For all of you kids and kids-at-heart, Where the Wild Things Are comes out on DVD on March 2, 2010. The film boasts original, Golden Globe-nominated music by Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and The Kids. You can watch three behind-the-scenes clips of Karen O and the film’s director, Spike Jonze, discussing how the … Read more
It’s Friday here at Speakers in Code, and I still feel like loungin’. After all, it is still snowing. And cold. And February. But, I have the up-and-coming Meaghan Smith to warm up my day. The Canadian singer’s lovely little song that I just can’t get enough of is called “I Know,” and it’s off … Read more
Sometimes I’m ahead of the curve, and sometimes, I’m a very late adopter. I’ve read about people losing their shit over Yeasayer for quite some time now, and I’ve admittedly procrastinated checking out this much-hyped Brooklyn band like no other. So, last Thursday, when my daily NPR “Song of the Day” e-mail landed in my … Read more
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the first time I listened to Neon Indian’s “Terminally Chill,” I was sitting in my recliner, letting my Radioshack back massager work its magic, and sipping on a glass of red wine. A relatively new project by composer Alan Palomo, Neon Indian creates hazy pop, centered around “the … Read more
The Kissaway Trail exclusively premiered its video for “SDP” over at Filter last Friday. Watch it below. Check out the Speakers in Code interview with the band here and download the lead single off the forthcoming Sleep Mountain here. The new album is scheduled for an April 6, 2010 release on Bella Union.
Well, friends, Speakers in Code is a month old! Here’s a listen back at the songs that comprised our January posts, of both the spankin’ new and vintage variety. Stream away. January 2010 Listen Back
If it isn’t clear by now (and it must be), singer-songwriters rule my life. Female ones, especially, like the wonderful Katie Herzig. Really, I can’t get enough. And when I saw Herzig open for Brandi Carlile in Denver last month, I pretty much fell in love with every word that escaped her mouth. I’m probably … Read more
Photo credit: Cam Archer Emily Jane White’s “Liza” starts off with simple, soft, somber guitar and the haunting lyrics, “I woke up today/ and I thought that death had swept me away.” Clearly, White isn’t one for sugarcoating unpleasant topics. In fact, she notes, “I don’t write happy music. I’m drawn to writing sad songs… Reflective, … Read more
The music world is abuzz with the release of the first Broken Social Scene song since its last album came out five years ago. The adjective “epic” is being used a lot to describe this track, probably because it’s almost 7 minutes long. And because it’s awesome. From Pitchfork, where the song initially debuted: “A … Read more
Passion Pit has debuted its new video for “Little Secrets” directed by Timothy Saccenti. The Cambridge, Massachusetts electro-pop outfit also recently remixed the Shout Out Louds‘ track, “Fall Hard” that is now sufficiently “blissed out.” Stream/download below. Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard (Passion Pit Summertime Remix) And incase you missed it the first time … Read more
St. Vincent, the woman of my dreams, released a new video for “Laughing with a Mouth Full of Blood” yesterday. Guest appearances by Fred Armisen (as a very pretty woman) and Carrie Brownstein make this even better. Texan rockers, The Strange Boys, showcase the debut video for “Be Brave.” L-u-v this song. Finally, we have … Read more
Katie and I, with the help of Glide Magazine, created Strangers Almanac, a column devoted to singer-songwriters, two years ago, and we’ve had a lot of fun writing about some of our favorite singer-songwriters like Tift Merritt, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Jenny Lewis, Regina Spektor, and Jeff Tweedy. It’s pretty crazy that we’re already on … Read more
Dawn Landes may live in Brooklyn these days, where she has built her own recording studio, but she was raised in Branson, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky. I mention this because when I listen to today’s JOTD, “Young Girl,” off Landes’ newest record, Sweet Heart Rodeo, I think of the Midwest like I do when I … Read more
Life is good these days for Matt Nathanson. In many ways, he’s still living off his mini-hit, “Come On Get Higher,” and one of his best songs, “Bulletproof Weeks,” just appeared on ABC’s Private Practice. Both of those songs can be found on 2007’s Some Mad Hope, Nathanson’s last album, which freaking rocked my world … Read more
When I first heard Carolina Chocolate Drops‘ cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style,” I literally gasped. I’m not gonna lie, that song was my jam back in the summer of 2001, but I’ve long since forgotten about it. Now, it’s something altogether different. I like a cover song as much as the next … Read more
