CD Review - The Candles - Between the Sounds

I just realized that I'm way behind on posting CD reviews as they are published... BAAAAD ME! This first one is a great album. I suspect I'll be dragging this one out for years to get a fresh listen.




Multi-instrumentalist Josh Lattanzi has spent the better part of his life recording and touring with blokes like Ben Kweller, The Lemonheads, and Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes. Fortunately for fans of quality music Josh spent that time carefully observing the fine art of songwriting instead of rolling dice with the roadies. When he finally had a decent-sized break in his touring schedule Josh enlisted a few friends and headed to the studio to make a permanent record of his songs under the project name The Candles.

Between the Sounds springs to life with “Waiting For The Truth,” a song which personifies the adjective “jaunty” with a spritely beat driving pleasingly warm organs, slightly countryish guitars, retro synth tones, and a bouncy bridge. Dour lyrics of “By the sound / I know you’ve found / Another reason to give up” are offset by the elfish melody for an endearing contrast. “Here or Gone” sports more of a Meat Puppets influence with close two-part vocal harmonies throughout, easily gliding along on punkish pop melodies backed by rootsy chiming guitars. The theme continues in “Let Me Down Easy” where piano and steel guitar add their spice to spine-chilling vocal harmonies and melancholy melodies. The rocking title track is an ode to being on the road while “Not Enough” invokes the spirit of the early 70s when bands were free to cross musical genres at will, pitting a mellotron against rich vocals that beg you to pick a part and sing along. “Road Song” is marked by sizzling lead guitars, jangly rhythm guitars and a sorrowful sense that “Days are getting farther away / I’m getting further behind” even though the hyper-sweetened melody leads one to believe otherwise.

Each of the ten songs on Between The Sounds is crammed full of country-tinged pop goodness. Its Meat Puppets, Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Gin Blossoms, Eagles, acoustic Foo Fighters (sans screaming), and Tom Petty all rolled into one infectious gob of fantastic music. There are no sonic gimmicks here, just beautifully crafted songs artfully and tastefully recorded, allowing them to stand on their impressive strength.