On
The Rainbow Confection, California's
Holiday Flyer offers up a dozen songs of their sugary indie pop. The vocal camaraderie between
Katie Conley and
John Conley is immediately evident. Their harmony on the first track, "Three Times Might Be Nice," is instantly engaging. The band can best be described as a slightly poppier version of
Ida, although the third track, "Tore Myself," could easily be mistaken for an
Ida song. The mood is more festive on "This Town," complete with trombone by guest musician Ross Levine. The band wins fans over with their bare-bones instrumentation and heart-on-their-sleeve approach to songwriting. The songs are nothing if not contemplative. While regret and pain are major ingredients to the band's songs, like on "Things That Made You Blue," "Better There Than Here," and "Take Me Away," an overriding sense of optimism swells out of the music.
Verna Brock adds color to the music throughout on piano, cello, and flute.
The Rainbow Confection was recorded at Enharmonik Studios and was released on Silver Girl records in 1997. It was produced by
Eric Stenman.