From Oscar-nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen, director of Cobain: Montage of Heck, and featuring never-before-seen concert footage, MOONAGE DAYDREAM is an immersive cinematic experience; an audio-visual space odyssey that not only illuminates the enigmatic legacy of David Bowie but also serves as a guide to living a fulfilling and meaningful life in the 21st Century.
MOONAGE DAYDREAM is not a documentary. It is a genre-defying cinematic experience based on one of the most iconic and global rock stars of all time, destined to be one of the defining cultural moments of the year
The film has the full support of Bowie’s estate and features many of his greatest tracks, as well as previously unseen concert footage.
SPIN Magazine is rocking Lollapalooza this year by announcing its first-ever team of SPIN Music News Correspondents. The trio of creators will attend the festival with Creative Director Danny Klein, offering a first-person, music-lover’s perspective on all of this year’s Lolla happenings via SPIN socials, including TikTok, Instagram, etc.
SPIN’s inaugural Music News correspondents are Jesea Lee, Erica Leann, and Margeaux Labat. Jesea, who entertains and educates his fans with daily alt music news and recommendations, has built a following as the chill guy people want to talk music with. He offers commentary on the day’s music news, the latest trending tracks, and more.
Self-described “blonde metal chick” Erica is straight up and to the point, slicing into all things rock, hardcore, and punk. Her TikTok posts range from music bucket lists (“Bucketlist of bands I’ve never seen live”) to explorations of genres such as grunge pop punk and lists of BIPOC metal bands everyone should have on blast.
Margeaux is profoundly deep and knowledgeable about music and artistry analysis. She’s passionate about helping her followers discover new music, from tunes that lend a classy vibe to a dinner party to the best dreampop bands.
“We were definitely inspired by what the MTV VJs did for MTV back in the day — they brought fresh faces, personalities, and perspectives to the network,” notes SPIN Creative Director Danny Klein. “We’re thrilled to welcome Jesea, Erica, and Margeaux to the SPIN newsroom in that very spirit, and I’m excited to see them bring their collective passion for music and pop culture to the SPIN audience.”
SPIN, which rose to fame with its pull-no-punches music journalism, is reclaiming that territory, bringing together fun and often fiery observations with the music and the issues that matter today.
SPIN is one of the most recognizable names in music and pop culture. In early 2020, SPIN launched a new generation of the legendary media group, putting the brand back where it belongs — at the center of the zeitgeist. Recent digital covers have featured some of today’s biggest stars, including The Black Keys, YungBlud, Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Denzel Curry, Run the Jewels, and Kehlani, coupled with probing journalism and in-depth interviews, hit series 5 Albums I Can’t Live Without, A Day In the Life Of, and Artist x Artist, as well as original videos.
Brian Eno will release his 22nd studio album FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE on October 14 on vinyl, CD and digital formats including Dolby Atmos. The 10 track record was made at his studio in West London and Eno sings vocals on the majority of tracks for the first time on an album since 2005’s Another Day On Earth.
Released today is the track ‘There Were Bells’, written by Brian Eno for a performance by him and his brother Roger at UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis in August 2021 (and where the music video stems from). It was 45 degrees in Athens on the day of the concert with wildfires raging just outside the city, prompting his introductory comment “I thought, here we are at the birthplace of Western civilisation, probably witnessing the end of it”
‘There Were Bells’ provides a poignant reminder of the current climate emergency, a theme that is explored throughout the album.
Reflecting on the album, Brian Eno comments, “Like everybody else – except, apparently, most of the governments of the world – I’ve been thinking about our narrowing, precarious future, and this music grew out of those thoughts. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say I’ve been feeling about it…and the music grew out of the feelings. Those of us who share those feelings are aware that the world is changing at a super-rapid rate, and that large parts of it are disappearing forever…hence the album title.
“These aren’t propaganda songs to tell you what to believe and how to act. Instead they’re my own exploration of my own feelings. The hope is that they will invite you, the listener, to share those experiences and explorations.
“It took me a long time to embrace the idea that we artists are actually feelings-merchants. Feelings are subjective. Science avoids them because they’re hard to quantify and compare. But ‘feelings’ are the beginnings of thoughts, and the long term attendants of them too. Feelings are the whole body reacting, often before the conscious brain has got into gear, and often with a wide lens that encompasses more than the brain is consciously aware of.
“Art is where we start to become acquainted with those feelings, where we notice them and learn from them – learn what we like and don’t like – and from there they start to turn into actionable thoughts. Children learn through play; adults play through Art. Art gives you the space to ‘have’ feelings, but it comes with an off-switch: you can shut the book or leave the gallery. Art is a safe place to experience feelings – joyous ones and difficult ones. Sometimes those feelings are about things we long for, sometimes they’re about things we might want to avoid.
