With horns, electric guitars, and a voice with swagger like no other, Gaby Moreno accomplishes just about everything I like about music in about three-and-a-half minutes. She sort of has a Calexico/Mavis Staples/Neil Young Prairie Wind/Are You Passionate-era thing going on here, and it’s sort of intimidating how good and catchy it is (in a … Read more
When I heard the new Santigold song, “Go” last week, I instantly had two responses: I wanted to boogie. And I wanted to fight someone. Being the “plugged in” gal that I am, I tweeted about my knee-jerk reactions to my small (but powerful) legion of followers, and in two seconds flat, the term “BOOGIEFIGHT” … Read more
Photo by Brian Balamonte The two guys who call themselves Generationals have been friends since they were thirteen, sharing Beatles covers, apartments, schools, and stages for years. Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner, both New Orleans natives, make some of the most addictive music to come out of The Big Easy in years. Or ever. (Okay, … Read more
If the topic of conversation is spiders, then the brown recluse is one of the most venomous eight-legged critters in the United States, and we here at Speakers in Code don’t ever want to encounter one of these creepy crawlies. If we’re talking music, however, then Brown Recluse is a beguiling six-person (twelve-legged) indie pop … Read more
We’ve heard when Phil Cook isn’t touring the world with his genre-blending folk band Megafaun, he’s on the porch of his North Carolina home, finger-picking his guitar, while his loyal dog Willie lays nearby. So it only makes sense that these intimate moments would eventually be recorded and make their way to a proper release. … Read more
Photo by Rachel Demsick Annie Stela’s songs have made me cry once or twice. In the enormous stash of sad songs that is my iPod, Annie’s “Breathe Through” and “Swallowed Snakes” hold top spots on the cry-o-meter (if she’s reading this, I’m sure she’s laughing her ass off right now). In fact, I’m surprised I … Read more
The initial list of names for Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival was announced this morning, and holy shiz, we are excited! The Flaming Lips, GBV, and DBT lead the pack for the main stage, but there is a solid list of small-club headlining bands as well. And if things work they way they did last year, … Read more
I’m too old to let you go I’m too young to let you down I’ve been wanting to write about this song for a while now, and with Ryan Adams’ double-7” vinyl EP, Class Mythology, set for release on Record Store Day, well, now seems appropriate. This is one of Adams’ best songs. It’s not … Read more
On Monday (4/4), S. Carey of Bon Iver hits Off Broadway for a show with Blood Pony and local band Dots Not Feathers. As you may know, Bon Iver is set to release a new album this summer, but for now, Carey is still touring off of last year’s debut solo record, All We Grow. … Read more
Photo by Erin Brown It’s quite easy to label William Fitzsimmons as a sad bastard. In fact, the singer-songwriter who now lives in Jacksonville, Illinois, might even agree with you. He sings in a hushed voice, and his songs are often based on broken relationships and broken hearts. Plus, that beard he sports just makes … Read more
Dallas quartet Air Review are on the brink of something special. These Texans are in the process of releasing their debut EP America’s Son, one single at a time, over the next five or six months. The EP’s eponymous track is a cozy piece of folky Americana. Engaging, rustic, and immeasurably listenable, “America’s Son” envelops … Read more
L.A. quintet Grouplove has been creating a buzz fueled by their rollicking live shows while opening for Florence and The Machine, Cold War Kids, and most recently SIC favorite, Foster The People. The group met somewhat coincidentally in Greece, then reunited in California to record the raucous tunes that would become their 2011 eponymous EP. … Read more
HOLY SHIT this is good. I’ve seen Chuck Berry eight times, Neil Young nineteen times…and this sort of electric insanity is what I recall at each show. But folks, this is not Berry or Young. This is Gary freaking Clark Jr. And although I’m not sure what universe he came to us from, you will … Read more
Last Friday, many music fans in Saint Louis (and really, across a number of states) experienced a minor meltdown when the recently announced Mumford and Sons show at The Pageant sold out in approximately fifteen minutes, amidst speculation that the majority of the tickets went not to fans but to vicious scalpers. I, myself, was … Read more
TV on the Radio’s album art for Nine Kinds of Light Back on our first birthday, we published a list of 25 albums over which we were salivating. We’ve barely had time to mop up our drool from January, February, and March’s all-star releases, and now we’re back, in similar fashion, with another … Read more
