Springtime in the blogosphere can be quite busy. There are those Vampire Weekend records to dust off and Ray-Bans to shine. Hipsters everywhere must flock to H&M to get their rolled-up shorts in all shades and colors. So don’t judge us for just now finding the room to give Battles new track, “Ice Cream,” its … Read more
Photo by Sarah Cochran Yes, there were balloons. And confetti. But, I want to talk about the balloons. They didn’t fall from the ceiling; they weren’t even pre-blown. They were tossed out into the audience by Matt and Kim, in their flimsy, rubber state, all multi-colored and new (well, I’m hoping they were new). They … Read more
Active Child’s new single “Playing House” has been receiving a lot of love online since it dropped last Tuesday, but we just want to remind all you readers that we were giving choirboy-turned-indie-pop musician Pat Grossi props since we checked him out at last year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. On that particular night, he and his … Read more
Watch your newly minted Riverfront Times Best New Band perform a song off its just-released EP, Come Back to Bed. This is “Washington” from our Dots Not Feathers show on June 14th.
Photo by Jarred Gastreich It didn’t take us long to fall in love with Dots Not Feathers. In fact, it didn’t take the city of Saint Louis long to fall in love with the indie-folksters, either. Since DNF first made waves on the local scene with the release of its first album, A Thousand Novels, … Read more
Singer-songwriter Hayes Carll released his awesome album, KMAG & YOYO (& Other American Stories) on Lost Highway last February, and he recently made a stop in Saint Louis for the 15th edition of Twangfest. That week, we made his song, “Another Like You” the Jam of the Day, and we’ve been mesmerized ever since. Hayes … Read more
Photo by Aggie Donkar/Brand New Kind of Photography Chapel Hill’s historic Franklin Street is the cultural epicenter of the town, along with the University that anchors it. A myriad of restaurants, bars, and boutiques litter the tree-lined street, but one new addition has become a source of not only great chocolate, but also great stage … Read more
We have so much love but we need so much more A friend of mine recently told me that it’s the first 10 seconds of a song that make or break its fate. A tough standard, but really, in many cases, it’s true. If you don’t like something, well, it’s often immediately clear to you … Read more
Speakers Rating: 97/100 “And at once I knew I was not magnificent.” This lyric comes from “Holocene,” the third track on Bon Iver’s self titled second LP (Jagjaguwar), and it may just be the musical moment of the year… Bon Iver, the musical undertaking created and marshaled by Justin Vernon, will likely be forever linked … Read more
Don’t get me wrong, Thursday at Bonnaroo was a good time. Best Coast, Wavves, Freelance Whales, Hayes Carll, and Sleigh Bells all rocked their respective tents. But, I was really looking forward to Friday morning, when Sharon Van Etten was scheduled to perform at the Which Stage, which is the second largest platform at Bonnaroo. … Read more
Siblings Catherine and Allison Pierce are from Alabama, but don’t let that fool you. You won’t find a hint of southern rock in The Pierces’ songs — their music is prettier, poppier, and catchier. They grew up listening to Simon & Garfunel and The Beatles, home-schooled and raised under the Southern sun by hippie parents, … Read more
Three awesome, but weirdly paired bands hit Carrboro last week, bringing a smorgasbord of sounds and vibes to a sold-out Cat’s Cradle crowd. Baltimore’s Future Islands, a band that is no stranger to packed houses around its native North Carolina, had opening honors, starting things off with their trademarked energy that is equally creepy as … Read more
When the aural cacophony of Hooray For Earth’s “True Loves” comes full force at about thirty-five seconds in, it becomes readily apparent that the NYC quartet have a knack for showcasing a contrast of heavy beats with breezy vocal arrangements. It is this sonic dichotomy that makes the eponymous track from their debut LP (Dovecote … Read more
NYC electro-pop duo Holy Ghost! (Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel) have spent the last couple of years crafting singles and remixes, releasing an EP, touring with DFA labelmates LCD Soundsystem, and creating a justified buzz in advance of the release of April’s self-titled debut record. The record’s lead single is “Wait & See,” a well-structured, … Read more
All photos by Katie Guymon Last Monday, GIVERS, the swiftly up-and-coming Lafayette, Louisiana fivesome put on a helluva show at Cicero’s in Saint Louis. We’ve been doting on the fun-time guys (and gal) since the inception of Speakers in Code, and we were thrilled to hear the news of the band’s debut LP release with … Read more
