Candidate Presents Oxengate (Album)

Moving away from the 'folkatronica' style which dominated their last few albums, Candidate have embraced a more traditional, pared-down approach for their latest offering, Oxengate. With a nod to classic folk bands of the 60s and 70s, such as Pentangle and Fairport Convention, even the cover design looks authentically retro. An epic album – 15 tracks in total – it kicks off with an arrestingly unusual a capella-humming intro, which then launches into the hauntingly atmospheric ballad, Furlough. Whilst every song has unquestionable merit, there are no real stand-out 'catchy' tracks. Instead, this inventive 3-piece (with contributions from friends and family) have conjured a striking overall composition that really needs to be listened to in its entirety to be fully appreciated.

Apparently composed and partly recorded in a country cottage, you can almost smell the woodsmoke through the finger-picking and melodious 3-part harmonies. Many of the songs refer to an unspecific 'we' which seems to imply some kind of narrative arc is intended, but if there is one, I couldn't find it. In Oxengate, Candidate have delivered an impressively authentic-sounding set of traditionally-rooted new English folk songs, sprinkled with their own distinctively contemporary sound. Wider musical influences are discernible throughout – bluegrass (Going Back to Amsterdam), country (The Everlasting Arm) gospel (Cast Into the Storm), klezmer (On Every Stone) and even classical, with a soothing piano intro (from Jason Hazeley of Ben & Jason fame), on the final track. Short instrumentals (apparently improvised in a field) intersperse the songs, cleansing the musical palate, and nicely rounding off what turns out to be an infectiously quirky and surprisingly eclectic album.