“I’m more and more convinced that our only hope of saving our planet is if we begin to have different feelings about it: perhaps if we became re-enchanted by the amazing improbability of life; perhaps if we suffered regret and even shame at what we’ve already lost; perhaps if we felt exhilarated by the challenges we face and what might yet become possible. Briefly, we need to fall in love again, but this time with Nature, with Civilisation and with our hopes for the future.”
Brian Eno, July 2022
FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE
Produced by Brian Eno. Post-producer – Leo Abrahams.
LP & digital tracklist:
Who Gives a Thought
We Let It In
Icarus or Blériot
Garden of Stars
Inclusion
There Were Bells
Sherry
I’m Hardly Me
These Small Noises
Making Gardens Out of Silence
CD tracklist:
Who Gives a Thought
We Let It In
Icarus or Blériot
Garden of Stars
Inclusion
There Were Bells
Sherry
I’m Hardly Me
These Small Noises
Making gardens out of silence in the uncanny valley
All voices and instruments by Brian Eno except:
Leo Abrahams – guitar on Who Gives a Thought, Icarus or Blériot, Garden of Stars, There Were Bells, Sherry & These Small Voices.
Darla Eno – additional voice on We Let It In & I’m Hardly Me.
Cecily Eno – additional voice on Garden of Stars.
Roger Eno – accordion on Garden of Stars & There Were Bells.
Peter Chilvers – keyboards on Garden of Stars.
Marina Moore – Violin and Viola on Inclusion.
Clodagh Simonds – additional voice on These Small Noises.
Jon Hopkins – keyboard on These Small Noises.
Kyoko Inatome – voice on Making Gardens Out of Silence.
Garden Of Stars and There Were Bells were originally performed by Brian, Roger and Cecily Eno with Leo Abrahams and Peter Chilvers at their performance as part of the Epidaurus Festival in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the Acropolis, Athens on August 4th, 2021.
Making gardens out of silence in an uncanny valley was originally included in an audio installation which is Brian Eno’s contribution to the London Serpentine’s long-term, interdisciplinary programme addressing the ongoing climate emergency, Back To Earth.
Langley, BC country rock band Whiskey Blind spins a tale of love with a song about breathlessly waiting to be with your lover on the electric new single “She Means The Most To Me.”
Their first foray into crafting a love song, “She Means The Most To Me” is a song about that wandering feeling when you separate from your partner and can’t wait to be back in their arms. The band isn’t afraid to traverse their vulnerable side on the track with their edgy country sound and heartfelt message, and the new single is a testament to the fierce musicianship and storytelling prowess that’s made Whiskey Blind a sonic force to be reckoned with.
Inspired by a true story involving one of the members of Whiskey Blind, the song came together one seemingly insignificant autumn day while vocalist Ben Ferguson was waiting for his girlfriend. “She Means The Most To Me” was written in Ferguson’s basement workspace before the rest of the band rhythmically filled out the rest to make it the catchy tune it is today.
The complexity of “She Means The Most To Me” lies in its harmonic composition as well as the lyrical framework utilized by Whiskey Blind to reach audiences’ hearts and minds. The infectious single is grounded while also being an ode to that special feeling only distant lovers can evoke.
“A six-string Gibson tuned up tight
She’s a kiss on the lips that feels so right.
Wearing me down and making me sweat.
Like an ice-cold bud pressed against the neck
She’s a lover, a fighter, a keep ya up all-nighter.”
Founded on the Canadian west coast by vocalist Ben Ferguson and guitarist RJ Begg, Whiskey Blind started as a friendship between two musicians during the COVID pandemic. With a fair amount of extra time, both artists began feverishly working together before finding their way into a recording studio within six months.
As Whiskey Blind’s tonal palette began to expand during that time, so too did its roster. Whiskey Blind would solidify its musical backbone with the percussive chops of drummer Matthew Stockwell and bassist Nick Davies.
Rounding out the band and its distinct style is guitarist Brett Dick. This varied group of musicians forms a sound that is sophisticated enough for music lovers and approachable to general audiences looking to get more out of their auditory sensors.
There are plenty of run-of-the-mill hip-hop artists chasing clout and checks nowadays, as if the passion of rhythm and poetry has been cast aside. It’s artists like Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow that work effortlessly to keep the art behind rap alive by delivering hard-hitting cadences and prolific messaging, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their newest single, “Damn.”
Best summed up as an aggressive single that uses light footwork to deliver powerhouse stingers and reality checks within each listening experience, Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow use throat-cutting delivery woven into powerfully potent five-finger cadences on “Damn,” start to stop; 808 saw synths lay the foundation for what eventually divulges into a lyrical homicide as straightforward trap drum rhythms stick around to carry out the finality of the assault.
“It seems like everyone these days is trying to microwave their music careers, doing whatever gimmick they can to get attention as fast as possible,” Sonny Hendrixx says. “I want to be recognized as a lyricist. I’ve treated every verse/hook like it was going to be my last.
“I appreciate the hip-hop culture and movement so much that I get very bothered seeing how lackadaisical some artists can be with their craft.”
As you take the time to listen to the lyrical work Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow put into “Damn,” it’s easy to find these two up-and-coming producers are deadly serious about what they do. The breakout artists talk about gimmicky come-ups and pay-to-play stream inflations. Daxflow delivers a verse that feels surprisingly on the nose, featuring lines like:
“Not shaky more known for da break beats / sitting on chrome is a no no for JE
live in my zone we blow smoke n make heat / grindin all day for real n stay wavy
— you stay lazy flows are so shaky / open da door — im kicking it in pay me
I never change dude stay in the pocket / whether on a stage or the way that im walking…”
While these two performers have been in the game for a while, building impressive resumes along the way, it isn’t lost on them that the music world around them is changing. However, staying true to their roots, Sonny Hendrixx and Daxflow deliver a listening experience that pays homage to the classics while producing a banger fit for any new stereo system.
“Don’t count me out in this old school to new age cross over,” Daxflow says. “Never stick me in one lane as I can deliver with many different styles. I’m an easy person to judge when you don’t take the time to know the real story. I never change in regard to keeping it real with my people, but my progression is unmatched. If I find a way to get something accomplished, a lot of the time it’s to give hope to those that need it.”
Daxflow is a Toronto-born hip-hop artist who is widely known for his position as a judge for Toronto’s rap battles for KOTD. He is currently working on producing a series of singles as he records out of StayKool productions studio, ultimately working towards his newest EP, L.I.F.E Vulume 2 EP.
Sonny Hendrixx is an Oshawa local who has been producing hip-hop music for the past decade. Drawing inspiration from his previous substance abuse, Hendrixx champions being sober as one of the main reasons he has found success recently. Two years after his dive into sobriety, Sonny Hendirxx released his debut LP, Sonny Boy Wonder LP, under his previous artist’s name Rooks McCoy. “Sucker for Love” and “With You,” two singles off the album, received rave reviews, sold out physical copies, and amassed over 350,000 streams.
Recently, Sonny has placed second in Anno Domini Nation’s “Best Rapper Alive” contest, which earned him an EP deal with the well-established Anno Domini roster. He is now working on new material for his upcoming album, Adeus — a passionate amalgamation of anti-love songs disposing of visceral feelings about past relationships, drug addiction, and life’s constant obstacles.
Masha and the Fam are raising the flag, setting the signal, and putting you on “Notice” with the release of their new single.
The indie alt sextuplet is breaking the barriers of conventionality with their full-bodied opus, complete with horns, raging guitars, and pounding piano. “There’s a lot of anger and frustration in this song, but there’s also a touch of hope,” Masha and The Fam’s Masha Alexis shares. “To me, this is the trumpet, it gives us that bit of hope through the loss and despair and helps us know that change is possible.
“In 2018, the last male white rhino died in the wild. I was devastated,” she continues. “I was reading the story and I saw a meme that I will never forget. The tracker was kneeling next to the dead rhino looking heartbroken and the caption was ‘We survived thousands of years and can’t survive mankind. I knew I had to tell this story, but I honestly didn’t know how.”
The lead single from the band’s release, After Dark, the band’s rich and extraordinary “Notice” is hailed by Alexis as a “collaborative” piece brought to life by the Fam. While “White Rhino” was the initial working title for “Notice,” the song would go on to incorporate a global scale of cataclysmic events happening in real-time across the United States. “This isn’t about any one particular issue, but ‘when will you notice’,” says Alexis, adding: “When will you stop looking for someone else to fix ‘it’ and get out there and take action.
Masha Alexis (lead vocals, keys), Paul Watts (guitar), Servio Maldonado (bass), Kyle Dombroski (drums), Max Maynard (trumpet), and William James Carter III (saxophone) comprise Masha and the Fam; a collective of extraordinary musicians who sidestep genre boundaries to produce enticing and exciting soundscapes.