Photos by Katie Guymon Last night, Seattle’s The Head and the Heart stopped through Saint Louis after Bonnaroo to play a sold-out show at The Duck Room. Right from the get go, the room felt buzzy and alive (communal, almost?), and the six-piece treated the gig like a basement house party, not showing any signs … Read more
Back in November of 2010, Cults were charming us with their lo-fi groove “Go Outside,” a web buzz track that had the whole internet stirring and wondering if there was more auditory excellence to come from the New York City duo. Well, Ms. Follin and Mr. Oblivion have certainly been able to keep everyone’s crush … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen I will remember you Not the way you left But how you lived And what you knew Sorry to always be the bummer king, but hey, someone’s gotta do it. Last night at the Old Rock House in Saint Louis, Katie Herzig and her band completely floored me with this … Read more
Barbie Hatch The Radio Cure provides you a smattering of great tracks (all at once!) to cure you of your radio blues. Burn ’em on a mix CD, and there you have it. Barbie Hatch – Stars It’s like Best Coast and She & Him had a love child. Barbie Hatch’s electro-indie vibe is seriously … Read more
Image taken at Hopscotch 2010 by The Independent Weekly As someone who prides myself on never listening to the radio, I have recently been forced to flip it on at the most inopportune times, now that my kid is all smart and steals my iPhone from me each time we get in the car so … Read more
I want to know what it’s like To live with you To give to you To not be without you My mind wanders aimlessly. (Convoluted translation: I get easily excited and tend to think anything is possible no matter the circumstance or distance between myself and what I want.) I blame songwriters such as Matthew … Read more
Welcome to Hometowns, a new feature we’re debuting today at Speakers in Code where we ask artists about where they grew up. The Hometowns mission is twofold: 1) we wanna let our favorite musicians play homage to the places they hold near and dear to their hearts and 2) we strongly believe that roots have … Read more
Please accept this as a token of my sincere gratitude I’m not jokin’ Today’s PJOTD is taken from last year’s album by The Radio Dept, Clinging To A Scheme, but I think it sums up the last week of my life well: I have so much for which to be thankful. I met so many … Read more
Tomorrow night at The Fox Theatre, Eddie Vedder will be rocking with his ukulele, playing songs from his new album, Ukulele Songs, an album that’s really growing on us here at Speakers in Code. Of course, Vedder will also be playing Pearl Jam songs, and today’s JOTD is kinda one of those. “Can’t Keep” is … Read more
This was only my second Bonnaroo, but one thing is clearly evident to me: a mid-afternoon slot isn’t the easiest gig on the farm. People want to find the nearest shade tree, or maybe the closest air-conditioned tent. Music, for some, can wait until evening — some of my fellow campers didn’t even leave their … Read more
Photo by Katie Guymon It’s that special time again: the first day of summer. And, just like last year, we are celebrating the longest day of the year by gifting you with a special mix: Speakers + Summer Volume 2. We’ve handpicked tunes that, to us, scream and holler summer and put them in one … Read more
This past weekend at their self-curated music festival (Solid Sound at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), Chicago-based rockers Wilco played a new single entitled “I Might.” Available only on vinyl (for now), “I Might” is a straight-forward, buzzy rocker with keyboard and xylophone notes that provide hints of a 1960’s vibe. The track is … Read more
Well, the time is upon us, folks. This weekend, the 2011 Riverfront Times Music Showcase will rock on with its bad self down on Washington Avenue, and this year, the line-up is Jessica Rabbit stacked. We took a minute to sit down with the RFT’s music blog editor, Kiernan Maletsky, to get some guidance on … Read more
Photo courtesy of Expunged Records “I was born with a heart of stone/ until you came along/ and you broke my throne…” You know what sucks? Purposely avoiding the lures of love, accidentally falling into it, and finally having your heart stomped flat by a dude in baseball cleats. Or a chick in stilettos. Either … Read more
As a passionate fan of music, I was delighted to find Act As If’s “There’s a Light” earlier this year — so much, that we at Speakers in Code made it a Pajammy Jam of the Day back in April. It’s a feel-good tune, with the road ahead of us viewed as a positive one … Read more