Out of Town Films

Cold Specks “Blank Maps” - Philadelphia, PA - 05/28/2012

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about Cold Specks, a 24-year-old singer/songwriter from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, and what kind of day one would listen to a record like I Predict a Graceful Expulsion. I commented how it’s the perfect morning album. I then came across a Pitchfork review of her debut, and one line in particular stood out to me because it depicted the mood in such a way that described the music so well. “This is a peerless Sunday-afternoon record, the kind you cradle like a chipped mug of tea in a heatless apartment,” said writer Jayson Greene.

It’s hard to put into words how when you meet someone like Al Spx, the alias for the woman behind Cold Specks, and you know what their music sounds like beforehand, yet they still blow you away with how naturally talented they truly are in person. Spx is a pure example of this.

Armed with a powerful voice and her London based producer Jim Anderson on hand to tinker a simple set up like we had — small amp, eclectic guitar, a high-ceilinged hallway, and a beautiful song like “Blank Maps” — and you come away with the resulting film. The bleakness of Johnny Brenda’s backstage stairwell lends itself to how we envision the sound, which to our content, was lovely and acoustically pleasing with a natural, springy reverb. We hope you enjoy.