The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 27 March

BLACK SUN SPLIT
Glasgow industrial metallers Black Sun have announced their retirement after 12 years on the live circuit, and four albums. The band's members issued a statement thanking their fans. Bassist Graeme Leggate said: "It saddens me to say that Black Sun have now decided to call it quits. It's been a wild ride, and I've had some of the best times of my life with this band. We've managed to do things and get to places I never thought possible when I joined the band over 10 years ago. It's been a hard road at times, but I'm immensely proud of our achievements, none more so than our last record, Twilight of the Gods. This band has and will always be a part of my life in some way, and I will never forget the times spent with my band mates Kevin and Russell."

PUSSY RIOT ON 60 MINUTES
Russian punk agitators Pussy Riot broke their silence this week to speak to US TV news show 60 Minutes. One of the band members, wearing a balaclava to protect her identity, spoke to CBS News anchor Lesley Stahl about the band's politics, and the fact that several members are still in prison or in hiding. Watch the full interview here. The band's Yekaterina Samutsevich, released from prison after seven months, remained defiant, and stated that the struggle to win freedom for her fellow band members was still in progress, and that the band still refuse to be silenced. "It's an ongoing fight," she told Stahl. "Just because there was a court case doesn't mean we're going to shut our mouths, we have things to say. We're gonna work, continue to do what we do." 

LAPALUX: STREAM NOSTALCHIC IN FULL
This issue we interviewed Brainfeeder signing Lapalux, aka Stuart Howard, about his new album Nostalchic (reviewed here), his first full-length album from the label. "From start to finish with Nostalchic, I wanted to emphasise the abstract," Howard told us. "With all the layering and texturing, it's almost like its own little world. I think of each song as its own planet, almost. So you can go there and float around in this weird universe with all this... stuff in it.” Experience his sonic worlds for yourself - Brainfeeder have made the etire album available to stream via ResidentAdvisor. You can read the full interview with Lapalux here. He plays Glasgow's Broadcast tomorrow night (28 Mar). 

FESTIVAL WATCH: BJÖRK FOR BERLIN FEST, DOWNLOAD, HOP FARM, STOP MAKING SENSE, SECRET GARDEN PARTY
Björk joins Pet Shop Boys, My Bloody Valentine and Blur on the main stage lineup for Berlin Festival (6-7 Sep), performing tracks from her latest album Biophilia. Also added to this year's lineup are AlunaGeorge, Tomahawk, and DJ Shadow. Details and tickets here.

The none-more-metal Download Festival (14-16 Jun) has also added to its lineup: heavy rockers Black Stone Cherry, CHTHONIC & The Oriental Orchestra, DragonForce, Masters Of Reality, Ghost, and Satyricon join the bill, which already includes Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Korn, Queens of the Stone Age, Rammstein, Motorhead and The Gaslight Anthem, among others. Details and tickets here.

The Hop Farm Festival (5-6 Jul), taking place in rural Kent, has an impressive lineup this year: recently-announced guests My Bloody Valentine and Rodriquez join a bill that includes The Horrors, Jimmy Cliff, The Cribs, Dinosaur Jr, The Presidents Of The United States Of America, Edwyn Collins, Sinkane, Paws, Washington Irving and Shields. Details and tickets here.

Stop Making Sense (1-4 Aug) joins the growing number of festivals happening in Eastern Europe - the Croatian festival, situated between the cities of Zidar and Split on the Adriatic coast, this year welcomes the likes of Session Victim, Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas, Midland, Mano Le Tough and Appleblim to their electronica-focused lineup. Details and tickets here.

Secret Garden Party (25-28 Jul) has a few new additions - they have added Regina Spektor and Youth Lagoon to their bill, which already includes Django Django, Dan Croll, Goldie, Evil Nine and Willy Mason. Details and tickets here.

NEW VIDEOS: MALA, TORO Y MOI, YEAH YEAH YEAHS, WAVVES
Mala in Cuba earned a whopping five stars from us on its release - now Digital Mystikz founder and dubstep don Mala has unveiled the new video for Noches Sueños, featuring vocals from Danay Suare. Both Mala and Suarez feature in the aquatic-themed video.

Toro Y Moi has unveiled his new video, for Never Matter, taken from the album Anything In Return (reviewed here). The video was shot in Toro Y Moi's hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, and features improvised dance routines from random customers at one of the city's flea markets.

The new video for Sacrilege by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, taken from their fothcoming album Mosquito, out 16 April, is a perv-fest featuring model Lily Cole on the run from a mob, seemingly for the crime of kissing a whole bunch of guys (and girls).

Finally, another video from art-punks Wavves surfaced this week - it also features kissing, not tomention cross-dressing, and a bit of the old ultraviolence. Their album Afraid of Heights was released this week.

NEW MUSIC: MOUNT KIMBIE, BOOKA SHADE, TEEBS, HEY COLOSSUS
As Mount Kimbie prepare to release their follow-up to 2010's Crooks & Lovers, they have unveiled a track from the album, which is available as a free download. The post-dubstep duo's new album, entitled Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, will appear on Warp on 27 May. Download Made To Stray here.

The new Booka Shade EP, their first material since 2010 album More!, went on sale this week. The Blackout / White Noise EP showcases a darker, tougher sound for the electro pair, who shared the lead track of the same name earlier this week, featuring vocals by Chelonis R. Jones. 

LA beat-meister Teebs, affiliated with the Brainfeeder label, has remixed a track by Hundred Waters. The remix will appear on a forthcoming release on much-maligned dubstep-ruiner Skrillex's new label, which we refuse to name, mention or even think about. The remix is tight though.

Finally, stream the new track by grungy art-rockers Hey Colossus, taken from their forthcoming album Cuckoo Live Life Like Cuckoo (reviewed here), out 1 April. 

EXHIBITION: UBIQUITOUS TOWN, DUNDEE
Illustration students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee are holding an exhibition this month, showcasing designs they have created for stage sets. The process has included making models, hand printing posters, building sets and photographing them in a specific Dundee location, all cluminating in a very special show at Tin Roof studios. Artists involved include Matthew Lynch, Iida Yli-Kauhaluoma, Katie McPherson, Linzi Jamieson and Katie Watt. The exhibition runs from 29 to 30 March.

FINALLY, HIP-HOP STREET SIGNS...
A New York street artist has created a series of improvised artworks celebrating hip-hop lyrics and rap culture, by creating street signs which quote famous hip-hop lyrics referencing those very streets. The signs, created by graffitti artist Jay Shells and now on show throughout the city, feature lyrics from the likes of Mos Def, Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan's GZA. Watch a video of Shells creating and installing the signs below, and view a gallery of images here.