Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Straight out of Liverpool comes Candie Payne, who delivers surprisingly solid and incredibly catchy lo-fi indie pop. On her debut album I Wish I Could Have Loved You More, she flirts with a doo-wop sound here and there (see “Hey Goodbye”), but she also dabbles in some more eclectic rhythms (see “One More Chance”). Comparisons can be made to an upbeat version of Feist, or even a toned-down version of St. Vincent, but really Payne is simply borrowing the best of her own music influences. After several listens to her debut, I now see the coherence in the record–it’s subtle but unlike most “fusion” artists, she manages to pull it off in a dynamic way. The songs are not redundant or humdrum, nor are there any weak links on the album. If indeed this album is Payne’s figurative exploratory committee, she’s got my vote. Just sign me up and give me a friggin’ banner already.

Do yourself a favor and go and get I Wish I Could Have Loved You More.
Listen to “One More Chance” (4.9/5)
Listen to “All I Need To Hear” (4.7/5)