The Young Romans don’t play country music, but I do hear some pretty guitar picking on today’s PJOTD, and it resembles early solo Ryan Adams. And that’s basically a surefire way to keep me from switching to the next song. So, congrats to these Young Romans — they killed me with simplicity and a familiar … Read more
All photos by Agatha Donkar Sugar + the Hi-Lows are reinventing the kind ’60s pop that The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly made, if the Everlys had come of age playing in Seattle garage rock bands and Buddy Holly was a country songwriter from Nashville. They’re built around Nashville singer-songwriters, Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup, … Read more
I’ve never made an album. Never written a song, or even attempted to write a lyric that would make a potential ladyfriend swoon. But there is one piece of knowledge that I share with those who have, and it comes from listening to countless albums, as a whole, instead of individual tracks downloaded piecemeal due … Read more
Remember the first time you heard The White Stripes’ De Stijl? How raw, emotional, and downright different it sounded compared to everything else out at the time? You’d turn it up loud when lesser-musically educated people were around, and watch their face as they attempted to decipher whether what they were hearing was fucking great … Read more
As a new mama trying to lose the baby weight, this song by Gossip was meant for me. And to quote Jewel, I was meant for…it. Or, it’s the opposite of calorie burning, as it sort of reminds me of something a Mexican DJ would play at one of the Acapulco clubs my college friends … Read more
Photo by Jarred Gastreich For a band that is considered very diverse (judging by their appearance), Union Tree Review is releasing some very consistent good work. The Cherokee Street natives have a new song called Skeletons that they performed for us in the Firebird parking lot. To set the mood, this was the night before … Read more
Atlanta based Wowser Bowser recently bleeped on the official Speakers in Code radar, via a little reconnaissance work our secret agents were doing on Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival lineup. From what we know thus far, they give high energy performances, their music contains complex layers of instruments, and the diversity of musical genres they feature … Read more
The idea of the slow burn isn’t appealing to everyone. Especially today in an age where everything is immediately obtainable. But with music, and specifically song craft, slowly sinking your hooks into someone’s soul is something that is oft-tried, but rarely as effective as the artist had intended. In attempting the slow burn, many artists … Read more
Where you gonna rest your head? Where you gonna rest those long legs? Whether or not Sarah Jaffe’s new album, The Body Wins, is a risk is really not my call. Certainly, it’s a dynamic shift from songs like “Clementine” and “Before You Go” from her previous full-length. The Body Wins is not as gentle … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen I knew a kid once in high school, his name was Bob. Bob liked to order fries from the cafeteria and stuff them in his pants pocket, perhaps to store a few away for fifth hour when he got hungry. Sometimes, you would be talking to Bob and he would just … Read more
I imagine the perfect Katie Herzig show would be one of those rare occurrences where you could hear every word coming from the singer’s mouth. You know, the stuff live-music dreams are made of. Lyrics and voice are crucial to Herzig’s songs; here’s proof. That’s “Closest I Get” from Herzig’s 2011 release, The Waking Sleep. … Read more
All photos by Agatha Donkar Last Sunday, our resident east coast photog, Agatha Donkar, caught The Deep Dark Woods at Local 506. Aggie notes that their new album sounds more like The Band than anyone else making music today. For those of you still reeling from the death of Levon Helm, well, there you go. … Read more
Today marks the release of The Only Way To Kill You, the debut EP for Greylag, a duo out of Portland. Tonight, they’ll be opening for Augustana at The Blue Note in Columbia, so we thought this would be a great time to A) tell you about that show and B) introduce you to “Black … Read more
On Today’s Jam of the Day, “Body of Work,” the second single from The Mynabirds’ upcoming album, GENERALS, percussion is a main character, taking center stage again after its original work in the lead single, “Generals.” However, while the latter is a drumming battle cry, this new track contains a steady global beat that’s as … Read more
Photo Credit : Pitchfork After over a week to let it all soak in, and to allow my core temperature drop down back to normal human levels (each day of Weekend Two was in excess of 100 degrees), it is time to reflect on one of the most unique and memorable music festival weekends of … Read more
