DVD from performer/blogger Jo Weldon.
P.O.S. Explains Concept Behind New Video “Optimist”
Minneapolis hip-hop artist P.O.S., creator of one of the year’s best rap albums, explains how he got the idea for his new video, “Optimist.”
Contest: Win an Irepress Prize Package (CD + T-shirt)!
Following its debut full-length in 2007, melodic math-chug group Irepress has just released its crushing, beautiful, epic sophomore album, Sol Eye Sea I, on Translation Loss Records.
To celebrate this great release, ALARM has teamed up with Translation Loss to give away a few gift packages of the new CD and an Irepress T-shirt. Read the details and hear a new track below.