Leonard Norman Cohen was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, and sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. In 2011, he received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize.

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

Mazzy Star is best known for the song "Fade into You", which brought the band some success in the mid-1990s and was the group's biggest mainstream hit, earning extensive exposure on MTV, VH1, and radio airplay. Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band's material until his death in Los Angeles on February 24, 2020, from metastatic cancer.

The band's most recent studio album, Seasons of Your Day, was released in 2013, followed by the EP Still in 2018.

Girlpool was an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed by friends Avery Tucker and Harmony Tividad. Their debut self-titled EP Girlpool was released on Bandcamp in 2014 and re-released on Wichita Recordings later that year. They released their debut album Before the World Was Big in 2015, followed by Powerplant (2017) and What Chaos Is Imaginary (2019). Their fourth and final studio album, Forgiveness (2022), was released on April 29. In August 2022, the duo announced that they will be taking an indefinite break from the band.

Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), Abbey Blackwell (bass), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017, and won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018. Both albums were short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Their third album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.

George Henry Crumb Jr. was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical language which "range[s] in mood from peaceful to nightmarish". Crumb's compositions are known for pushing the limits of technical prowess by way of frequent use of extended techniques. The unusual timbres he employs evoke a surrealist atmosphere which portray emotions of considerable intensity with vast and sometimes haunting soundscapes. His few large-scale works include Echoes of Time and the River (1967), which won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and Star-Child (1977), which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; however, his output consists of mostly music for chamber ensembles or solo instrumentalists. Among his best known compositions are Black Angels (1970), a striking commentary on the Vietnam War for electric string quartet; Ancient Voices of Children (1970) for a mixed chamber ensemble; and Vox Balaenae (1971), a musical evocation of the humpback whale, for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano.

Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter, known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. He released his debut album, MTV1987, in 2014 to critical acclaim, and received attention from a number of major music blogs and magazine publications. His second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016, and his third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019.

Abstract was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Abstract never met his father and was not close with his mother, not even knowing what her profession was. As Abstract began to realize his sexuality, he isolated himself from his family, feeling ashamed. Many speculate that this is one of the reasons that he ran away from home. He has stated that his family members are "extremely religious" Mormons. Abstract began producing music at 11 and ran away from home at 15, staying at a friend's house for a year before moving to Georgia to live with his sister.

Pinegrove is an American rock band formed in Montclair, New Jersey in 2010. The band's lineup is variable, with singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine representing its core members. The two met as children and played in various bands before founding Pinegrove. The band's musical style, which uses instruments such as the banjo and pedal steel guitar, is commonly described as a mix between alt-country and emo. Pinegrove's early years were spent self-releasing music—including their debut album, Meridian (2012)—and performing do-it-yourself (DIY) house shows.

After signing to independent record label Run for Cover, the group issued an anthology of their early work, titled Everything So Far (2014). Their second studio album, Cardinal (2016), represented a breakthrough, gathering a devoted fan listenership and appearing on many music critics' top-10 year-end lists. After recording its successor, Skylight, Pinegrove took a year-long hiatus after Hall was accused of sexual coercion by a person with whom he toured. The album saw proper release independently in 2018, and was followed by several sold-out tours. The band signed to British label Rough Trade for their next efforts, including Marigold (2020) and 11:11 (2022).

Jordan Cardy, known by his stage name Rat Boy, is an English musician from Chelmsford, Essex.

The Small One is a studio album of Deccalite phonograph records by Bing Crosby of a Charles Tazewell story. It was produced and directed by Paramount Pictures producer Robert Welch with musical accompaniment from Victor Young and His Orchestra.

"The Small One", one of the most touching of all Christmas stories, was first produced in 1939 on the Kate Smith radio show by Robert Welch, who later became a Paramount producer. It was featured in Bing Crosby’s Philco Radio Time broadcast of December 25, 1946 and Decca Records soon arranged to make a new recording of it. This took place on March 20, 1947. The album was released on September 2, 1947 and in due course it was ordered by more than 1,500 private schools in the USA.

Roy Alexander James Blair was a New Zealand roller skater, speed skater, cricketer and golfer. He was born and died in Dunedin. He worked as a teacher, and in the Second World war served with the Air Force.

Beach Bunny is an American rock band formed in 2015 by Lili Trifilio in Chicago, Illinois. The group achieved widespread popularity after their song "Prom Queen" went viral on TikTok.

Beach Bunny began as a bedroom-based solo project in 2015 when Lili Trifilio recorded a song titled "6 Weeks". The same year, Trifilio released her first EP, titled Animalism. She released her second EP titled Pool Party in 2016. In 2017, she released her third EP titled Crybaby, and Beach Bunny expanded to a full four-piece lineup shortly after. In 2018, Beach Bunny released her fourth EP, titled Prom Queen.

On October 31, 2019, Trifilio and the band announced that they had signed to Mom + Pop Music and released their first full-length album, Honeymoon, on February 14, 2020. The album was produced by Joe Reinhart at Electrical Audio; the Chicago studio owned by Steve Albini, and subsequently mixed at Reinhart's Headroom Studios. Honeymoon was met with widespread critical acclaim, appearing on the Best Albums of 2020 lists in both The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. The album contained the song "Cloud 9", which became the band's second song to go viral on TikTok, where it was used in 2 million videos.

Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms by Ingrooves Music Group.

Since Dirty Hit's inception, Oborne has been the main driving force behind the label. Previously part of a signed band, he moved into artist management aiming to provide artist support. Providing a platform for two acts that Oborne managed, was the main motivation behind starting the label. Both The 1975 and Benjamin Francis Leftwich thus became the first signings. The 1975 were the first act on the label to achieve mainstream success, having achieved a number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in September 2013 with their eponymous debut album. Oborne also manages some of the groups on the label through his All On Red management company. In February 2019 it was announced that The 1975 had signed a new three-album deal with the record company.

How Did This Get Made? (HDTGM) is a podcast on the Earwolf network. It is hosted by Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas with occasional substitutes and/or guest hosts. Each episode, features the deconstruction and mockery of outlandish and bad films.

The hosts and guest make jokes about the films as well as attempt to unscramble plots. After discussing the film, Scheer reads "second opinions" in the form of five-star reviews posted online by Amazon.com users. The hosts also often make recommendations on if the film is worth watching. The show is released every two weeks.

During the show's off week a ".5" episode (also known as a "minisode") is uploaded. These episodes feature Scheer's "explanation hopeline" where he answers questions from fans who call in, the movie for the next week is announced, Scheer reads corrections and omissions from the message board regarding last week's episode, and he opens fan mail and provides his recommendations on books, movies, TV shows etc. that he is enjoying.