Glass Animals"How to Be a Human Being"(Harvest Records)For their ambitious sophomore album, the members of the indie-electronic band Glass Animals got some creative help from an unlikely source -- total strangers.Each song on the terrific “How to Be a Human Being” is told from the perspective of someone inspired by a person the band encountered on the road, from taxi drivers to fans. The result is a complex, exciting tapestry of a CD which switches musical styles and reveals new things each time

Seven-member K-pop boy band Bangtan Boys -- also known as BTS -- will hold its third global fan meeting in November, according to the group’s management agency Big Hit Entertainment on Thursday.　Titled “BTS 3rd Muster (ARMY.ZIP+),” the two-day event will take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, Seoul, on Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. and on Nov. 13 at 4 p.m.　The group debuted in 2013 with the hit track “No More Dream” from its first single album “2 Cool 4 Skool,” and quickly grew in popularity, toppi

DUBAI (AFP) - Spanish tenor Placido Domingo performed Wednesday at the opening of Dubai Opera, a venue the emirate hopes will boost cultural life in the Gulf business hub, organizers said.The 2,000-seat opera house was packed for the opening after tickets sold out months in advance, leaving many scrambling to buy them on the black market in the days preceding the event.Domingo launched into the event with a series of performances including Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and the Broadway music

The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will take stage alongside a number of special guests, including K-pop ballad powerhouses Gummy and JK Kim Dong-wook and soprano singer Shin Della.The orchestra’s upcoming sold-out “Nalrari Concert” is being held Sept. 3 at 5 p.m. at the Inje Haneulnaerin Center’s Grand Theater in Inje-gun, Gangwon Province. Seats to the concert sold out within the first week of ticket sales. On Feb. 1, the Herald Phil signed a cultural exchange partnership agreement with the Inj

The members of girl group April were appointed promotional ambassadors for eco-friendly school meals by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, according to the group’s agency DSP Media. The group will be featured in subway posters, online videos and other advertisements promoting eco-friendly school meals. Mayor Park Won-soon presented trophies to the group at a ceremony held Wednesday morning at Seoul City Hall.On Oct. 20, April will participate in a public forum for eco-friendly meals

Son Ga-in of K-pop girl group Brown Eyed Girls is returning as a solo artist with a new album.　To gear up for her return to the spotlight, the performing artist, better known simply as Ga-in, began unveiling teaser images on her official social media channels this week. 　The upcoming release will be made in two segments. It will be Ga-in’s first full-length studio album since her debut as a solo artist with “Step 2/4” in 2010.  The 28-year-old’s most recent mini-album “Hawwah,” released last Mar

NEW YORK (AP) - Beyonce owned the MTV Video Music Awards by winning video of the year and giving a 16-minute performance featuring her recent hits from “Lemonade,‘” working various stages with strong, layered vocals, skilled dance moves and even an outfit change -- all as the audience watched in awe and cheered her on.Beyonce won the top prize for “Formation,” besting Adele, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Drake.“First of all I'd like to thank my beautiful daughter and my incredible husband for al

K-pop boy band 2PM is currently preparing for a new release. The six-member act is scheduled to announce a new album next month, according to the group’s management agency JYP Entertainment on Monday. 　“The upcoming tracks will demonstrate a new side of 2PM,” JYP Entertainment told local media outlets. 　The currently untitled album will be the group’s first domestic release since its fifth studio album “No. 5,” unveiled last June.  While gearing up for the upcoming album, the group’s members hav

Korean hip-hop artist MC Mong is returning to the scene with his first full-length album in two years. 　The 36-year-old will be releasing his seventh studio album, “U.F.O,” next week, but has no concrete plans to make broadcast appearances, according to his management agency DreamT Entertainment on Monday.　“For the past two years, he has dedicated his heart and soul into perfecting the upcoming album,” DreamT Entertainment said in a statement. “It boasts (the) witty lyrics and charismatic melody

Conductor Lim Hun-joung harmonizes a thousand-member ensemble for his third performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8

Classical Music  “Ivan Fischer & Budapest Festival Orchestra”: Budapest Festival Orchestra is returning to Korea for the fourth time in six years. Conducted by Hungarian conductor and composer Ivan Fischer, the ensemble will be performing at the Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. Accompanied by Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, the 33-year-old orchestra will be presenting three pieces from Mozart, Chopin and Dvorak. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 250,000 won and can be reserved at tick

K-pop quartet Mamamoo will be releasing its first subunit tracks this month, the group announced on its official social media channels on Friday.The first subunit, Angel Line, consisting of members Solar and Whee-in, will be presenting “Angel,” while the remaining duo Rapper Line with Moon-byul and Hwa-sa will be releasing “Dab Dab.”　Although the promotional posters feature the four members in matching outfits, the tracks capture two different sides of Mamamoo, according to a statement from the

Crystal Castles“Amnesty (I)”Casablanca RecordsElectro-punk noisemakers Crystal Castles return with a lineup that‘s 50 percent new and a sound that’s still 100 percent uncompromising. Original vocalist Alice Glass left amid reports of acrimony in 2014, and on “Amnesty (I)” producer-maestro Ethan Kath is joined by new singer Edith Frances.The essentials of Crystal Castles’ ethos remain. Frances’ vocals -- ranging from ethereal to insistent -- counterpoint Kath’s sonic assault on an album that blen