The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 22 February

JACK WHITE NOMINATED AS RECORD STORE DAY AMBASSADOR
As Record Store Day (20 April) approaches, several labels and lengendary artists have announced special projects and limited-edition releases to be unveiled exclusively on the day - here's our guide to what to look out for when the day rolls around. Record Store Day was set up to encourage music fans to support their local vinyl emporiums, particularly independent stores, and since the first one in 2008, each successive year has seen more and more music industry titans getting involved. This year's ambassador is Jack White, who explains his love of vinyl in the clip below.

One project that's got us all hot under the collar for Record Store Day is Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus' live cover of the whole of Can's seminal album Ege Bamyasi. Malkmus performed the entire album with his band late in 2012, and for Record Store Day, a recirding of the gig will be released by Domino on green vinyl, limited to just 3500 copies. 

Then of course there's the unveiling of a new track from David Bowie's new album with producer Tony Visconti -- Bowie will release a 7" of The Stars Are Out (Tonight), backed with th digitally-available Where Are We Now. He will also be reissuing a vinyl EP from 1965, Bowie 1965!, and a limited picture disc of Drive-In Saturday.

Other artists releasing special limited-edition packages for Record Store Day include Paul Weller, who will be unveiling the Sonik Kicks 7" Singles Box Set, with five singles on coloured vinyl; Duran Duran, who will release a limited-edition blue 7" vinyl of their early track Is There Something I Should Know?; At The Drive-In, who will release a limited edition coloured vinyl of their soon-to-be-reissued debut Acrobatic Tenement; Hüsker Dü, whose rare first single Statues / Amusement will be reissued by seminal Seattle label Sub Pop. The label will be releasing a compilation featuring artists in their current roster on limited-edition vinyl. We'll bring you more news of exciting limited releases for Record Store Day as they are announced - just remember that even though Record Store Day only comes once a year, indpendent record shops, those temples to the joys of vinyl, are open all year round! Why not pay a visit to your local today?

NEW MUSIC: DOLDRUMS, ROB ZOMBIE, GIRL BAND X BLAWAN, FOALS X HOT CHIP
The debut album by Canadian experimental electronics wizard Airick Woodhead, better known as Doldrums, has been surfing a wave of hype ever since his cover of Portishead's Chase The Tear was chosen by Geoff Barrow's band for use as a b-side. In late 2012, Woodhead's friend Grimes tipped them for the top in 2013 -- last month we reviewed the album, entitled Lesser Evil, giving it a glowing five-star review. We also interviewed Woodhead -- you can read the feature here. Now Pitchfork have an exclusive stream of the whole of Lesser Evil up on their site. Here's the deeply strange and rather wonderful video for She Is The Wave, starring Woodhead.

When Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie rolled through town in November, our reviewer was in no doubt -- Zombie trumped Manson with an outrageous stage show, back-to-back hits and tantalising glimpses of his new film Lords of Salem, which we showed you the trailer for last week. To coincide with the coming of the Lords, he has been preparing his new album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, due out 25 April. The new single, Dead City Radio and the Gods of Supertown is released next week, on 25 Feb. You can preview the new track by visiting the Rob Zombie site and solving a puzzle. It's well worth the effort! Read our recent blether with the man where he talks a little about the film and growing up with witch legends here.

One track which has been blowing up the internet this week is Irish noise-punks Girl Band's cover version of Blawan's recent techno classic Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage, one of the essential tracks from late summer last year. Here's the original - now listen to Girl Band's inspired cover, produced for Quarter Inch Collective's Quompilation #3 compilation album.

Foals meanwhile have been garnering the kind of gushing praise for their third album Holy Fire usually reserced for thirty-year veterans - our reviewer said the album saw the band's form as "more confident and iconic now than ever before." The band are coming to Glasgow's Barrowlands on March 5. Unveiled this week by the band, a new remix sees Hot Chip reimagining My Number, the lead single from the album. Stream it below courtesy of Details Of My Life.

FESTIVAL WATCH: MEADOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS, OPEN'ER, ECHO FESTIVAL
We have a big guide to ten of the best international festivals in next month's issue, and we'll keep you updated on lineup additions and breaking news right here in the Bulletin. For now, here are a few European festivals that didn't make it into our feature, but are nonetheless well worthy of your consideration. 

Meadows In The Mountains (8-10 June) takes place in the beautiful Rhodopian Mountains near Bulgaria’s Greek border, and at just £95 for a three-day ticket, it's at the more reasonable end of the ticket price spectrum. This year's guests include Moomin, Northern Purpose, Jane Fitz, The Common Tongues, Just Jack and Sebastian Voight, among others. Tickets are on sale. 

Polish festival Open'er (3-6 July), we've mentioned previously -- headliners Blur, Tame Impala, Queens of the Stone Age and Animal Collective are now to be joined by Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Disclosure, Editors, Modest Mouse, Skunk Anansie and alt-j among others. Tickets are on sale.

Echo Festival (6-9 June) meanwhile is set in the surroundings of the Adriatic coast in Croatia, and features a mainly electronic lineup with up-and-coming and established names including Space Dimension Controller, xxxy, Locked Groove, South London Ordnance Nick Höpper, Delano Smith, Red P aka Black Jazz Consortium, dBridge, and many more. It's another nice cheap option, with tickets starting at £65 - on sale now.

NEW VIDEOS: PRIMAL SCREAM, HAWK EYES
With festival dates booked -- including the headline slot at this year's Wickerman - and new double album More Light due on 6th May, it looks like this year could see the triumphant return of Primal Scream to the forefront of the British music scene. The video for the first single from the album, 2013, was unveiled online this week. The track is produced by David Holmes, and features MBV's Kevin Shields on guitar. 

We just reviewed the latest album from Leeds rockers Hawk Eyes (formely known as Chickenhawk), Ideas. It's been gaining serious plaudits elsewhere too, with the four-piece fast becoming one of the most talked-about bands in the heavy rock scene. Watch their new video You Deserve A Medal below.

TRAILER: THE FRANKENSTEIN THEORY

New movie The Frankenstein Theory promises to do a Blair Witch for the much-loved bolt-necked Creature. But does the format of the monster movie lend itself to the 'found footage' approach? Judge for yourself - check out the trailer below.

WEEKEND CLUB PICKS: RADIOACTIVE MAN & PLAID
As usual, The Skinny's Top Ten Events feature will give you a comprehensive guide to the weekend's essential gigs, with appearances from Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad, plus details of the grand re-opening of Edinburgh's Bongo Club, in its new site. Here's two more picks from clubland.

RADIOACTIVE MAN & BILLY NASTY @ JACKHAMMER, THE CAVES, EDINBURGH, 22 FEB
Keith Tenniswood aka Radioactive Man is a surefire bet for some down and dirty dancefloor action - from his early releases on Rotters Golf Club to his releases last year on Wang Trax, his take on techno and electro is always diverse, intelligent and inventive. He's joined by Billy Nasty, one of the UK's most respected techno DJs, for this very special edition of Jackhammer, dubbed 'Radionasty.' Details here.

PLAID @ CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, THE BERKELEY SUITE, GLASGOW, 22 FEB
One of the most respected and acclaimed artists on the Warp roster, electronic duo Plaid come to Crimes Of The Future this Friday, the night started by Andrew Weatherall collaborators Scott Fraser and Timothy J. Fairplay. Expect tracks from their most recent album Scintilli, and maybe a few classics from the likes of Double Figure or Rest Proof Clockwork if you're lucky. Details here.