Cold Specks is the stage name of

Somali Canadian Somali Canadians are Canadians of Somali origin or are dual Somali and Canadian nationality. Overview Most Somalis arrived in Canada between the late 1980s from Somalia and early 1990s as refugees, with some secondary migration from the United S ...

singer-songwriter Ladan Hussein, who was previously known as Al Spx. Her music has been described as doom-soul. The name Cold Specks is taken from a line in James Joyce's ''Ulysses'' ("Born all in the dark wormy earth, cold specks of fire, evil, lights shining in the darkness."). She released her debut album, ''

I Predict a Graceful Expulsion ''I Predict a Graceful Expulsion'' is the debut album by Cold Specks The album was named as a long-listed nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012.2012 Polaris Music Prize The 2012 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 24, 2012 Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity, or brain plasticity, is the ability of Neural circuit, neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that diffe ...

'', was released on August 26, 2014. It featured trumpet playing by

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the attention of ...

and backing vocals from

Michael Gira Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of ...

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

, was supported in part by selected dates opening for

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

on his Carrie & Lowell Tour, and was longlisted for the

2015 Polaris Music Prize The 2015 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2015 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario.

. Her third album, ''Fool's Paradise'', followed in 2017. Following ''Fool's Paradise'', Hussein suffered a mental health breakdown, and underwent several months of treatment at Toronto's

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, pronounced , french: Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale) is a psychiatric teaching hospital located in Toronto and ten community locations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada. It re ...

. She has since announced that she is retiring her stage name, and will release future music under her own name.

Albums

*2012: ''

I Predict a Graceful Expulsion ''I Predict a Graceful Expulsion'' is the debut album by Cold Specks The album was named as a long-listed nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012.Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity, or brain plasticity, is the ability of Neural circuit, neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that diffe ...

'' *2017: ''Fool's Paradise''

Singles

* 2011: "Holland" * 2012: "Winter Solstice" * 2012: "Blank Maps" * 2012: "Hector" * 2014: "Absisto" * 2015: "Bodies at Bay" * 2017: "Fool's Paradise"

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Instagram

Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cold Specks Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Black Canadian women singers Canadian people of Somali descent Place of birth missing (living people) Canadian women singer-songwriters Mute Records artists Arts & Crafts Productions artists Canadian soul singers