Through the misty haze of acoustic guitars and synthetic melodies that seem almost divine in nature, we find AV Super Sunshine’s signature grooves at the onset of “Candyland (Dance Party Mix),” one of two versions of a track that has been catching fire this October with fans on both sides of the Atlantic. As most of AV’s diehard followers already know, the last couple of years have been particularly successful for the lauded songwriter and pop experimentalist, with the record Candyland, Vol. 1 enjoying a very warm reception from critics and sparking mainstream interest in his original, all-independent sound. “Candyland,” in both its rock mix and radio/dance party mix, is an incredible addition to an already sterling body of work by this highly respected, though quite enigmatic, master of pop melodies, and I think that even those who hadn’t understood his music in the past would be wise to give this a spin. In AV, we have an artist that is constantly evolving, and with his own personal growth we find a style of play in this new single that is maturing just as well as he has in recent years.
URL: https://www.avsupersunshine.com/
Compared to the rock mix, the radio cut of “Candyland” is a lot more efficient and showcases AV’s skillful command of harmony. The instrumental virtuosities are no stronger than the vocal showmanship is in this version, while in the rock edit the wallop of guitar and drum destruction feels a little more imposing and, quite frankly, limiting for the otherwise powerful vocal track. There’s a lot to be enjoyed in both of these mixes, but if you tend to lean more towards the more avant-garde entries in AV Super Sunshine’s discography, I think that the dance party mix is going to do more for you than the rock mix will. There’s not a lot of clutter in either of these recordings, and I particularly like the fact that AV avoided the temptation to overproduce the radio edit with a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles. He’s been known for his lean and mean approach to songcraft for years now, but this has got to be some of his best handiwork yet.
S – https://soundcloud.com/avsupersun-justlikekurt/sets/candyland-radio-rock-mixes
If you were hoping for another genre-bender out of the critically acclaimed AV Super Sunshine this fall, you’re not going to be disappointed with what he’s got lined up for us in “Candyland.” There aren’t a lot of performers who are willing to try the eccentric techniques that this guy and his collaborators are, but instead of constantly coming across like a self-righteous experimentalist with little to no interest in making something palatable to the masses, AV is regularly regarded as one of the most self-aware and anti-egomaniacal players in his genre – for good reason, I might add.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/avsupersunshine/
He puts a trademark stamp on the grooves in both mixes of this song that fans are going to immediately recognize from the fiery swing of his past releases, and even if you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing his work before now, I would definitely recommend checking this out before the year expires.
Gwen Waggoner
