The Candle Thieves - Sunshine & Other Misfortunes

Opening track ‘We’re All Gonna Die (Have Fun)’ is a perfect entree to The Candle Thieves debut album ‘Sunshine & Other Misfortunes’ which is jam packed with such philosophic enlightenment’s from the duo’s whimsical world.

The two, hailing from Peterborough, studied music together at college and toured extensively throughout last year. This awaited 12-track uplifting album is realised in perfect time to be the soundtrack to your summer. Ignoring the criticisms, mainly the abundance of references to Sufjan Stevens and Eels, you will find what this album may lack in originality it sure makes up for in a weird and wonderful 50 minutes of happiness.

It’s hard to believe that under this albums sickly sweet surface and sentimental synths is an ode to the longevity of mortality, or lack thereof. In the wonderfully entitled track ‘The Sunshine Song’ the lyrics ‘You are beautiful, But you’ve got to die someday’ speak volumes about the duo’s ability to get you high and knock you right back down again. The Casio keyboard melodies and heartfelt harmonies fire up Death Cab style imagery of summer nights, pre winter-heartbreak. This makes it all too easy to be ignorant of the dark and foreboding undertones the pair have imprinted throughout.

What is however hard to mask is the duo’s oddball charm. The juxtaposition of the lyrics in track ‘Sharks and Bears’ seems like it could never work: ‘Sometimes I dream of drowning or falling down the stairs. Sometimes I dream of sharks, sometimes I dream of bears.’ Yet somehow, somewhere in that sweet, colourful, glockenspieled world of The Candle Thieves… it does. Even with the blunt brutality of their lyrics and the sickening roller coaster ride of ups and downs, with a truck full of carpe diem. This leaves us, even on the last pensive, melancholic track ‘Leaving Singapore’ we are still laced with hope. So maybe life is short, and sure we will die, but let’s just have fun yeah?

It’s possible that, if they continue down this path, it won’t be long until we see The Candle Thieves standing at the forefront of the current folk-revival.