Ahhh, our first PJOTD that is an instrumental. Probably not the best thing to do on a Friday, but what the hell. Better than a Monday. Early Day Miners don’t always sound this lonesome, I promise. But this piece of music is one of the most beautiful things the band from Bloomington, Indiana has accomplished. … Read more
I adored Tift Merritt’s last studio effort, Another Country, so much that I recently called it one of the best singer-songwriter albums of the last decade. Her album clearly spoke to me with tunes like “Keep You Happy,” “Broken,” and “Hopes Too High,” and it reminded me so much of Neil Young’s Comes a Time, … Read more
Icelandic dream-pop band, Seabear, released the video for the gorgeous “I’ll Build You a Fire.” Check out Vampire Weekend’s new video for “Giving Up the Gun” featuring RZA, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lil Jon, and Joe Jonas. Oh, wonderful randomness. Jack White directed the video for The Black Belles’ “What Can I Do?” out now on Third … Read more
If you’re one of the readers who has been following Speakers in Code since its inception, you have a strong sense of the wholehearted love and adoration I have for the handclap. So, when I got an e-mail about The Phenomenal Handclap Band’s new video, you are probably not surprised that I instantly fell in … Read more
Two nights ago, I dreamt that St. Vincent gave me a bunch of t-shirts. Absolutely no clue why. Yesterday, I stumbled across this video of St. Vincent covering The National at a recent Brooklyn Vegan benefit for Haiti, thanks to You Ain’t No Picasso via Muzzle of Bees via Twitter. (It takes a village…) Listening … Read more
A month ago, we announced that The White Stripes would release its first ever live album, Under the Great White Northern Lights with an accompanying documentary directed by Emmett Malloy. Watch the trailer here. Well, now it’s time for The White Stripes Under the Great Northern Lights to hit the theaters! If the title itself … Read more
Don’t let the name fool you: Thunder Power definitely does not dally in the earsplitting death metal scene. Instead, this Omaha band creates warm and cheery indie pop, reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and matt pond PA. For me, I’m more than happy it’s the latter. Their single, “Heartifact,” is crazy catchy, using both bells … Read more
When I got a press release a few weeks back about the upcoming Dr. Dog album, it said that the band was going to continue its evolution by stripping down the instruments and focusing on deeper, darker lyrics. After hearing the lead single off April’s Shame, Shame, I can absolutely detect a difference from 2008’s … Read more
Ok, so you already probably know about the new David Rawlings album, which features a countrified cover of Ryan Adams’ “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High),” a song that Rawlings actually originally co-wrote with Adams (did I just confuse the hell out of you?). What you probably didn’t know is … Read more
There was a time when The Cardinals ruled the earth (well, at least my earth). They played the best mid-sized venues, they chatted with their fans, some of them probably drank too much. They also played killer jams, and today’s JOTD shows evidence of that. But first, let me tell my story. In October of … Read more
“I’m desert dry, I’m burning up…crazy from the heat“ Well, today’s Jam of the Day certainly isn’t a winter song, but that’s just fine with me. Brian Dolzani’s “Water” covers a lot of ground with its anthemic chorus and occasional middle-eastern vibe. His love has gone. His thirst is mighty. What I’m getting at here … Read more
A few years ago, I was pretty obsessed with the Via Audio song, “Presents.” It’s a seriously catchy song about two people contemplating a romance. Now, the Brooklyn four-piece is back with the lead single from its sophomore effort, Animalore. “Babies” is a seriously catchy song about two people contemplating the art of baby making. … Read more
“When you wake up/ It will be my voice ringing in your ear…“ Which, really, wouldn’t be so bad. Because Brandi Shearer has one hell of a sexy voice. And today’s JOTD further proves that I’m in love with female singer-songwriters, expecially the ones who could most likely kick my ass. Newsflash: Ms. Shearer could … Read more
Nicole Simone’s self-titled debut EP sounds gracefully cinematic. And that makes a lot of sense, considering she’s always been fascinated by nostalgia and old movies. Let’s just say that this little lady really knows how to set a mood. Her talents have already been showcased in two films: the Sundance film The Good Life starring … Read more
I remember the first time I heard Brandi Shearer’s voice. I remember it well. It was courtesy of EW’s Music Mix blog, and they were featuring Shearer’s song “Losers and Freaks.” I remember thinking to myself that this just wasn’t another voice. Shearer has that something, that intoxicating quality that immediately makes your forget your … Read more