Cold Specks is the stage name of
Somali Canadian 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'', on May 21, 2012, on Mute Records and Arts & Crafts in Canada. The album was a shortlisted nominee for the
2012 Polaris Music Prize.
Her second album, ''
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or just plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through neurogenesis, growth and reorganization. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize and rewir ...
'', was released on August 26, 2014. It featured trumpet playing by
Ambrose Akinmusire and backing vocals from
Michael Gira
Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, author and artist. Now based in New Mexico, he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City in the 1980s at the height of ...
of
Swans, 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 ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...
on his
Carrie & Lowell Tour,
and was longlisted for the
2015 Polaris Music Prize. 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 , ) is a psychiatric teaching hospital located in Toronto and ten community locations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada. It reports being the largest research facility in Can ...
. In 2025 she released ''Light for the Midnight'', her first full-length album since her health issues. It was longlisted for the
2025 Polaris Music Prize.
Albums
*2012: ''
I Predict a Graceful Expulsion'' #86 CAN
*2014: ''
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or just plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through neurogenesis, growth and reorganization. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize and rewir ...
''
*2017: ''Fool's Paradise''
*2025: ''Light for the Midnight''
Singles
* 2011: "Holland"
* 2012: "Winter Solstice"
* 2012: "Blank Maps"
* 2012: "Hector"
* 2014: "Absisto"
* 2015: "Bodies at Bay"
* 2017: "Fool's Paradise"
* 2024: "Wandering in the Wild"
Awards and nominations
References
External links
InstagramTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cold Specks
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century Black Canadian women singers
21st-century 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
21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters