"Five For Friday" with DJ Candy Durant

Based in Charlotte North Carolina DJ Candy is quite active in the shoegaze, dark wave, electronic & dream pop scenes. Be it spinning records at a local gig, broadcasting her "Carousel" podcast or making music with her synthpop project Tenderlash, Candy is always creating and showing support for the music she loves. Check out her picks for this weeks "Five For Friday" feature but first enjoy the video for Tenderlash "Mourning At Midnight".

CURL – THIS IS NO ORDINARY LIFE

This is a band out of France I can't get enough of. On their new album, Exit Real Life, this track in particular stands out to me. The vocals are a mix between Garbage's Shirley Manson and Kelli Ali from The Sneaker Pimps - sexy and sweet at the same time. And, the guitars are unstoppable, pulsing, amazing. I've been playing this one over and over.

THE FOREIGN RESORT – FLUSHED

I would be surprised if I am the first person to pick this song for a “Five For Friday” I have to say New Frontiers has been one of my favorite albums of the past year. I am not sure I will ever tire of it. This track in particular is just the right mix of post-punk and newwave for me. I can hear that influence from The Chameleons, The Cure and many others yet it maintains its originality. The vocal melody in the chorus has an anthem-like quality I rather like. A great track. These Danes can rock.

SOFT METALS – NO TURNING BACK

I'm a sucker for some electronic music that can blend cold and warm sounds, and Soft Metals, currently based in Portland, always fits the bill. They are able to convey a dark and melancholic undertone while still keeping it delicate and poppy. On this track, I particularly like the melody and lyrics. Lush and velvety. It's very feminine, and very much to my taste. I wish I wrote it :-) ASH CODE – DRY YOUR EYES

This is a relatively new band out of Italy that has caught my attention lately. At some point, I was craving more stuff like The Soft Moon and Cold Cave and this band has fulfilled my need and added their own Italian new wave twist. They have a debut album out called “Oblivion” and so far I'm impressed. I look forward to seeing where they go from here.

ACTORS – JACKNIFE

This is a newer song from this band from Vancouver, Canada, but I could have easily written about any one of their songs. I have been enchanted by the Bowie-esque quality of the vocals on this track and in some of their other work. There's a bit of a New Romantic Era throwback in their style and attitude and it's blended perfectly with a traditional post punk flavor. I can't wait to hear the next track from this band.