Music has the power to instantly and viscerally move me. Ney is a gay symbol to this day and was ranked by Rolling Stone as the third greatest Latin American singer of all time. The band doesn't exist anymore only one member, Ney Matogrosso, continued making music. This album and its cover were a mark in Brazilian music. ![]() It was controversial for the times yet a huge success, selling almost 1 million records at a time when 100,000 gave you a "gold record." I listened to this album with my dad, who grew up in the dictatorship and heard from him about its impact. They were defying the conservator norm and were revolutionary with their message, music and look. Around them are "dry" food (bread, coffee, crackers, etc) and "wet" drinks (wine and other alcohol) that represent the name of the band that came from these small bodegas that used to exist in Brazil where you could only get these sorts of products. In the cover, they are placing their heads on a silver platter because they know their music and message will be aggressive and they may go to jail or die for it. The cover was shocking at the time for its aggressive boldness. This was their first album cover in the midst of a dictatorship in 1973. This is an iconic album cover from a Brazilian band called Secos & Molhados (Dry & Wet). I find this mode of collaboration to be so ethical and beautiful, which is no doubt part of why this album cover has resonated with me for the past six years. Deana agreed to share the image because she felt that Dev's mission, integrity and aesthetic were shared with hers. Her work was part of his process and his inspiration. When he asked Lawson if he could use the image, Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) shared that he spent time looking at her work and her contact sheets when making the album, and had returned to "Binky & Tony Forever" again and again. The resulting visual is so tender and arresting, on top of being immaculately composed. When Lawson speaks about this image in particular, she discusses how important it was to her to depict the woman's gaze as the central power of the image, how key her support is in upholding the relationship depicted. ![]() The image on the cover was made by Deana Lawson, titled "Binky & Tony Forever." I've always found Lawson's work to be visually arresting and emotionally palpable. One of my favorite album covers is Blood Orange's Freetown Sound.
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