Candice Gordon: Before The Sunset Ends

Shane MacGowan’s voice might be mostly shot to hell, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his ears. From the first verse of the opening title-track of this debut EP, produced by the legendary Pogues frontman, it’s obvious that the sultry-voiced Candice Gordon has something really special to offer.
Driven by foreboding New Orleans-style voodoo rhythms, it’s the greatest song never to feature on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. ‘Let’s start a fire and it will lighten all your misery/ They say that it’s the poison, that it will do it to you, unfortunately/ Before the
sunset ends...’
It gets better. In fact, each of the six songs featured here demonstrate the Berlin-based Gordon to be one of the most bewitching new Irish female vocalists in years. Drawing her inspiration from dark gothic fairytales, the singer explores themes of death, demons, bad relationships and daylight nightmares, all underpinned with Beat-style blues/ jazz rhythms and a swelling horn section. ‘God, The Devil & Me’ features Mexican trumpets from hell: ‘You know you’ve got a problem/ When you can’t tell when you’re sleeping.’
On the brilliant ‘Fairytale Of Love & Betrayal’ she angrily sings, ‘Someone’s been eating my porridge/ And someone’s been in my bed/ Someone’s been fucking my boyfriend… off with his head!’
A more excitable music writer might say that she’s possessed of a voice like poisoned black molasses trickling down the side of a jewel encrusted gold goblet held in the gnarly claw of Beelzebub himself (that’s a good thing, by the way). This one will simply say that Gordon occupies a unique space of her own, formidably filed somewhere between PJ Harvey and Janis Joplin. Definitely a talent to watch.

Key Track: 'In My Garden'