Candy Carol

The NYC synth-pop band’s third album, 1991’s Candy Carol, twisted the band into sensual, psychedelic territory, utilizing all four members for a sound that was turning darker by the day. “Miss Melancholy” is appropriately titled, but it’s “Sunny Day” that was featured in The Silence of the Lambs. The album’s single, however, was the more accessible “Alice Everyday,” which just barely missed the Billboard Dance Club charts. While Book of Love never lost their immediacy, they did turn their sound more towards their art student beginnings than their club-hopping audience’s future. The sound is noticeably more somber while their own antics are increasingly mischievous. The title track allegedly uses a pre-programmed melody from a 30-dollar Casio keyboard to support the group’s impressive harmonies. “Orange Flip” praises a color of lipstick. The three keyboard attack makes for heavy texture, while the addition of studio guitars adds an extra edge. But times were also changing and the band’s glossy synth ways were clearly at odds with the growing industrialization of the alternative scene.