BEYONCE

Photo by A.RICARDO (Shutterstock)

This was a year of change and tumult, but if anything has remained consistent through it all, it's been Beyoncé's greatness.

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Walt Disney Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Beyoncé has never been one to stick to tradition or to announce when she's about to drop something, so it's really no surprise that she just released a 40-track live album called Homecoming in conjunction with her new Netflix documentary.

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé | Official Trailer | Netflixwww.youtube.com

The album, which dropped at 10 AM on Wednesday morning, is a collection of the singer's greatest hits, ranging from "Single Ladies" to Destiny's Child's "Say My Name." It also includes rarities such as two covers of the hymn often called the Black national anthem—"Lift Every Voice and Sing"—first sung a cappella by an emotional Beyoncé as a lead-in to "Formation," and later by Bey and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy.

Blue, who recorded the track in the audience at one of her mom's rehearsals, has obviously inherited some of her parents' love of the spotlight; at the end of the song she exclaims, "I wanna do that again because it feels good!"

B7 also features Jay-Z and J Balvin and concludes with a new studio track—a cover of the song "Before I Let Go" by Frankie Beverly and Maze, originally released in 1981 and first covered by Destiny's Child in 1997.

As if the album alone wasn't enough of a gift, it's available on all streaming platforms. On it, you can hear Beyoncé's vocals—silky and flawless as ever—layered over complicated new brass-heavy arrangements and the distant screams of the infatuated crowd. Supercharged with electric energy, it's a straight shot of the empowerment and magnetism that has gained Beyoncé her well-deserved status as an inimitable icon of our times.

June's Diary performs "Lift Every Voice and Sing" live at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimorewww.youtube.com

The album comes as a surprise companion piece to Beyoncé's Netflix documentary, which debuted last night at Howard University and Houston's Southern Texas University—appropriate venues, as her Coachella performance featured a massive marching band and sets inspired by the aesthetics of historically black colleges. It follows her 2018 performance from conceptualization to fruition and features interviews and intimate behind-the-scenes footage.

The critically lauded set marked the first time in the festival's 11-year history that an African American woman headlined it, and 2018 will forever be marked in history as the year of Beychella. But then again, every year is Bey's year—she's been steadily creating extraordinary multimedia works of art for the past decade, with each event—from the Super Bowl to Lemonade—further fortifying her legacy as music's eternal queen, one surprise release at a time.


Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York City. Follow her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.


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Photo Courtesy SPiN

Alternative rock-pop outfit SPiN will drop a new album, Make Me Move, August 31.

SPiN has hit the top spot on iTunes' Indie charts, as well as sharing the stage with Fuel, Fat Joes, Hinder, Eve 6, Sponge, SafetySuit, Halestorm, Puddle of Mud, Trapt, Red and a bunch of others. The band never stops touring and recording.

With the new album dropping soon, Popdust decided to sit down with the band and find out what makes them tick.

How would you describe yourself?

Ya know how Kiss talks about being the loudest band in the world? Well we're the handsomest.

What is the most trouble you've ever gotten into?

Honestly - we've gotten away with some shit. Destroyed some hotel rooms, Stole an entire tree from one city and dropped it off in the next, covered an entire neighborhood in fire hydrant dust. Ya know typical stuff. We're banned from certain hotel chains and car rental companies, but other than that we've got a pretty clean record.

What's your favorite song to belt out in the car or the shower?

I guess it's different for all of us (Hank - Guitarist). I don't sing in the shower. Always in the car. Depends on the day. It could be Bruno Mars or "Baba O'Riley."

Who is your favorite music artist?

There are so many, I don't know that any of us have one particular favorite.

How did you get started in music?

We've all been playing since we were kids - piano lessons at an early age, etc. Fell in love and couldn't stop.

What's the backstory there?

E and Jimmy were actually in high school jazz band (that's right ladies!) together with Hank's bass player brother.

What musicians influenced you the most?

It's different for all of us, but on the list are artists like: The Beatles, Muse, Van Halen, The Eagles, The Cars, Guns N Roses, 21 Pilots, the list really goes on and on.

How, if at all, do your musical influences shape and impact your music?

I think musicians are influenced by everything around them. Even stuff we don't like or really listen to probably sneaks into our music subconscious somehow.

You've released eleven studio projects and toured extensively. How do you keep up such a relentless schedule?

It doesn't seem like a lot of hard work when you dig what you do.

Is SPiN planning on taking a break any time in the future?

Never. Break from what?

On your new album, Make Me Move, you changed direction just a bit, adding some electro-pop sparkle to your sound. What motivated the change in sound?

The spark was honestly a douchebag neighbor who moved in beside our studio. He called the cops relentlessly until we were forced to be quieter by using less real drums and loud guitars. However, (it was) really a blessing in disguise because we're always looking into doing different things anyway. It's not fun to play only one style of music all the time.

Why did you choose to record the album in a 150-year-old funeral home?

That's our studio! The owners are kind enough to let us take over their top floor and we repay the favor in kind by providing soothing sounds for the departed.

Are you pleased with how it turned out?

Mostly. Ask me that again tomorrow.

What kind of guitar do you play?

I have a 78 Les Paul custom but I also have a custom axe that my buddy John Baum made for me.

And why?

Why? Because it's awesome. It's made to my exact specs. The Les Paul is also amazing; they just don't make guitars like that anymore!

What's next for SPiN musically?

We're probably going to go back to more of a rock edge for the next round. But we may have some left over dance vibes to include in there too!

Will you be doing any touring?

Other than regional shows and festivals, there are no immediate touring plans, but nothing is out of the question. We do love us some road!

Follow SPiN Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify


Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.


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