The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 1 February

THE PICTISH TRAIL UNVEILS SECRET SOUNDZ VOL. 2 DOCUMENTARY
To commemorate the release of The Pictish Trail's new LP, Secret Soundz Vol. 2 (our album of the month, no less), Fence Records have shared a new documentary about its making, featuring beautiful Scottish scenery from Johnny Lynch's second home on the Isle of Eigg, and some intimate insights into the writing process from the man himself, who refers to the work as a "weird mirror" of Secret Soundz Vol. 1. Watch the doc below -- The Pictish Trail plays The Student Association in St. Andrews on 3 Feb and The Caves in Edinburgh on 21 Feb (with current backing band Eagleowl lined up to support). 

FESTIVAL WATCH: BESTIVAL, ROCK NESS
The Badger is sure you'll be nothing short of thrilled to hear that Elton John is headlining the tenth annual Bestival (5-8 Sep). Sir Reg will be topping the bill of one of the UK's finest festivals, despite failing to display even a shred of musical credibility for the past three decades. Luckily, there's a whole host of musical talent who have actually written decent songs since the '80s filling up the rest of the bill, with appearances from Snoop Dogg, M.I.A., Franz Ferdinand, Flaming Lips, The Roots, Belle & Sebastian, Squarepusher and The Walkmen, among others. The DJ support is also pretty stellar, with sets from the likes of Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Maya Jane Coles, Joy Orbison and Erol Alkan. More acts are still to be announced. Tickets are on sale now.

Closer to home, Rock Ness (7-9 Jun) are crafting a pop music-friendly bill this year, with a few main stage headliners confirmed so far -- you can catch Basement Jaxx, Madness, The Vaccines, Elllie Goulding, The Maccabees and Example at this year's festival, with more big names to be added. the star of the show, as every year, is going to be the exquisite, mountain-framed skyline, looking out over Loch Ness. Tickets are on sale now. 

STANZA FESTIVAL: LIVE LITERATURE IN SCOTLAND
Taking place in St. Andrews from 6-10 March, the annual StAnza festival is a celebration of literature, poetry and the culture of letters in Scotland. This year's programme of events and workshops will feature performances from the Scottish makar Liz Lochhead, celebrated poet John Hegley, local poetry champions and performers such as Harry Giles and Rachel McCrum (hosts of Inky Fingers), and poets from around the world, coming from as far afield as Palestine, Iceland, Germany, Romania, Australia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Singapore. The closure of the Byre Theatre, announced on the Scottish news this week, is a blow for the festival, as the Byre has long acted as the StAnza's hub. New venues have been found, and the organisers promise a festival with just as much bite and excitement as those of previous years. Check the StAnza website for event details, and join the campaign to Save The Byre Theatre here.

NEW MUSIC FROM DEPECHE MODE, TEAM GHOST, VIGO THIEVES, ONEMAN AND MANO LE TOUGH
Depeche Mode have unveiled a new song and video from forthcoming album Delta Machine. The track, entitled Heaven, was leaked online earlier this week, leading to the early release of the video. The site for US radio station KROQ also has an interview with singer Dave Gahan, where he claims: “The song we found to drive this record was the single, Heaven. It was like a shot in the arm." A reflective ballad, with Gahan's distinctive voice twinned with Martin Gore's falsetto, it showcases the blues influences said to be a big part of the new record. Listen here.

How To Destroy Angels, the new project from Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig,  Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan, have unveiled a terrifying new video for their track How Long, taken from the forthcooming album Welcome to Oblivion, out in March. The video, directed by London visual arts collective ansd regular UNKLE collaborators Shynola, depicts a dystopian future. Watch below.

French shoegazers Team Ghost (interviewed in this month's issue) unveiled a new song from their forthcoming album Rituals this week, with an exclusive stream of the track Curtains available over at The Quietus. The quintet, founded by ex-M83 member Nicolas Fromageau, look set to finally break out of France in the coming weeks. We took an early look at Rituals this week.

Wishaw indie-rockers Vigo Thieves next EP Heart & Soul Pt. II is due in early March - the band have unveiled a video for the track Ghosts today, with a guest starring role for none other than John Leslie. Lead singer Stevie Jukes said: "I caught John Leslie on daytime television talking about everything he had been through and it was exactly what we were looking for, so Stuart got in touch with his agent. The following Sunday we shot the film downstairs in the State Bar. It happened that quickly. We are delighted with the results, John turns in a brilliant performance and Stuart has captured it fantastically well." Watch a preview for the video below - it premieres later today at youtube.com/vigothievesonline.

