The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 22 November

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH MICHAEL GIRA AND SWANS
Pitchfork TV today unveiled a 27-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the band Swans, focusing on frontman Michael Gira. In the video, Gira introduces viewers to each member of his band, and has some backstage banter while preparing copies of new album The Seer.

THE PICTISH TRAIL SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM
Johnny Lynch, aka Fence records mainstay The Pictish Trail, today unveiled the tracklisting for his forthcoming album Secret Sounds Vol. 2 in an interview with The Quietus. Lynch's elliptical, poetic statements about the songs are a joy to read: "Destroying yourself, night after night, takes its toll – particularly if you're hanging with folk who are hell bent on hanging themselves, too. If you can just make it through to daylight, you'll no longer be a sworded/sordid silhouette," he says of new song The Handstand Crowd. The new album is due out on 21 Jan – The Pictish Trail play Celtic Connections at The Art Club in Glasgow on 24 Jan, The Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy on 25 Jan, The Tunnels in Aberdeen on 26 Jan, and The Caves in Edinburgh on 21 Feb.

HEAVY METAL TELEVISION NET CHANNEL LAUNCHES
Heavy Metal isn't just a musical genre, a fashion choice. It's a way of life. And now, that lifestyle can be augmented round-the-clock with the latest metal videos, exclusive live concerts and classic tracks, courtesy of Heavy Metal Television. A free service, not requiring any sign-up or subscription, this looks like the serious metaller's darkest dream, and a viable alternative to the VJ-infested, corporate rock pedalled by Kerrang. The channel's press release challenged us to watch five videos without finding a band we liked, so we took up the challenge. We tuned in for ten minutes this morning and caught some Judas Priest, some pre-brostep Korn, and some Suicidal Tendencies. Can't say fairer than that, really. Death to false metal!

WHISKY GALORE! DIRECTOR ALEXANDER MCKENDRICK: A RETROSPECTIVE
The centenary of the birth of Scottish film director Alexander McKendrick is approaching, and to celebrate, The Filmhouse are presenting a retrospective of his work, including a print of one of his most celebrated films, Whisky Galore! Working for Ealing Studios, McKendrick helmed countless classic films, including The Ladykillers, Sweet Smell of Success and The Man in The White Suit. Read more about McKendrick and book tickets for the retrospective here, and watch a classic scene from Whisky Galore! below.

ENCHANTED FOREST SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD
For ten years now, The Enchanted Forest experience near Pitlochry, which took place this year at the start of November, has been a huge international success, popular with tourists and native Scots alike. Light, sound, storytelling and design, not to mention the beauty of the natural world, are all used to stunning effect to create a night-time world of magic and wonder. With over 25,000 visitors in 2011, the 2012 show was an even bigger success - and this year, the organisers have also been nominated for a Creative Scotland Award. Get a flavour of 2012's event, titled Flow, in the video below. After the recent controversy over Creative Scotland's awards, it's great to see at least one nomination which manages to combine the work of innovative, transmedia artists of many different skills and disciplines into a genuinely commercial and popular public event. We look forward to seeing what the Enchanted Forest has planned for next year.

RSA OPEN 2012
Each year, the Royal Scottish Academy opens submissions for its RSA Open show, allowing artists from all over Scotland to submit work for exhibition and scale. Serving as both a proving ground and a source of inspiration for Scotland's visual art community, the high level of competition and engagement mean that the RSA Open is always a thrillingly diverse and technically astounding exhibition. It opens on 24 Nov (this Saturday) at the RSA on The Mound in Edinburgh, and runs until the end of January. This year even includes, for the first time, an entire room given over to architectural work. Get full details of the event here. 

ALASDAIR GRAY LAUNCHES NEW BOOK IN EDINBURGH
Scottish literary leading light Alasdair Gray launches his new book, Every Short Story 1952-2012, at Summerhall on 28 Nov. The writer and artist will be in conversation with Stuart Kelly, and will read extracts from the collection, as part of Book Week Scotland. Get the full details here, and be sure to check out the Scottish Book Trust site for details of more upcoming events.

NEW VIDEO FROM DFA'S THE CRYSTAL ARK
Seminal New York label DFA, home to LCD Soundsystem, released the debut album by Gavin Rossum, under the name The Crystal Ark. A producer with a long association with the label, Rossum played percussion and synths for LCD Soundsystem on tour, and has also helped to build instruments for the likes of Tim Goldsworthy (UNKLE) and James Murphy. His eponymous debut is an absolute gem, and today DFA revealed the latest video from The Crystal Ark.

LARRY DAVID'S THANKSGIVING ANIMATION
Comedian Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) made this animation to celebrate Thanksgiving. Enjoy, and happy thanksgiving to all our American readers!