Cold Specks is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Ladan Hussein (who was previously known as Al Spx). I got to hang out with her when she was touring her second record, Neuroplasticity. We met at Vancouver's Imperial venue and we couldn't find a quiet place to chat. While looking for an appropriate spot, I walked right into a glass door, so things started on an embarrassing (but funny) note.
In which strange room did we end up having the interview? Which song from Neuroplasticity is like a baby to Cold Specks? What is the cool story behind her stage name? Why does Ladan want to stop people from calling her music "doom soul"--even though she invented the term? What was it like working with the legendary Michael Gira from Swans? What does Ladan not like to talk about in interviews? What song from the first record does Cold Specks still perform live? Which song did Cold Specks perform live, for the first time, after attending a Ferguson protest in Seattle? You'll have to listen to find out.
This year, Cold Specks released a third record, Fool's Paradise, and you can catch Ladan and her band tour the new album. You won't regret it!
Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...
1) Cold Specks, Neuroplasticity (2014) "Absisto"
2) Cold Specks, Neuroplasticity (2014) "Bodies At Bay"
3) Cold Specks - Reeling The Liars In (Swans cover, YouTube rip) (Live @ Hoxton Hall, London, 20.06.12) **
4) Cold Specks, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion (2012) "Blank Maps"
5) Cold Specks, Neuroplasticity (2014) "A Season of Doubt"
ALL songs CANCON, except **
