Brothers
Joel and
Alex Morris and childhood mates
Ian Painter and Chris White formed the dream pop indie sounds of
Candidate in late 1998. Each had spent most of the late '90s listening to American slowcore bands, so they opted to give music a try.
Candidate recorded and released several demos on their own until landing a deal with the U.K. indie label Snowstorm in spring 1999. Several EPs -- Leader, Good Works, Take Over Tokyo -- followed.
Taking on the Enemy's Sound marked
Candidate's proper full-length debut in August 2000. NME was keen on the band; this was a critical moment for
Candidate.
Taking on the Enemy's Sound was self-released, self-financed, and self-produced, so any kind of high praise was golden. They had an eclectic spark similar to
Mercury Rev and
Grandaddy, so indie fans took notice.
Candidate's sophomore effort,
Tiger Flies, was issued in August 2002;
Nuada, which was inspired by
Paul Giovanni's music featured in the 1974 U.K. thriller The Wicker Man, followed in October. ~ MacKenzie Wilson