Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We dissect Ministry’s new cover of Iggy and The Stooges’ Search and Destroy, and marvel at their ability to come up with the best album titles in the biz.
SESAC Acquires Audiam from SOCAN
SOCAN today confirmed that music rights organization SESAC of Nashville has purchased Audiam, the music publishing digital rights reproduction collection agency, from SOCAN.
The acquisition empowers SESAC to leverage Audiam’s claiming, income tracking and reporting technology and services, expanding its global service offerings to songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Audiam will remain under the leadership of Jamie Purpora who has more than 20 years of experience in music publishing administration and has successfully led the Audiam team since 2015.
Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO, said, “SOCAN is delighted to complete this agreement with SESAC. Since our acquisition of Audiam in 2016, the organization has exceeded expectations, but the time is right for Audiam to continue its next phase with a new parent organization. We look forward to seeing this new chapter for Audiam as the organization benefits from new synergy with SESAC.”
SESAC Chairman and CEO John Josephson said, “SESAC is acquiring Audiam with the intention of supporting the existing management team, and to act as a supportive strategic partner and capital provider. We anticipate a seamless transition in ownership with no disruption to the Audiam business activities as a result of this transaction. Going forward, we believe this will position SESAC well for enhanced growth of our multi-rights, multi-territory global rights management business and continued delivery of best-in-class service to our affiliates, licensees and commercial partners.”
As part of the agreement, financial terms were not disclosed. SOCAN will retain a minority share in Audiam.
My Next Read: “Made In Hollywood: All Access with the Go-Go’s” by Gina Schock
The Go-Go’s were the first all-female rock group in history to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and reach the top of the Billboard charts with their #1 album, Beauty and the Beat. Made In Hollywood is drummer Gina Schock’s personal account of the band, which includes a treasure trove of photographs and memorabilia collected over the course of her 40-year career.
The Go-Go’s debut album, Beauty and the Beat, rose to the top of the charts in 1981 and their hit songs “We Got the Beat”, “Our Lips Are Sealed”, “Vacation”, and “Head Over Heels” (to name a few) served as a soundtrack to our lives in the ‘80s.
Now, after the release of their Critics Choice Award-winning Showtime documentary, and in anticipation of their forthcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their 2021 West Coast shows, Gina truly offers a treasure trove of personal images that follow the course of the band’s wild journey to the heights of fame and stardom. Featuring posters, photographs, Polaroids, and other memorabilia from her archives, Made In Hollywood also includes stories from each member of the Go-Go’s, along with other cultural luminaries like Kate Pierson, Jodie Foster, Dave Stewart, Martha Quinn, and Paul Reubens.
With a style as bold and distinctive as any Go-Go’s album, Made In Hollywood is the perfect tribute to one of the world’s most iconic groups.
TikTok Radio launches on SiriusXM today
SiriusXM and TikTok today announced the launch of TikTok Radio (ch. 4), the highly anticipated full-time music channel featuring the trending sounds that are redefining pop culture from TikTok. Presented by TikTok creators, tastemakers, top artists, and DJs, TikTok Radio will be available beginning today, at 12 p.m. ET, in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.
Sonically synched to the TikTok experience, the groundbreaking, full-time SiriusXM music channel will sound like a radio version of the platform’s “For You” feed. A talented and diverse group of TikTok creators including Canadian host HINDZ (@hindzsight), Billy (@8illy), Cat Haley (@itscathaley), Lamar Dawson (@dirrtykingofpop), and Taylor Cassidy (@taylorcassidyj) will present music and share the stories behind the trends throughout each hour. Listeners can expect to hear trending songs from music’s next generation of rising stars, viral hits, throwbacks, and whatever else the TikTok community is vibing to.
TikTok Radio debuts today with takeovers throughout the week from some of the most followed personalities and artists from the TikTok Community with “Creator Invasion,” which will feature appearances from Alex Warren, Ashnikko, Bella Poarch, Dillon Francis, Dixie D’Amelio, Ed Sheeran, Jack Harlow, Just Stef, JXDN, Lil Nas X, Loren Gray, Nessa Barrett, Normani, Spencer X, Tai Verdes, Walker Hayes and more.
“Our groundbreaking new channel with TikTok is a first-of-its-kind, capturing the pulse of the global music culture, vibrancy and vitality found on the entertaining social platform and recreated as a full-time music channel on live satellite radio and our streaming platforms,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “The creators, who are also presenting the music on TikTok Radio, are deeply involved in the channel and will reflect the unique sound and personality of TikTok that is so enmeshed with today’s music culture and community. TikTok creators will be delivering new audio experiences for our listeners as they tap into the latest music trends on TikTok.”
“We’re so excited to launch TikTok Radio on SiriusXM, which opens up artists and creators like this amazing group of hosts to new audiences,” said Ole Obermann, TikTok’s Global Head of Music. “Now SiriusXM subscribers will have a new road to discover the latest trends in music and get a first listen to tomorrow’s musical superstars. The channel captures the song-breaking music culture that creates so much joy and entertainment on TikTok through video in an all-audio format.”
Listeners will stay up to date on the moment’s most viral sounds with “The TikTok Radio Trending Ten,” a weekly countdown of the top 10 songs trending in the TikTok community, presented by the channel’s creator hosts. This show will debut on Fridays at 3 p.m. ET with replays throughout the weekend, and will be available anytime on the SXM App.
Direct from TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed, TikTok Radio’s resident DJs, DJ Habibeats (@djhabibeats) and DJ CONST (@erinconstantineofficial) will spin LIVE, simultaneously, on TikTok and TikTok Radio every week. They’ll mix tracks trending across the TikTok universe, with hand-selected songs Fridays and Saturdays starting at 7 p.m. ET with replays throughout the weekend, also available anytime on the SXM app.
TikTok Radio marks another part of the collaboration between TikTok, SiriusXM and Pandora* to deliver access to groundbreaking programming, exclusive performances, special events, and some of music’s top and emerging talent to their loyal fans across each of their platforms.
Meet TikTok Radio‘s creator hosts here: https://siriusxm.ca/SXMTikTok
For all information on TikTok Radio, visit: https://www.siriusxm.ca/tiktokradio
To listen to TikTok Radio, go to: https://www.siriusxm.ca/tiktokradiosxm
Subscribers can listen to TikTok Radio (ch. 4) online, on-the-go with the SXM App, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more.
Visit https://www.siriusxm.ca/ways-to-listen to learn more.
Sonic Reducers: Rolling Stones To Release ‘Tattoo You’ 40th Anniversary With 9 New Songs
Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We discuss the upcoming 40th anniversary edition of The Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You – featuring a box set of outtakes from an album of outtakes – and ponder which vintage album they should tackle next.
Making A Harp Sound Heavy Metal
Emily Hopkins brought two of her harps into heavy metal by sending their audio through the Nepenthes guitar effects pedal by Electrofoods, and a new sub-genre is formed.
Ed Sheeran Announces New Album = Out Everywhere October 29
Ed Sheeran has announced details of his new album = (Equals), confirmed for release on October 29 (pre-order). To coincide with today’s album news, Ed has dropped his emotionally charged track Visiting Hours that’ll be included on the album alongside a performance video.
= – the fourth instalment in Sheeran’s symbol album series – is Ed’s most accomplished work yet; the evolution of an artist who continues to tread new ground. A body of tracks that were made over a four-year period following his seminal ÷ (Divide) album era, thematically, = finds Ed taking stock of his life and the people in it as he explores the varying degrees of love (The Joker And The Queen, First Times, 2step), loss (Visiting Hours), resilience (Can’t Stop The Rain) and fatherhood (Sandman, Leave Your Life), while also processing his reality and career (Tides). Sonically, = encapsulates Ed’s versatile musical palette, spanning signature, guitar-led tracks and world-class balladry to weightier, euphoric production moments, as first showcased on this summer’s emphatic comeback track, Bad Habits.
Embracing Ed’s own truths, = seamlessly captures both the intimate and every day; elevating universal experiences to a higher plane as reflected by Visiting Hours – a track that finds Ed coming to terms with the loss of his mentor and friend, Michael Gudinski, and written shortly after his passing: “I wish that heaven had visiting hours / So I can just swing by and ask your advice”.
Written and recorded across Suffolk, London, Sweden and LA, the album’s executive production comes from Ed Sheeran, FRED (No.6 Collaborations Project) and Johnny McDaid (Divide), with additional writing and/or production provided by Steve Mac, Joe Rubel, Amy Wadge, Foy Vance, Elvira Anderfjard, David Hodges, Andrew Watt, Lou Bell, Natalie Hemby and Ben Kweller. Sheeran’s brother, Matthew, a composer, also contributes stunning string arrangements on First Times and The Joker And The Queen. The album artwork is a vivid collage of butterfly imagery symbolising the albums’ thread of ‘new life’ and is backdropped by one of Ed’s own abstract paintings.
