From American alternative to Arab weddings

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Before Today, the latest album by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti and the group’s debut appearance on the legendary 4AD label, made its way onto numerous year-end top lists in 2010, including the ones published by “The Guardian,” “Uncut,” “Mojo,” and “The Wire.” Ariel Pink, once the best-kept secret of the American alternative scene, underwent a metamorphosis, turning from a master of sleepy lo-fi experiments into an artist worthy of sharing the stage with the best of the best. Before Today  is more than just a record chock-full of great songs, it’s a trip into a realm of psychedelic pop straight out of the early 90s. David Bowie must really be proud. The record is a totally unique voice on today’s alternative stage. Hats off.

Liars
You know a band really has something going for them when the likes of Radiohead, TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, and the Melvins start cranking out remixes of tracks off their latest album. As Pitchfork put it, “Not every dark cloud breaks into a thunderstorm, but it constantly feels like one is lurking around the corner.” NME took it one step further, saying “You are about to enter a universe you’ve never before been to. Be prepared…” This band, of course, is Liars, the only trio in NYC to freely navigate the area between enthusiastic dance-punk and hysteric noise-rock. And all those rumors you’ve been hearing about their mind-blowing concerts? They’re true.

Meshuggah
The world found about these Swedes from “The Osbournes” when Ozzy’s son harassed the neighbors by playing their music full blast. But Meshuggah is more than just a noisy novelty, unpalatable to the average Joe. It’s a band that rocketed heavy sounds into the 21st century, abandoning the medieval charges of heavy metal and the pointless oneupmanship of guitar solos. Innumerable copycats have sprung up, none of which stand a chance at dethroning Meshuggah as the world’s best extreme metal band. We didn’t make that up — it’s actually how they’re described all over the world, from the metal press to “Rolling Stone” magazine. Meshuggah have announced a new record coming up in 2011 — a fresh portion of cold, mathematical precision and brutal, merciless sounds. We’re going to test the new material on all of you. Sorry about that.

Omar Souleyman
To us Westerners, Omar Souleyman is a recent discovery of the legendary Seattle label Sublime Frequencies and a relatively obscure artist with only three albums to his name, including last year’s excellent Jazeera Nights. But in his Syrian homeland, this gentleman with dark sunglasses is an enormous star with a discography of over 500 (!) studio and live albums (well, cassettes – to be strict). His roots lie in the extraordinarily popular regional genre of dabke, traditional music played at weddings in Arab countries, but his music adds influences from Western dance music, leading Björk to describe his sound as “Syrian techno.” Call it what you will, but you don’t have to be an expert on Middle Eastern music to let Omar carry you off onto the dance floor.

Kury play P.O.L.O.V.I.R.U.S.
For those of you that still can’t shake that autumn gloom, we’ve got some great news. Tymon Tymański’s legendary band Kury is getting back together for this year’s OFF Festival Katowice, where the group will perform their 1998 album P.O.L.O.V.I.R.U.S. in its entirety. The record is considered by many to be one of the most important albums in Polish alternative music (or the pinnacle of Polish village dance music, you choose). Thirteen years have passed since the album came out, and not a single note has aged, nor does a single word sound dated.

Current 93
Who is David Tibet? Or rather, who isn’t he? Born in Malaysia, this English poet, musician, acclaimed painter, and publisher (gave us the likes of Antony and the Johnsons and William Basinski) is the leader of Current 93, one of the seminal groups of the British industrial scene in the early 80s. The band later veered off into a style described as new apocalyptic folk. Their work explores such themes as religion, while occultism and philosophy meet an unabashed love for the grotesque and gloomy English humor. Their music is lyrical, ostensibly calm, but terrifying at the same time. Current 93, a living legend of the alternative scene, will be a special guest at the OFF Festival Katowice 2011 opening concert, August 4 at Górnośląskie Centrum Kultury. The honor is all ours.