Candy Now! – Self Titled (BEZF – MVD Audio)
CD Reviews
Written by Johnny H
Friday, 21 August 2009 16:19
When Blag Dahlia the legendary frontman of the world’s scariest band, The Dwarves does a solo album, you know he’s not going to be doing something musically straightforward. And this Candy Now! debut album most certainly isn’t straightforward in any shape or form.
Drawing on the services of Angelina Moysov (Persephone’s Bees) to act as Blag’s perfect female vocal foil, they duet their way through twelve tracks of what the band lovingly refers to as Retro Lounge.
What Retro Lounge actually entails, is sit back and relax, Sixties influenced pop like ‘EverLoving You’, and the Country tinged ‘Waiting Here For You’. The latter being a perfect example of the lothario Blag in full lady charming mood, that leaves both singers in fits of laughter, and you the listener wondering just what happened next?
Once you’ve got your head around the fact that this is the smorgasbord of sounds we’ve come to expect from Dahlia and his fellow musical cohorts these days, you’ll be enjoying this every bit as much as you can hear the musicians did making it.
Highlights include vocal cameos by Bart Davenport (Honeycut, Loved Ones) on the stomping powerpop of ‘On Your Side’ and Nash Kato (Urge Overkill) on the slightly more Dwarves sounding ‘Revolving’, which also contains the dirtiest garage guitar sound this sound of Mick Collins fuzz pedal.
‘When You Were Mine’ features an exquisite lead vocal from Angelina that brings images of tears and late night coffee lamenting that long lost love, whilst ‘Take Me to Your Leader’ is the track that Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! soundtrack was simply crying out for. Sixties Sci-Fi pop played by aliens from planet Greedy Bros. Sublime stuff indeed.
It’s left to Blag to finish the album off in his own inimitable style, via the Country/Rockabilly tinged acoustic strum that is ‘Bitch I Love You’, that features the best whistle solo you’ll hear this side of ‘Winds of Change’.
Whilst the Dwarves are away waiting to be Born Again the world is always going to be a quieter and much mellower place.
This is a great example of why Candy Now! should be on the top of everyone’s must have lists right now, ahead of the musical explosion that no doubt awaits us in 2010.
Enjoy the calm while it lasts.