Fates – Crime Spree in Candyland (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Because I am a “finger on the pulse” sort of guy, I’m not only aware of one of the tracks on this new EP, Fates, but I have already written about it elsewhere. So, we will gloss over the loveliness of Walking Through Walls and dive into the new stuff.

Ghost Like Me was also previously a single; I must have missed that one when it came out…so much for my claim of having a “finger on a pulse.” No matter, I might be late to the party on this one, but what a party it is. Ghost Like Me blends a brooding undercurrent with a slick soulful guitar salvo; it is dark and spacious yet infectious and pop-aware. And that sort of brilliant juxtaposition, in a nutshell, is what you get with a Crime Spree in Candyland song. Sonic elements that might not appear to be natural travelling companions sounding like they have never been anything but close sonic allies.

Anti Thesis wanders and washes along on sonic waves and cosmic vibes. It has a hypnotic quality driven by the bass line and backbeat; onto this, they hang shimmering guitars and hushed and hazy vocals, fractured sonic shards, and mellifluous music, while MTMT echoes with a hollow post-punk sound. Fair and Square shows us what pop could be about and what the charts might sound like if people let go of the lowest common denominator, unit shifting, landfill music and became more discerning and demanding. This is the “product” that the music industry movers and shakers use to pay for their fifth annual holiday, a new beach house in the Bahamas and the sort of quantities of cocaine that help keep South American economies ticking along. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If you want to see a change for the better in the mainstream music realms, then get behind bands like Crime Spree in Candyland. Imagine if the charts were full of cool tracks like these, ones that don’t rely on dance routines and lip-synching, guest rappers and throwaway gimmicks. Imagine if pop music could be smart and well-crafted again. Imagine what that might sound like. Actually, you don’t have to; you just need to buy their records, and those of the numerous smart bands like them who are unfairly overlooked. You mission is to spread the word that there is another way, another possible future for pop music. Fates might be the snowball that is a catalyst for a much needed sonic avalanche; all you have to do is to get the (snow)ball rolling.