David Candy
Play Power
(Jetset Records)
If you take this release combined with Death By Chocolate's Self-Titled disc that came out a month ago, you'd not only have a lot of sweets, but you'd have enough 60's inspired rock music to last you for quite some time. Not only that, but you'd probably be wondering whether Jetset Records is re-inventing themselves as a retro label, given the pastel colored album covers and music on the two releases.
What's even more strange about the release is that the man behind David Candy is none other than Ian Svenonius (yes, the same guy who is also a member of Washington D.C. groups Make-Up and Nation of Ulysses). The 7 track, 40 minute release is like an aural trip through time as the alter-ego David Candy flicks out light melodies on the guitar and lyrics that range between super goofy and completely silly (yes, I realize those two things aren't far apart, but you'll understand if you hear the release).
The persona of David Candy knows that every singer needs his own theme music, and that's just the way that the album starts out. The two-minute "Playpower - David Candy Theme" is a sort of swankety, organ and horn injected little freestyle instrumental number that will probably have you tapping your toe and bobbing your head like some sort of coffee shop poet, while the second track "Incomprehensibly Yours" finds Candy reading a monologue about how he will be your perfect lover and how you'll never have to feel alone again. It's cheesy as all hell, but it sets you up for things to come.
"Listen To The Music" is a rambling little rock number that recalls equal parts 60s rock and even the Grateful Dead of all things. It fits nearly perfectly with the swirling, hippy-dippy colors on the album cover. On "Redfuchsiatamborine&gravel," Candy rambles on about art and whatnot over flamenco-style backing. The track that will test your faith, though, is the 19-minute long "Diary Of A Genius," in which David Candy again rambles like a beret-wearing hipster about his day which includes how to dress, what to eat, and how to fix it properly. The instrumentation is a more subtle blend of organs and bongos and it's probably one of the most intersting tracks on the disc, if you can handle the spoken-word ramblings.
Basically, this is one strange album that flows like a stream of consciousness lyrically and incorporates mainly older musical influences in sort of a hit-or-miss manner. If you're a hardcore fan of either of Svenonius' other groups, you're probably going to find yourself seriously surprised with things, but then again, perhaps it's just the sort of strange break that you'll need. Really, that's probably why he did the album in the first place, was to get completely away from what people expected from him.
Rating: 5.75