Ed Sheeran commented – “= (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me. My life changed greatly over the past few years – I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”
= Official Tracklisting
1. Tides
2. Shivers
3. First Times
4. Bad Habits
5. Overpass Graffiti
6. The Joker And The Queen
7. Leave Your Life
8. Collide
9. 2step
10. Stop The Rain
11. Love In Slow Motion
12. Visiting Hours
13. Sandman
14. Be Right Now
Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson Launch Rush Canadian Golden Ale
It started during the R40 tour when, after a gig, someone handed frontman Geddy Lee a bottle of Robinson’s “Iron Maiden -Trooper” beer. Geddy took one look at it and jokingly asked where the Rush beer was. That quip stayed in the mind of the band, and recognizing the growing craft beer movement, particularly in their hometown of Toronto, the band decided to look into it seriously.
Beer has always been an important part of the touring experience for the band. That first after- show beer helping to draw a line between the focus of performing and the wind-down that follows. After hundreds of shows in so many countries around the world, the band really began to see how different beer could be.
“When I get off stage, I really, really enjoy an ice-cold beer, it’s like a little reward,” commented Geddy Lee on a recent visit to Henderson Brewery.
The band chose Henderson as they are one of the fastest growing micro-breweries in Canada and have won many gold medals for their beer. As is true with all of Rush ethos, quality is key. It didn’t hurt that the hometown brewery also had a love for the band given Henderson had previously released a “Put Your Scarf On Geddy” limited edition Canadian Imperial Stout in 2016.
In the summer of 2020, Rush and Henderson began taste testing many prototype brews and early in 2021 the band and the brewery both felt they had come up with a brew they could stand behind. Subtly complex, refreshing and satisfying and uniquely Canadian, as the beer gets its taste from Canadian ingredients, including Rye.
“Rush Canadian Golden Ale is golden in colour with a dense ivory head. It has an earthy aroma with hints of orange-peel, pine and spicy rye. While the emphasis is on refreshment, there are elements of pine, rye spice and a citric hop flavour that add to the subtle complexity of the beer,” remarked Alex Lifeson, the band-proclaimed Beer Scientist.
Rush Canadian Golden Ale launches across Canada August 30th, with distribution primarily in Ontario to start.
Toronto Lo-Fi Indie Popster CARPET OF HORSES Releases Sweet New Offering in “Honeybee”
Canadian artist Tobin James Stewart and his rock project Carpet of Horses unveil a dreamy new synco-pop, low-fi indie offering with this, CoH’s recently released single, “Honeybee” — available now.
The song is the latest to land from Carpet of Horses’ new album, Ballroom — released July 2021. An entire dance floor of tantalizing soundscapes daring listeners to disappear inside their party for a memory or two, each song on the full-length challenges the next to be the ‘belle of the ball.’
Placing artistic freedom on an album chocked full of unique instrumentation, harmonies, unsuspecting hooks and melodies, CoH compressed its expansive sound into nine-tracks of cosmic space that leaves listeners reaching to dial-up the good vibes. It’s a new “old” album, and its recording setting is just as much a part of it as its sound…
To set the scene: Tobin James Stewart had left his hometown of Toronto for a stint across the world. Landing in Berlin in 2008, the environmental shake up proved fruitful for the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist; CoH delivered on a laundry list of creative projects, namely the first full-length record, Red Paper Flames (2016), released alongside Collages, Vol. 1 (a compilation disc comprising the CoH first three EPs.) These releases lead to the inception of Carpet of Horses’ own label, Montsou Records.
That trip would also prove to lay the groundwork for Ballroom, as it stands (and sounds) today…
“I had been living in Berlin for the better part of a decade and, on a whim, decided to rent a house in a tiny village in the former GDR countryside,” CoH shares, referencing Bergsdorf. “The house had previously been the village restaurant, and behind it stood an unused 200m2 ballroom.
“I brought all of my gear from Berlin, and converted the ballroom into a huge recording studio,” he continues. “Someone in a nearby village was giving away their piano, and a local family of farmers I’d befriended helped me move it in.
“The local villagers shared lots of stories about the festivities and weddings that had taken place in the ballroom over the years. There was a lot of intense history embedded in those walls.”
