Photo by Jason Gonulsen When Sufjan Stevens brought his tour supporting Carrie & Lowell to the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, the question was: how low key and quiet would the show be? The songs on Carrie & Lowell deal mostly with death and forgiveness, and do not sound anything like Stevens’ breakthrough album, … Read more
A Speakers in Code Proclamation: We, the united bloggers of Speakers in Code, henceforth declare this tenth year of the 21st century, the official year of the percussive-stringed instrument known as the banjo. It’s an unlikely instrument, in a landscape of electronic bleeps and bloops, auto-tune, and mashups, but the banjo has stirred up underground … Read more
The last time Sufjan Stevens released a proper record, the world, for me at least, was a very different place. In 2005, my son had yet to enter this world, and my best friend had yet to leave it. Katrina was just a pleasant sounding woman’s name. Bennifer was still a term, Beiber was still … Read more
Brooklyn’s powerful folk-pop duo of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Kartel is known simply as Kaiser Cartel. They’ve been making music together since 2004, and despite Kaiser’s classical vocal training (she lent her vocals to the upcoming Sufjan Stevens album) and Kartel’s penchant for self-teaching, the pairing is remarkably satisfying. While songs off the new album, … Read more
Artwork credit: Alyssa Shapkoff Want more? Check out the entire list of albums here. (And don’t forget about best songs here). Delorean | Subiza (True Panther Sounds) [buy] The Spanish electro-synth quartet Delorean has come a long way from its early punk rock roots. 2009 brought about this punk-to-dance transformation with the Aryton Senna EP. … Read more
Should I tear my eyes out now? Everything I see returns to you somehow Should I tear my heart out now? Everything I feel returns to you somehow Growing up, I wanted things. I wanted a basketball and a hoop in my own driveway. I wanted a stereo system with power. I wanted CDs, I … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen Words and photos by Jason Gonulsen There weren’t many disgruntled fans after last night’s Sufjan Stevens show at the Peabody Opera House. But there was at least one, and he was just steps ahead of me. “Do you know how Sufjan spells his name now after a performance like that?” he … Read more
As a music-lover, and devout non-religious-person, few artists out there confound my sensibilities more than Sufjan Stevens. His songs operate on a genius level. Complex, beautiful and soulful — they scream for dissection, but more often than not, I’m left totally in awe of the music and totally dumbfounded by his lyrics. Is that really … Read more
April 20th marks the return of Sufjan Stevens to St. Louis, this time at The Peabody Opera House, and we have TWO PAIRS of tickets to give away to the show. Details on how to enter are below. But first, let’s have a listen to “Should Have Known Better” from the upcoming, Carrie & Lowell. Here’s how … Read more
Welcome to our favorite Speakers in Code list of the year. The 10 Best Sad Bastard Songs of 2015. It’s our highest honor. In years past (2012, 2013, 2014), we’ve chosen 20 songs, but this year we’re trimming the sad. And this year, I wrote about every song. You can listen to each individually below, … Read more
I don’t know if anyone else’s house looks like Santa went on a three day heroin bender that culminated in a drug-induced decorating party with his elf-homies — but mine certainly does. This list is endless, and includes but is not limited to: holiday rugs, towels, figurines, lights, wreaths, dog collars, decorations for lighting fixtures, table runners, table cloths, soap, garland, fire-scented … Read more
Sufjan Stevens released his “All Delighted People” EP with little fanfare, just prior to the arrival of The Age of Adz. The EP offered us “Heirloom,”a poignant ode to the past and the promises of love. It is exactly the kind of song to play as you gather around your family’s table and reflect on … Read more