Having formed not long before the pandemic of 2020, the Fam was woven together by Alexis; a musician having grown up a performer. It was her extensive training in choral music at the Peabody Conservatory, Russian liturgical music vocals, and operatic vocals during her college years mashed with her time as a professional dancer that brought Alexis to LA, where she rediscovered her musical roots. In what she calls a “life-changing moment”, Alexis was afforded the chance to work with producer extraordinaire, Anthony Marinelli. Her debut EP, Conkling Street (an homage to her hometown of Baltimore), was born after years of providing backup vocals for artists and at the encouragement of her renowned vocal coach, Rachael Lawrence.
Soon after, Alexis would enlist like-minded and talented musicians to create Masha and the Fam as we know them today. The break of live music during the pandemic ushered a new sonic soundscape for the band to harness and explore. Churning out a dazzling new era in song from their LA jam space, the music is a rousing, alt-rock orchestral offering — inviting the listener to join them.
‘The Fam’ earned its moniker from Carter after Alexis dubbed their rehearsals: “family meetings.” “These people and their energy created something so great, we decided to stay together,” Alexis says.
The orchestral, cinematic, larger-than-life “Notice” trumpeteers an exciting introduction of Masha and the Fam to the indie music community. They’ve put us all on notice that they’re here. To stay.
There’s nothing more exhilarating than being a daredevil in love, and Windsor, ON-based pop newcomer Tayler Lynn paints a soaring vocal landscape of all the beauty and breathlessness in her new single, “Play It Safe.”
With moody guitar, bold piano, and sweeping, cinematic lyrics, “Play It Safe” begins in the wee hours of an abandoned party – “Glittery dust on the hardwood floor/ Solo cups from the night before” – and follows two people just beginning to fall in love on a wild adventure. Instead of helping with the party cleanup, the lovers hop on a train and leave the city, heading up North into nature. And the narrator? She knows it’s reckless but she can’t help herself – even though it feels like falling off a cliff:
I know that this ain’t safe
But we never played it safe
So inch a little bit closer
Not too far
Or we’re gonna drive over in the lake
“I’m just a girl who makes music in her bedroom hoping that my songs can make at least one person feel less alone,” Tayler says of her process. In fact, music began as her therapy, ever since she discovered her namesake Taylor Swift’s music at the age of eight.
“I’ve struggled with anxiety and mental health since I was about 10 years old, and I was bullied a lot in school,” she confides. “So, music has been the only thing that has helped me cope. I would write songs during class at school, in the middle of the night, and pretty much any free time I got. I kept them to myself for years – six years, to be exact.”
Now 23, Tayler’s released more than 20 songs on YouTube and Spotify – some that she’s produced herself and others, like “Play It Safe,” produced by Justin Dow. With her confessional style, crystalline voice, and relatable and evocative lyrics, Tayler is a new talent to watch.
Foggy brain; pounding head; the flashbacks of what might or might not have happened – we can all relate to the morning-after regret from a night of heavy drinking. With grungy riffs and verses full of humor, Grant Boyer captures all the angst on his new single “Alarm Bells (Never Drinking Again).”
Inspired by ’90s bands like Nirvana and Weezer (and infused with the fun, kitschy bratty-ness of Ugly Kid Joe), “Alarm Bells” is a wild romp through a night of partying, and panic the next day.
My head is pounding and I woke up on the floor
Alarm bells are sounding and my landlord’s at the door
Drank all the rent again,
Drunk dialed my girlfriend,
Now she’s not my girlfriend anymore
The corresponding music video, produced by Sam Samiak, depicts a crazy group of hard-partying friends drinking straight from the bottle, drinking out of a bong, and then passing out in a heap on the floor. The video cuts back and forth between the party scene and the band playing and starts out with a landlord getting ready to ring the doorbell.
There’s a mournful, wailing guitar solo that seems to, in its lament, express the same sentiment repeated over and over in the chorus: “I’m never drinking again.” “It was fun trying to make a guitar sound drunk,” Boyer confesses.
“I just wanted to make a fun and relatable song that hopefully makes people laugh,” he continued. “I think most people can relate to the struggle to not drink anymore.”
Grant Boyer is a founding member of Canadian rock group Golden Gate Graves. During their time, the band released a significant catalog of music, toured Canada coast to coast in 2010, and shared the stage with many great Canadian acts including Big Wreck, The Tea Party, Mother Mother, USS, April Wine, and Trooper among others. After five full-length records, the group disbanded in 2018.
As a solo artist, Boyer has shared stages with Honeymoon Suite, Hollerado, Moist, and performed on multiple legs of Canadian tours with members of the Trailer Park Boys. Between 2018 to 2020, Grant took some needed downtime and built a small family in the process, yet never stopped writing new music. His current releases fall under the category of edgy alt-rock with a dash of humour. Don’t call it Dad Rock.
