The Major Lazer braintrust (Diplo & Switch) put this mixtape together for La Roux while working on new material in Jamaica. It features over thirteen (meaning fourteen) JA-inspired blends, special remixes, dubplates and more, but you don’t really need to be sold on this thing – because best of all, they’re giving it to us … Read more
The second self-titled album by Pennsylvania indie-rock trio Good Old War is an album of immense growth. A natural evolution from the band’s debut, Only Way to Be Alone, Good Old War radiates with warmth and vulnerability, both qualities undoubtedly cultivated by the band’s hands-on self-production and the environment of solitude in which the album … Read more
I saw Stars in concert several years ago in a cramped basement venue that reeked of B.O. It was a weird show; the ethereal quality of the band’s indie pop battled against the dark underground, the small space, the unpleasant smell. But when it played its breakthrough hit “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” (huge at the time, … Read more
The Brooklyn-based Common Prayer is the new project of Jason Russo (of Hopewell) and Alexandra Marvar (with John Anderson and Karen Codd joining them live). I’ll just say it simply and ineloquently: the new album, There Is A Mountain, is the best stuff I’ve heard in awhile. Last night, I put the 11-track release on … Read more
The Romany Rye is built around the the song craftsmanship of Luke MacMaster, an L.A.-based singer/songwriter with a penchant for that somber, indie-folk sound (totally my kinda sound, especially when harmonica is involved). While MacMaster penned the collection of songs that have come to be called Highway 1, Looking Back Carefully, it was with the help … Read more
Here’s a Friday treat for all you Speakers in Code followers – a movie to watch at work! Finding Home is a documentary short that follows former psychotherapist turned indie folk sensation, William Fitzsimmons, as he explores his childhood with two blind parents, his parents’ divorce, and ultimately, the demise of his own marriage. With … Read more
Here’s this week’s Speakers in Code endorsed live shows in St. Louis and The Triangle, from now until October! Saint Louis 7/4 – Joe Pug + Rayland Baxter @ Off Broadway [buy tickets] 7/6 – Maps and Atlases + The Cults + The Globes @ The Firebird [buy tickets] 7/8 – Sarah Borges & The … Read more
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of seeing Jill Andrews twice at Bonnaroo – once with her full band, once performing as a duo with the multi-talented Josh Oliver. In my humble opinion, you’re not going to find many songwriters out there like Jill – she’s as real as they come, and she’s one … Read more
I’m dubbing today “Chillwave Monday” because next Monday is the most summery of all holidays, and if you’re like me, you’re going to be relaxing at the beach, playing bocce ball, and not thinking a damn bit about work. So, what better to feature than the new single “You And I” from Washed Out to … Read more
Forget press releases and Pitchfork. I like getting music recommendations from friends, or in this case, friends of friends of friends. Speakers in Code folk, meet MyNameIsJohnMichael. I was just introduced to the band last week, thanks to Brian who wrote me a message on Facebook to describe how “the band came out of nowhere … Read more
I, for one, happen to like the recent saturation of synth in the once downtrodden genre of bedroom pop. I mean, it’s still pretty awesome music to play when I’m finally laying down for the night, but it somehow makes things seem all dark and mysterious now. That is – until my dog Angus hops … Read more
Talented young people piss me off. I already broke down in creepy old-man tears at an Avi Buffalo show earlier this year. And now, we have a dude who’s 19 and insanely good. Great. Someone find my cane. This time we find youngster Brad Oberhofer, who seems far too confident and sounds way too good … Read more
Last Friday, during my week-long vacation in Seattle, my friends Joe and Robyn took me to an area of town called Ballard. We ate Thai for dinner, ducked into a used record shop, and peered into the windows of illuminated neighborhood bars before deciding on Hattie’s Hat for a Strongbow and soul music on the … Read more
This town moves so fast, babyBeyond my window glassAnd inside my friendsAnd some get lost and don’t come back againBut in my headAre my father’s wordsAnd my mother’s voiceAnd they’re loud and clear above this city noise.–Jill Andrews, “City Noise“ The month of June has taken me all over the great state of Tennessee for … Read more
Trent Reznor and his new project How to Destroy Angels has released their debut 6-track EP as a FREE download, delivered as high-quality DRM-free mp3s. Sign up below for immediate access and for just two bucks, you can upgrade to the HD package, which adds options for audiophileriffic lossless audio (24-bit 44.1kHz WAV and 16-bit … Read more
