The project of Ithaca, New York’s Alec Koone, Balam Acab -- named after a Mayan demigod who created rainbows by piercing clouds with arrows -- began as an experimental noise project while he was still a Pennsylvania high-school student. He resuscitated the name a few years later as a music student at Ithaca College, incorporating dubstep, U.K. bass, and R&B elements into his atmospheric sounds, drawing comparisons to Grouper as well as drag/witch house artists such as Salem and White Ring. Balam Acab's critically acclaimed debut EP, See Birds, was released in 2010 by the Tri Angle imprint. The EP was reissued early in the following year, while Koone's debut album, Wander/Wonder, arrived in September 2011. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi