It only took a minute of “Old Stepstone” for Al Spx to make me a fan of her new doom-soul project, Cold Specks, and that was just an a cappella version. Here she is with a full backing group, following up a few official videos with an almost regal, nuanced take on I Predict a Graceful Explosion single “Winter Solstice”. In a true testament to the resonant strength of Spx’s voice, this version comes armed with 6 instruments here and yet it isn’t hard to imagine the tune carrying the same heft without them.
Ethan Johns, Featured, Jon Brion, Laura Marling, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams