ALBUM REVIEW: “I Predict A Graceful Expulsion” by Cold Specks

May 21. 2012 | By Sarah Braverman

Cold Specks
I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
[Mute]

With the chorus chanting, “Take my body home,” album opener “The Mark” sets a dark tone for I Predict A Graceful Expulsion. Cold Specks is the stage name of singer-songwriter Al Spx. Despite being born in Canada and now based in London, her lyrics remind us of a Southern Gothic novel. Spx describes her sound as “doom soul.”

“Holland,” Cold Specks’ first single, sings, “We are many/We are dust/Into dust we will all return,” continuing the theme of death in the album. Her sound is heavy, and we’re pulled into it like the immense gravitational force of a black hole. We’re not depressed by Cold Specks’ infatuation with death; we’re intrigued by it. There’s something hauntingly beautiful about the saying “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” and believing that we come from dust and will return to dust when we die. I Predict A Graceful Expulsion delicately finesses this theme, making it palpable for listeners.

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