Speakers Rating: 91/100 Fleet Foxes clearly know their sweet spot. Rather than pulling a 180 or switching things up with any degree of significance, the Seattle sextet nestled themselves deep into their rich, velvety folk-rock comfort zone for the recording of their second LP, Helplessness Blues. This approach has yielded a consistent, impeccable record that … Read more
The above, horribly snapped picture, was taken last night as The Rosebuds practiced their new material live before an intimate audience packed neatly into a Civil War era theatre on UNC’s campus. As spring nights are in Chapel Hill, the air that filled the room was warm and electric, as college students in their summer … Read more
A few years ago, my friend played me The National’s “Daughters of the Soho Riots” at a party, causing a few people in attendance to groan and request something “faster.” Granted, it was a party, people were drinking, probably making out in closets, but I would have none of it. I had never heard of … Read more
Losing a close friend conjures myriad emotions. Initially, there is the mandatory grief, anger, and guilt to dominate all others. But once those feelings subside, you’re left with an amazing mix of nostalgia, gratitude, and happiness while experiencing new things he would have loved. Today’s Jam of the Day, by Kurt Vile, is dedicated to … Read more
Lay with me I’ll see you through Sometimes, all I need in a song is a simple promise. I don’t want to hear about how the world is perfect, how we’re all going to succeed at everything we do. We can’t. We won’t. However, I do believe in living simply, and not living in excess. … Read more
All the buzz surrounding Chapel Club seems to revolve around predictions the band is going to be enormous, probably encouraged by lies circulating that they were given sacks of cash by their record label in advance of recording a single note. Yet the more we hear from Chapel Club, the more they seem to be … Read more
Well, this is exciting! Today, we’re proud to announce our first sponsored show as we welcome two great singer-songwriters from Brooklyn, Clare Burson and Peter Bradley Adams, to Off Broadway on Tuesday, June 14th. Advance tickets are $10 ($13 if you’re under 21). Doors 7:30 PM/Show 8:00 PM. To say we’re fond of Burson’s 2010 … Read more
Every year, it happens. And every year, I’m still surprised. An artist like Matthew Mayfield will come out of seemingly nowhere and enrich my life, plunging me into a world where I only listen to his songs for a few days or weeks. I always think there will be a final time where I’ll feel … Read more
Ever have one of those dreams where your teeth crumble into your hand, and you’re left with one of those mouth breather-grills you see at truckstops as you you drive through West Virginia? Well, after a little research, apparently it doesn’t mean you want to marry your cousin and move to Madison. In these cases, … Read more
Irish born singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow is already selling records and building a following in the UK. In 2011, he’ll descend on the U.S., guitar in hand, brilliant lyrics in tow. McMorrow’s debut record, Early in the Morning, has been released abroad for some time, but will not be available stateside until January 25th (out … Read more
It’s been a fine year for the boys in Cadillac Sky. They’ve been getting significant airplay on radio stations around the country, they have a video in regular rotation on CMT, and they’ve toured with those Mumford & Sons extensively. Maybe even more importantly that all that other fluffy crap, they earned not one but … Read more
Balearic House music is back, bitches. So, to all you party people out there, consider this your alert to kick it down to the local mall to pick up a new leather tie, a pair of leg warmers, and some mousse to get that ‘do poppin’ just right. The mysterious duo from Greece known as … Read more
End It All is the fifth Beans album but the first to feature all guest production, and it finds the emcee pushing his distinct staccato rhyme style to new heights across a varied but fluid buildup of beats. The biggest throwback, and perhaps the best result, comes from the Nobody-produced “Deathsweater,”which also just so happens … Read more
When people who love music speak of life altering events, there is inevitably one story mixed in describing the album purchase that guided them firmly down the righteous musical pathway. Sometimes it’s earth shattering, causing people to dump entire record collections of teenage naiveté. For others, it’s a sign guiding them down a two-way street … Read more
A Speakers in Code Infomercial Speakers: Like good music? Sure. We all do. But what if I told you an album will soon be released that, while immediately accessible and familiar, has the potential to not only be immensely satisfying but to rock your freaking world? Would you like that? Audience: Yeeeeees! Speakers: Well, what if … Read more