it's all about the voice. when you hear stories the second they open their mouths, it's like receiving a wonderful gift that you will forever be grateful for. cold specks, aka al spx, offers up a dark mix of blues, gospel and folk, all the while with a quiet resolve. it's definitely mesmerizing. shortlisted for a polaris prize last year, cold specks looks to break through her buzz within canada and venture to the rest of the world. i for one am looking forward to experiencing more! cold specks - holland (live @ other voices) [...]
Dec 22, 2012, 9:19am
SGTMT
Tweet So, we're counting down our Top 25 Tracks of 2012 . This is part two. No. 17 - Sabre, Stray & Halogenix – Oblique / St Clair We said : Ready for a listen? On the A-side Oblique, featuring the heavyweight soul vocals of Frank Carter III, combines tight, simple but effective drums with sweet warm bass and light keys to create something which [...]
The best songs from Toronto bands in 2012 With 2012 nearly a memory, it's time to look back and recall some of the year's best tracks from Toronto bands. It's always difficult paring a list like this down to 10, but it was even more difficult thanks to what a strong year it was for local music. Give 'em a listen and then leave a comment below telling us what you think about our choices — or leave your own suggestions if you feel there's something we missed. The more Toronto music, the better. [...]
Cold Specks is the project of singer/guitarist Al Spx, who specializes in self-proclaimed "doom soul", drawing upon elements of folk and gospel with vocals that will stop you in your tracks and hook you instantaneously. Cold Specks is set to embark on a headlining North American tour in November. Watch her video for [...]
![[Video] Cold Specks: “Blank Maps”](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4324043_lg.jpg)
Earlier this morning I stumbled upon Cold Specks, a Canadian born-London living musician and her song "Blank Maps". The record is wide open and spacey, as Cold Specks sings about her faith in herself, when everything else seems shaky. We all face decisions in life, wondering which way to go, it's a good to be reminded there's not necessarily a right or wrong path, all the maps are essentially blank. This song is solid, and I also think the right producer could do some dope things with it. Check it below. Cold Specks' new LP, I Predict [...]
Cosmo Jarvis - 'Love This' Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - 'Man On Fire' The Black Keys - 'Gold On The Ceiling' Sam Sparro - 'I Wish I Never Met You' Bright Light Bright Light - 'A New Word To Say' Agent Fresco - 'Tempo' Hunting Grounds - 'Flaws' Cold Specks - 'Blank Maps' [...]
by Andrew Sacher Cold Specks at BV-SXSW 2012 ( more by Amanda Hatfield ) Cold Specks (aka Al Spx) released her debut LP , I Predict A Graceful Expulsion , this week (5/22) via Mute/Arts & Crafts. As teased by early singles , Al Spx has a real knack for this soulful singer/songwriter stuff, and the full album lives up to its expectations. Think somewhere between a stripped down version of Adele [...]
A chorus of strong female voices top this week's list of new releases, none more promising than that of young London-via-Ontario singer-songwriter Al Spx, a.k.a. Cold Specks , whose head turning debut, as our Music Director, Don Yates, describes, is "a powerful, emotionally moving set of gospel-steeped folk-pop with a dark, hushed sound featuring muted guitars and solemn piano along with occasional strings, horns and choral backing singers accompanying her velvety, deeply soulful vocals and spiritually brooding lyrics." Singer/actress Aleksa Palladino ramps up the intensity with her Devon Church, as Brooklyn duo Exitmusic makes good on the [...]
Considering she started her Cold Specks project only about a year ago, Al Spx is startlingly realized for such a young artist. Her scarred-but-commanding voice has turned an increasing number of heads over the past few months with just a scant few tracks, like the indelible " Holland ," but I Predict A Graceful Expulsion is a record bigger and more ardent than any one piece of it could indicate on its own, making everything Spx has done to this point seem like mere warning shots. The songs here are as wide as they are towering, weighing with a feeling [...]