Excitedly, we announced last month that EELS had announced the third album in its recent bout of prolificacy and a world tour beginning in the fall. Titled Tomorrow Morning, this effort completes the trilogy (following Hombre Lobo and End Times) that “finishes the story on a high note.” This is EELS’ ninth LP in fourteen … Read more
Following up the 2009’s critically acclaimed Midnight at the Movies, Justin Townes Earle is set to release his next LP, Harlem River Blues, out September 14th on Bloodshot Records. The album features guest appearances from Jason Isbell, Bryn Davies and Calexico’s Paul Niehaus is a more mature, increasingly nuanced effort. Yet, it promises further standout … Read more
*Updated with even more covers!* While I’m not the biggest fan of the jeans since they really do nothing to accentuate my applebottom, Levi’s has done something pretty cool and remarkably free here. The Levi’s Pioneer Sessions 2010 Revival Recordings is comprised of a dozen tunes by pioneering artists spanning multiple genres. Further sweetening the … Read more
One eskimO, a four-piece band from London, is impossible to categorize (if you like to do that sort of thing with your music, and let’s face it, most of us do). What started as an indie rock/shoegaze sorta venture is now leaping over boundaries and even dipping into – gasp! – Top 40 radio territory. … Read more
Ok, so the title and the chorus of today’s Jam of the Day is silly. I get that. It’s 4:20 somewhere, haha. Have a laugh. It’s also a pretty darn good song with a hook. If you aren’t familiar with Moonalice, these cats were supposed to open for U2 in June before Bono’s back surgery. … Read more
For the second time in just a few weeks, I’m offering up a perfect lay by the pool-ready summertime jam. Seriously, it may just be the indie rock equivalent of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime” for me, with its delicate combination of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s fuzz, surf-toned guitar and laid … Read more
You might not know the “name” Sally Seltmann. There is a reason for this. For starters, Seltmann recorded under the moniker “New Buffalo” for years, and gained plenty of fans doing so. As a result, this makes her new album, Heart That’s Pounding, her first project under her real name. Sally who, right? Or maybe … Read more
Things are looking up for Ann McNamee these days. She’s wrapped up a spot on the 2010 Lilith Fair tour, performing alongside the likes of Serena Ryder, Tegan and Sara, and Cat Power, to name a few. Pretty good for a gal who just ten years ago retired as a Professor of Music Theory at … Read more
Today, the band debuted the video for “For Annabelle” over at the fan-driven blog, Ode to BoH. It’s an exclusive premiere, so you’ll have to click on over there to watch the video. Also, lead singer, Bed Bridwell recently talked to The Huffington Post. Check out the interview here.
Frankly, there’s nothing better for an avid concert goer than to catch two much-buzzed about (and for me, adored) bands for a mere ten bucks. That’s what last night brought to me: the Queens-based Freelance Whales with opener, Minnesota duo Peter Wolf Crier, at the always fabulous Off Broadway in Saint Louis. I got the … Read more
We love our Lissie Marus ’round these parts. Hardcore. But, not in a dirty way. Ever since I heard her critically acclaimed EP, Why You Runnin’, I started drooling over the possibility of her debut full-length coming out in 2010. Her soulful, whiskey-soaked voice shook me to my core, especially on the track, “Everywhere I … Read more
The Juno award-winning band, Wintersleep, just released its new album, New Inheritors, and is set to hit the road with matt pond PA starting this Friday for a four-week U.S. tour. In addition, the band has two confirmed dates with The Hold Steady in Philadelphia and New York this October. Preview five tracks from New … Read more
New York’s The Depreciation Guild (lead by The Pains of Being Pure At Heart’s drummer Kurt Feldman) have made one hell of a beautiful sophomore album – stretching out their fuzzy, 8-bit infused dream-pop into anthemic territory. The most noticeable aspects being the vocals and rhythms have been pushed up front – accentuating what I’m … Read more
Photo credit: Rusty Ralston Griffin House is one of the most honest, heartfelt, and talented singer-songwriters making music today. That’s just a fact. Needless to say, I was very excited to chat with House about his upcoming June release, The Learner, and to ask about a bunch of other stuff including, but not limited to, … Read more
It’s been awhile since the three of us at Speakers in Code have offered up a perfect mixtape for you. But, there’s really no better reason to bestow our favorite readers with a collection of sun-soaked tunes than the official first day of summer. Hurrah for plum pudding! Seriously, no sarcasm: we. are. pumped. These … Read more