Introduction
Five Songs Special, 10/31/2020
Five Songs

Five Songs Special, 10/31/2020

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Goin' with a theme today!

Sleater-Kinney, "Buy Her Candy"

Now, seriously, what's the point of a Sleater-Kinney song without Janet Weiss?

Andrew Bird & His Bowl of Fire, "Candy Shop"

Very early material from Andrew Bird, when he was still recording with a band credited as His Bowl of Fire. This version lasted for three albums, with the first two albums staying pretty close to a hot jazz formula like you hear on this track. The third album found the band adding some more rock influence, to great effect, leaving the first couple albums as just sort of a fun dead-end. He does have many of his strengths on display here, though, especially his great vocal delivery, the maserful violin, and the dynamic songwriting.

Led Zeppelin, "Candy Store Rock"

From Presence, this is one of the more straightforward rock tunes on the album. I'm not a Zeppelin scholar or anything, and I haven't spent a ton of time with this record (this track actually comes from a boxed set that I have), so I'm not sure I'm going to go further than that.

I guess I have read a book about them, though. That makes me a tiny bit of a scholar?

Skeleton Key, "Candy"

Skeleton Key's gimmick is that the percussion is all performed on literal junk - pots, pans, and whatever found stuff they can grab that makes a cool noise when you hit it. They combine that with some moody kind of songwriting that leans a little post-hardcore, a little post-rock, and even a little industrial, giving an interesting mix. This is from Obtainium, which doesn't really sound much like anything else that I have.

The Presidents of the United States of America, "Candy"

A track from their debut breakout record, this is actually one of the songs that convinced me that there was more going on here than just a novelty act. There's a fair bit in this song that's interesting, and it doesn't sound that much like the rest of the album.

Joshua Buergel
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