Inspired by the room that housed his creativity, and coupled with his penchant for storytelling, it would take two short weeks for Carpet of Horses to write Ballroom from start to finish.
The LP’s nine original tracks are each a dazzling course of audio and picturesque moments prepared to infiltrate your whimsical desires. Beyond “Honeybee,” “Starland Waltz” channels a romantic ¾ time, while “Rosie’s Garden” pops out of the speakers, like succulents soaking in the sun.
What Carpet of Horses manages to create is a visual from audio — heavy percussion precariously plucked between distorted riffs, juxtaposed in delicate melodies, and cheery harmony.
“The ballroom had an immense sound but, as it had been built for orchestras to play in, it was perfectly controlled,” Carpet of Horses explains. “I used the room itself as a sort of musical instrument while bringing these songs to life, placing microphones all over the space, utilizing the amazing natural reverb to give the record its distinctive sonic character.”
Andi Haberl (The Notwist) was recruited for the album’s percussion. Later, Masayoshi Fujita (Erased Tapes) brought his family and his vibraphone to flesh out the album. Other collaborators to the LP include Michael Feuerstack (guitar, pedal steel), Ray Cammaert (Wurlitzer, backing vox), and Tyler Greenleaf (trumpet, trombone).
“The next five years saw me moving countries twice — first to Italy for three years, then back to my native home of Canada — and raising two small children,” Carpet of Horses reminisces. “As a result, this record sadly lay dormant on hard drives for several years while I struggled to find the means to finance it being mixed and mastered.
“So, at this point it’s a brand-new, old record.”
And therein lies even more of its charm as it rests firmly in its delicate commitment to tell a big story, in a big room, with big instrumentation — all without complicating the message. “Honeybee,” in particular, lays the foundation for an album that criss-crosses indie boundaries, never fully nesting in any specific genre. Ballroom allows the listener to strike the chord in what it chooses to hear, and how to interpret it; just as Carpet of Horses did as he transformed and channeled a new approach to creating it.
“Honeybee” and Ballroom are available now.
ASH RAVENS Reflects on Toxic Relationships with “Beautiful Lies”
Taking on the “lies and deception” this Ottawa-based, Bangladeshi-born rocker experienced in a past relationship, bilingual musical virtuoso Ash Ravens has burst onto the Canadian music scene with a brand-new, tongue-in-cheek single called “Beautiful Lies” — available now.
Complemented by emotional instrumentals, Ravens’ richly layered lyricism is drenched in satire as he sardonically projects so-called love for his partner’s lies — all while feeling used and trapped in a cycle of toxicity, with no idea how to escape.
In his own words, the veteran musician summarizes the song as being about “knowing when the other person is lying and cheating,” he shares. “You let them keep doing it, and let them dig their own grave.”
The line “so lie with me / and lie to me” helps underscore his feelings about this former flame and, while the lyrics might be hard to stomach for those familiar with the subject matter, “Beautiful Lies” is a real treat for avid six-string enthusiasts. There’s a lot to absorb in this three-minute, 30 second tune, from intermittent sweep-filled guitar licks, to undeniably melodic fills shredded by Ravens… You’ll be itching to go back and hear it again.
And to top it all off, the listener is treated with a mind-blowingly clean and awesome electric guitar solo following a hard-hitting vocal breakdown. (During the filming of the video for “Beautiful Lies,” Ravens attempted the “play-guitar-behind-your-head” act — made famous by Jimi Hendrix — during said solo and, because the director liked it so much, it ended up making the final cut.)
Following his most recent single — “Jochhonay Doobi” — “Beautiful Lies” is the first and only song Ravens wrote, recorded, and released after his migration to the Great White North. It serves as Ravens’ eighth overall single, and comes four years after his most recent and stunning self-titled debut album.
Born with the soul of a nomad and the heart of a musician, Ash Ravens graduated from the Los Angeles College of Music before finding himself down under in Australia — where he would play some of the country’s biggest music festivals, and earn two music degrees from Melbourne Polytechnic.
The musician then moved to Ottawa earlier this year; though he’s new to the Canadian music scene specifically, he’s been making music for nearly a decade now — all across the world. From his hometown in Bangladesh, where he was born and raised, all the way to some of the most iconic venues on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and the streets of Melbourne, Australia, Ravens has come a long way in the short span of his music career.
With his recent move, Ash Ravens is making his mark on Canada’s thriving music industry by blending the sounds of pop, country, rock, and alternative into something new and unique for the masses.