Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Made in Heaven is the fifteenth and final studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Hollywood Records in the United States. It was the band's first and only album released solely under the name "Queen" after the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury in 1991. Following Mercury's death, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bass guitarist John Deacon worked with vocal and piano parts that Mercury recorded before his death, adding new instrumentation to the recordings. Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland. The album debuted at number 1 in the UK, where it went quadruple platinum selling 1.2 million copies. 500,000 copies were shipped in the United States.
Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
Born Under a Bad Sign is the second compilation album by American blues musician Albert King, released in August 1967 by Stax Records. It features eleven electric blues songs that were recorded from March 1966 to June 1967, throughout five different sessions. King played with two in-house bands: Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Memphis Horns. Although the album failed to reach any music chart, it did receive positive reviews from music critics and is often cited as one of the greatest blues albums ever made. Born Under a Bad Sign influenced many guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born Under a Bad Sign has been recognized by several music institutions, and has been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry.
Midlake is an American folk rock band from Denton, Texas, formed in 1999. The band consists of Eric Pulido, McKenzie Smith, Scott Lee, Eric Nichelson, Jesse Chandler, and Joey McClellan.
The Trials of Van Occupanther is the second studio album by American rock band Midlake. It was released on July 25, 2006, on Bella Union.
Bamnan and Slivercork is the first studio album by the US rock band Midlake, released in 2004 to positive reviews. It mixes together warm acoustic sounds with electronica and lo-fi keyboard sounds. The songs "Balloon Maker" and "Kingfish Pies" were released as singles.
The Czars were an American alternative rock band, formed in 1994 in Denver by John Grant and Chris Pearson. They released six studio albums, one EP, and three singles in the duration of their career. After the release of Goodbye in 2004, five of the six members of The Czars left the band over the span of nine months, leaving John Grant as the sole member of the band. After the exit of the other members, John Grant continued to tour under the name before deciding to pursue a solo career. Members Andy Monley and Roger Green, along with musician David Devine, appear on Sorry I Made You Cry as guitarists.
Melody Road is Neil Diamond's 32nd studio album, and first album of original music recorded since 2008's well-received Home Before Dark, which debuted on the US album charts at #1. It was produced by Don Was and Jacknife Lee.
The Courage of Others is the third studio album by American folk rock band Midlake. It was released on February 1, 2010, on Bella Union Records. The album sleeve pays homage to Andrei Rublev, a 1966 film by Russian writer and director Andrei Tarkovsky.
Sarah Allison Jaffe is an American singer-songwriter from Denton, Texas. Known for her distinctively clear vocals, she has worked as a singer-songwriter across many musical genres, including acoustic-folk, indie pop and hip hop.
John William Grant is an American singer, musician, and songwriter who holds both American and Icelandic citizenship. He first became known as the co-founder, lead singer, pianist, and primary songwriter for the alternative rock band the Czars. After releasing six albums from 1994 to 2006, the band split up and Grant retired for four years before starting a solo career.
Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is the eighth studio album by Brian Wilson, released on August 17, 2010 by Walt Disney Records as part of the Disney Pearl Series. The album consists of covers of ten George and Ira Gershwin songs, bookended by passages from Rhapsody in Blue, along with two new songs completed from unfinished Gershwin fragments by Wilson and band member Scott Bennett.
Goodbye is the fifth album by the American band The Czars, released in November 2004 on the Bella Union label. It was The Czars' last studio album of original material and was favourably reviewed by The Guardian, Mojo, Q, Uncut, AllMusic, and Pitchfork.
Antiphon is the fourth studio album by American folk rock band Midlake, released on November 5, 2013, on Bella Union Records, in Europe, and ATO Records in North America. Recorded following the departure of vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Tim Smith, Antiphon is the first album to feature guitarist Eric Pulido on lead vocals, alongside new members Jesse Chandler and Joey McClellan (guitar).
Snowbird is a British/American band consisting of instrumentalist Simon Raymonde and vocalist Stephanie Dosen. Dosen, originally a member of the 1990s techno band Virus, sang live with Massive Attack in 2008 and later collaborated with The Chemical Brothers. Dosen and Raymonde first worked together on her second solo album, A Lily for the Spectre, released by Bella Union in 2007. The duo's debut album as Snowbird, Moon, was released on 27 January 2014 on Bella Union.
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is the third solo album by American musician John Grant. It was released via Bella Union on October 9, 2015.
Volume 1 is the debut studio album by indie super-group BNQT, led by Eric Pulido (Midlake) with Ben Bridwell, Alex Kapranos, Fran Healy (Travis) and Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), backed by the other members of Midlake. Each member wrote and sang on two tracks each. It was released on 28 April 2017.
BNQT ( "banquet") is an indie super-group featuring Fran Healy (Travis), Alex Kapranos, Eric Pulido (Midlake), Ben Bridwell and Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), backed by other members of Midlake: Jesse Chandler, Joey McClellan and McKenzie Smith.
Matthew Louis Pence is an American recording engineer, producer, and drummer. He owns and manages The Echo Lab studio in Denton, Texas.