Celebrated London DJ Oneman, a regular presence on Rinse FM and the man behind last year's 64th fabriclive mix, has uploaded an exclusive mix for free on his Soundcloud page, featuring tracks from Martyn, Machinedrum, Fatima Al-Qadiri, TNGHT, S-Type and a whole host of other bass music and electronic names. Download the mix, entitled Solitarie Vol. 1, here, or stream below.

Mano le Tough is a risng star of the berlin club scene - the Irish-born producer has attracted praise for his smart, sexy, emotional take on house music, with releases going back as far as 2009. Now settled at the Permanent Vacation label, he has readied his debut album - Changing Days - for a February release, and has unveiled a track from it, the vocoder-led, laidback grooves of Please. Stream the track below.



RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY EXAMINES #HASHTAG #GENRES
Red Bull Music Academy have produced the first in a series of short, online documentaries about modern music and music production. The series, called H∆SHTAG$, will explore a different musical subgenre in each film, talking to the key producers, and attempting to define the roots and destination for that particular sound or movement. They've kicked off with the genre known variously as AltRnB, Dark R&B, or ethereal R&B, speaking to a selection of underground artists, and better-known producers such as How To Dress Well. It's a fascinating analysis of microtrends within the music community, and a great examination of the way in which cultural trends are transmitted and mutated by producers and fans alike. Watch the documentary below.

NEW FLYZONE MIXTAPE FROM LE1F
LE1F caused some major waves in the alternative hip-hop community in 2012 with his Dark York mixtape, now being hosted by ex-Das racist star Himanshu's Greedhead label, and nominated as Album of the Year by influential new York bloggers Mishka NYC. His uncompromising, lo-fi production choices, openly gay stance (although he staunchly rejects any affiliation with, or definition as a "gay rap" artist - as he told MetaFilter, "That's not a genre...") and insouciant, swaggering lyrics were something utterly different to the rest of 2012's rap crop, and saw the rapper embraced by legions of fans worldwide. This week, LE1F dropped the follow-up, Fly Zone, via Greedhead and his own Camp & Street label, a subsidiary of Palms Out. The new mixtape features guest appearances and production from the likes of Spank Rock, Kitty Pryde and Haleek Maul. Get No Fly Zone here, or stream below.

TRAILERS: UPSIDE DOWN, INTO THE MIND
Argentinian director Juan Diego Solanas' debut feature film Upside Down is an SF/fantasy love story starring Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess. The pair play lovers trapped on twin planets with opposite gravity. It's Romeo & Juliet meets Inception, basically, and looks like it could either be a tear-jerking visual poem to rival the likes of The Fall and Cloud Atlas, or an ideas-light CGI-fest with a drippily sentimental script. Check the trailer below.

Psychedelic documentary Into The Mind looks like a safer betm in terms of dealing with some weighty subject matter. Brought to you by the team behind extreme skiing documentary All.I.Can, the movie promises to examine "the experiences passed between mentors and peers to paint a philosophical portrait of human kind," asking important questions like: "What drives us to overcome challenge? How do we justify risk? What forces are at the core of a mountain addiction?" Talking to extreme sportsmen, sherpas and philosophers, and featuring some breathtaking mountain scenery, it will if nothing else be a visual delight.

WEEKEND GIG PICKS: GREEN DOOR 5TH BIRTHDAY, TRUST
Two gigs well worthy of your time this weekend, both in Glasgow, and both on the same night - so you''ll have to pick! Will it be the Green Door Studio 5th Birthday extravaganza at Nice 'N' Sleazy's, with sets from Gummy Stumps, The Creeping Ivies, Future Glue and In Posterface, not to mention the sublime sounds of the Optimo-affiliated Green Door 'house band' Golden Teacher, a collaboration beetween members of Ultimate Thrush and Silk Cut? Or will it be the melancholic sounds of Canadian synth-pop/darkwave sensation Trust at Broadcast, aka Robert Alfons? Click the links below for times and prices of the nights, both tonight (1 Feb). Here's a track from each to help you decide!

Green Door Studio: 5th Birthday at Sleazy's
TRUST at Broadcast