Cold Specks - Neuroplasticity (2014)

Since the release of her 2012 debut, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion, Cold Specks’ Al Spx has been seen collaborating with the likes of Moby and Swans. Now, the Canadian singer-songwriter is back with details of her sophomore solo album, Neuroplasticity.

Set for a August 26th release via Mute, the album was born out of a three-month trip to the U.K. in the winter of 2012. Staying at a cottage in Somerset, Wick, the awful weather allowed Spx to focus solely on the beginnings of the LP. Relentless touring and her marquee music collaborations further inspired her during the writing process.

As a taste of the final product of her labor, she’s shared “Absisto”, which she describes as one of the “more unusual songs on the record.” “Absisto”, as the press materials note, “is the Latin verb for withdraw or depart.” That definition applies to the song itself, as Spx’s soulful voice sounds more solitary and distant here than on her past offerings. The track also opens with over 20 seconds of jarring white noise and and features understated yet unique instrumentation that eventually grows from a still whisper to a heralding wail.