Continuing our weekly Jam of the Day post featuring an artist that will be playing this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, we are are pleased to bring you Balam Acab’s remix of Lana Del Rey’s breakout single,”Video Games.” As if “Video Games” wasn’t already heartbreaking and addicting enough, Balam Acab, in a genius move, … Read more
BKNY based synth-rock duo Tanlines (Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm) released their debut LP Mixed Emotions a little earlier this spring (True Panther). “Brothers,” the opening offering and lead single of the LP, is a steady smoldering track. Eric’s resonant vocals and Jesse’s steadfast, minimalist percussion play off of one another to create an abiding … Read more
Well, my oh my. We posted our Speakers + Summer 2012 mix yesterday, so this new jam from Tristan Prettyman’s upcoming Cedar + Gold (9/25) didn’t make the cut. But, that’s the beauty of being a blog, where you can post anything you want at any time you desire. So, we’re here to tell you … Read more
Los Angeles based (via Vancouver) producer / pop artist Blood Diamonds (aka Michael Diamond) has teamed up with 4AD pal and label-mate Grimes to craft “Phone Sex,” a shimmering, sunny, dance-pop stunner. Sure to be on many a “Summer Jam” playlist in the coming months, “Phone Sex” is an undeniably infectious dance stimulator. Look for … Read more
How I missed her! How I missed her How I missed my Clementine, So I kissed her little sister, And forgot my Clementine. “Clementine, Clementine!” Neil Young howls on Americana, his long-awaited reunion album with Crazy Horse. These are beloved songs of American heritage, many that you already know and can sing along to, and … Read more
Photo by Sarah Jurado With its psychadelic guitars and haunted, echoing vocals, “Nothing Is The News” opens Damien Jurado’s Maraqopa with five and a half minutes of the bleakest, loneliest landscape possible. It’s a track for watching the sun rise over a barren but beautiful desert alone, a song that sets the tone for Jurado’s masterpiece … Read more
She come in softly and took her paintings off of my wall She says, “Take care of yourself, I’ll give you a call.” Good things happen when you don’t plan them, so The Week of Melancholy must continue. And it shall, but with an old song by a songwriter out of Texas you probably don’t … Read more
Photo courtesy of the artist Wrapping up the week of melancholia here on Speakers in Code, today’s Pajammy Jam of the Day is “Sparrowful Sorrow” from Philadelphia’s Psalmships. Psalmships is the songwriting vehicle for Joshua Britton, where he’s backed by a rotating cast of stellar musicians, and “Sparrowful Sorrow” is a lush and weary song … Read more
Photo by Marte Solbakken I ain’t too old to give a shit… I ain’t too young to regret… Well, we’re on a roll this week at Speakers in Code. I don’t think we planned for this to be The Week of Melancholy, but we’re three for three with Pajammy Jams of the Day. You know, … Read more
“I found the heart of a lion, in the belly of the beast,” Grace Potter sings on the title track of her new album with The Nocturnals, The Lion The Beast The Beat. Potter, who had to halt the initial recordings to find herself in the form of a “fantasy road trip,” didn’t just find … Read more
Tell me Tell me why the times won’t change Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons’ new album, Old Believers, set for release on June 26th, is truth — like Matthew Ryan’s May Day or Steve Earle’s El Corazón. It stabs, it pleads; thankfully, it doesn’t beg. It doesn’t need to.
Photo by Katie Guymon Today, dear friends, marks the first day of summer. And today, of course, we bring you our third annual Speakers + Summer mix, a collection of tracks that remind us of the season, whether we’re mowing the lawn with a frosty one in tow, dipping our feet in the local cement … Read more
Photo by Danny Clinch The thermometers hit triple digits here in North Carolina today, and what’s better for a hot day than some swampy, dirty blues? Today’s Jam of the Day is the Black Keys’ “Howlin’ For You”, off 2010’s Brothers. Check out the official video below, and stay cool, kids.
Photo by Todd Roet Langhorne Slim and the Law have been honing their chops on the road for a long time now, and it’s all the more evident in the title track from Slim’s upcoming album, The Way We Move. Slim calls the record “an optimistic breakup album,” and “The Way We Move” says as … Read more
I’m a firm disbeliever in serendipity, fate, and generally anything else that could be used for either the premise of a teen novel or a chick flick. Call it soulless, but that melarkey is for the birds. However, last week, while reading a list of “new” bands a friend sent me while doing Hopscotch Music … Read more