Green Shoots Huge Wave

Candy Claws “Sunbeam Show”

Candy Claws are a duo from Colorado who make music to evoke the power and mystery of nature. Their previous album attempted to mimic the sound of the ocean floor; their latest is inspired by a 1970 book titled The Secret Life of the Forest. If you only just listen casually, you may not get exactly what they’re going for — it mostly just sounds like an extremely ethereal take on Brian Wilson, and the lyrics are almost entirely obscure by the softness of their voices — but in the context of their stated project, it’s easy to imagine this as an abstracted impression of the forest. Sometimes it feels like we’re zooming in on a detail, other parts express a widescreen grandeur. Beyond the soft-focus surface, the arrangements are surprisingly nuanced, full of interesting textures, subtle melodies, and unexpected rhythms. The quality of the album is similar to that of its subject matter — pretty but matter-of-fact at first, but intriguing upon closer investigation.

Buy it from Amazon. I recommend holding out for a physical copy, though, as the packaging of this album is lovely and highly informative.