Disappointed By Candy

Collaborative instrumentalists Gabe Ruschival and Jeremy Lutito are no strangers to their native Nashville's music scene. Supporting local up-and-comers like Brooke Waggoner is par for the course. But national exposure is no more foreign- whether appearing on Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman's solo EPs, or taking their posts in the touring band for Jars of Clay- the duo have lent their talents to some of music's best acts. So what do a pair of classically trained percussionists do with the tunes in their head when not backing others? They put out their own music- full of various inspirations, otherworldly tones, and nuanced experimentalism.

With an odd moniker that smacks of 'inside joke'- Disappointed By Candy arrives to a musical arena flavored by either the overtly saccharine, or the dark and sulky. Perhaps intentionally, Candy's self-titled album comes off bittersweet. Soaking through the layered samples and lo-fi guitar crunch are a peculiar collection of pensive minimalism, followed by epic swells and toe-tap-inducing drum fills. It's a strange-tasting Candy indeed- swinging both tonally and lyrically from lament to the best of modern hipster explorative grooves. The pair obviously takes their approach from collective percussive experience, as each beat provides a deeply layered backdrop from which the melodious compositions flow. There's a constant depth of the sound, with Ruschival's subdued vocals often getting lost within the ambience.