Patrick Watson - "Into Giants" Directed by Brigitte Henry. AlunaGeorge - "You Know You Like It" Directed by Laurence Matthew Blake & Matilda Finn. Georgia Anne Muldrow - "Seeds" Directed by Charles Sicuso. Cold Specks - "Blank Maps" Directed by Olivier Groulx. We Are Serenades - "Oceans" Directed by Ted Malmros. Lower Dens - "Propagation" Directed by Sebastian Mlynarski. Lightships - "Sweetness In Her Spark" Directed by The [...]
![Cold Specks – I Predict A Expulsion [Review]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4265305_lg.jpg)
Cold Specks , might be their year to explode. Being featured on BBC’s Later… With Jools Holland and some loving from the critics. I was lucky enough to see them open up for St.Vincent back on December 16, 2011 . Cold Specks is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter now based in London, UK Al Spx. Apparently it is not her real name but it is intriguing and elusive. I Predict A Expulsion, the debut album will drop on May 22, 2012 on Arts & Crafts in North [...]
Like the boy/girl who is effigy-burningly elusive while you're dating, then calls 12 times a day just as you've started seeing someone new, our Friday Films post shows up when you least expect it. Here's another instalment: Drop Out Venus - Love In Vein Drop Out Venus have finally released a video for first song Love In Vein (featured here ), currently enjoying 6 Music exposure. The vid is, as you might expect, dense and mysterious. Click here to view the embedded video. [...]
A simple premise and a beautiful song make for a damn good video debut from Cold Specks.
Words // Adam Sharp 'Blank Maps'- Cold Specks This is an album more people need to be excited about (it comes out May 22nd, just so you know). It's crackling with unvarnished honesty and urgency. Website: http://coldspecks.com/ 'I Got You Babe'- Bahamas Crunchy guitars and sun-soaked laments. This one does it all exactly right. Website: http://bahamasmusic.net/ [...]
Directed by Olivier Groulx and taken from the fortcoming debut album by Cold Specks, I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, out on May 18 in Ireland.
THE VIDEOS THAT MADE MY WEEK w/Yacht, xxyyxx, Birthdays, Last Days of 1984, Blood Orange & Cold Specks Yacht - Le Goudron xxyyxx - About You Birthdays - Howolding Girls Last Days of 1984 - Rivers Edge Cold Specks - Blank Maps Blood Orange - [...]
by teepoo Check out Cold Specks' new video for Blank Maps . Man every time I hear her voice, I get the goosebumps. I am a god damn believer.. of her! Lame jokes aside, her album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion will be released May 22nd, 2012 .
The origins of an artist's moniker don't always resonate with the nature of the material itself, but London-by-way-of-Canada singer Al Spx's Cold Specks seems born of a perfectly appropriate passage. Here's the line she pulled from James Joyce's Ulysses : "Born all in the dark wormy earth, cold specks of fire, evil, lights shining in the darkness." Indeed, these tunes feel driven by opposing forces of self-doubt and hope, but at their heart is a more nuanced questioning of faith that hits home on deeper levels upon repeated listens. "Holland" - Cold Specks' first preview single - leans toward [...]
Cold Specks debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion comes out on May 22. And you can check out a peek of the upcoming album by checking out the band's video for "Blank Maps" above. Tour dates for the band are below. Cold Specks tour dates: May 1st – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL May 2nd – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI May 3rd – Cedar Cultural Centre – Minneapolis, MN May 4th – West End Cultural Centre – Winnipeg, MB May 6th [...]
Doom-soul. Esse é o gênero utilizado por partes da mídia especializada para descrever o som de uma das revelações do ano, Cold Specks , que já impressiona antes mesmo do lançamento de seu primeiro álbum. Mas gêneros e rótulos à parte, uma boa descrição para o som de Al Spx , essa canadense de voz peculiar e som marcante: imperdível. I Predict A Graceful Expulsion é o nome do primeiro álbum de Spx , que será lançado apenas no dia 21 de maio, mas enquanto isso não acontece, uma prévia desse trabalho [...]
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