213. The Dearhunters – “Red Wine and Blue”

Ah, we’re back to the comfort of Candle Records output. This time we’re listening to the one album from the very appealing combo of Jodi Phillis (ex-Clouds) and hubbie Tim Oxley.
It’s raining today in Melbourne town (well, on and off). This album is perfect for such inclemency.
Both Phillis and Oxley are blessed with [...]

196. Cuddlefish – “If I Could Sometimes Take The Lining Of My Stomach And Make Wings I’d Fly”

In the tiny world of bands who frequented the Candle Records label, these guys were always the odd ones out.
Although they ticked the ‘predominantly acoustic’ and ‘Australian’ boxes, they lacked the requisite pop sensibilities, and presented as more on the ’smelly hippy’ side of the folk-rock community.
As such, I was never particularly enamoured by them, [...]

174. Rob Clarkson – “Zone One”

In the wake of the retrospective “Shirts & Skins” release, Rob Clarkson reunited with himself and hit the stage and studio as a single singer-songwriter again.
The single bit is not just a description of his stage set-up but also his social status (it would seem).  So much of this album is a lament to the [...]

173. Rob Clarkson – “Shirts and Skins”

A sad reflection on the taste of Aussie music buyers (and labels) is that Rob Clarkson’s afore-reviewed album disappeared from the shelves and catalogues far too quickly.
Thankfully Candle Records cobbled together this “best of”.
You see Rob broke up with himself in 1996 and thusforth played in bands of various names and quality.  This double-album brings [...]

162. Various Artists – “Clippings”

After a couple of weeks of delving into mainly CDs that my wife purchased, I’ve sought refuge in a compilation from nearby in the alphabet.
This is the second Candle Records compendium I’ve reviewed, and the first they released on CD.
It’s from the label’s early days, when the core troops didn’t extend far beyond The Simpletons, [...]

40. Various Artists – “Banter”

I just realised that I’d forgotten to look over in the ‘compilations’ section lately. There are a few banked up that I’ll chuck into the mix over the coming weeks (so as to break up the long streaks of same-artist reviews).
Candle Records was the home of Aussie acoustic pop from 1994-2007. This was the second [...]