The musical journey can lead down some unexpected and convoluted roads – and my path to Future Islands has ended with me kicking myself for not finding them sooner. Let me lay it all out for you. My good friend and fellow music junkie Ty recently told me to give them a listen. Living in … 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
2010 has been very busy for Cloud Nothings. First, there was the Turning On EP, then a seven inch single on Group Tightener and then another one on Old Flame, as well as a super rare split cassette release on Bathetic Records. This fall, Carpark compiles the Turning On EP, the Group Tightener single, and … Read more
Photo Credits: The Independent Weekly Well folks, the inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival is now firmly five days behind us, and it’s honestly taken me this long to decompress, catch up on “real work,” and recover from the sleep deprivation. Thinking back, everything seems a bit blurry – which could be the product of countless pints … Read more
The inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival is almost here, party people of the Triangle, and while laying out the official Speakers in Code endorsed track, this guy just got officially giddy for the festivities to begin. I even geeked-out enough to give you a back-up plan just in case the show of your choice is all … Read more
Artwork credit: Alyssa Shapkoff Over the next four days, we’ll be bringing you our favorite albums of 2010, in no particular order. These are the records that turned round and round throughout our year, and they’ll continue spinning long into 2011. Robyn | Body Talk, Part One (Cherrytree/Interscope) [buy] Robyn, Swedish songstress and dance-pop goddess, … Read more
Artwork credit: Alyssa Shapkoff Click here to see the entire list, from 100 – 1. 25 Sufjan Stevens – From the Mouth of Gabriel The most classic Sufjan song of the 2010 onslaught of Sufjan songs, “From the Mouth of Gabriel” is haunting and just plain beautiful. Flutes and clarinets, plucking guitars and lyrics that … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY AMANDA KOELLNER Future Islands + Digable Planets + Noname helped open the doors at House of Vans Chicago last week. Please enjoy these photos by Amanda Koellner. NONAME DIGABLE PLANETS
Well, it’s September, folks, and the SIC gang here in North Carolina have been busy preparing ourselves to traverse the annual Hopscotch Music Festival, which amazingly, is now in it’s fourth year of existence! We’ve been consecutively staying up 30 minutes later each week for a month now, to get our bodies used to the … Read more
Remove the synths. Slow that bass line down. Distill this song down to its essence, and what you’re left with is the hook of the best damn “beach music” song never written. And while you may not be familiar with Chairmen of the Board, The Platters or even The Coasters, the music of that sub-genre of … 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
Photo by Aggie Donkar/Brand New Kind of Photography There were two possible directions we could have gone with this post, and not being totally sure which is best, we’re including them both. A) Like an aged bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild, Future Islands is one of those bands that gets more complex as you allow … 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
Photo by Graham Tolbert “Baby Missiles” perfectly illustrates everything I adore about musical juxtaposition. ’80s synth pop mixed with country-rock? Yes, please. I’ll have that. The War On Drugs frontman, Adam Granduciel, has a purposefully wobbly delivery on “Baby Missiles” that reminds me a little bit of Mark Knopfler on Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life.” … Read more
Goooood Lawd! This little blog cannot BELIEVE it is almost the start of September – that means the 2011 Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina is quickly approaching! Two out of the four of us just celebrated the dawning of LouFest II in Saint Louis. Now, it’s time to start doing liver calisthenics, training … Read more