The Wet Secrets - Free Candy

Das aus dem kanadischen Edmonton stammende Quintett The Wet Secrets betitelt sich selbst als "Rock and Roll Dance Band" und beschreibt die Musik, die sie spielen als "the kind of music you could expect to hear if The Stranglers piggybacked Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass through the Rose Parade". Passend dazu treten Lyle Bell (Bass, Gesang), Trevor Anderson (Schlagzeug, Gesang), Kim Rackel (Trompete, Tuba, Gesang), Emma Frazier (Posaune, Gesang) und Paul Arnusch (Keyboard, Congas, Gesang) bei Konzerten in den Uniformen einer Marschkapelle auf.

"Free Candy" ist ihr drittes Album, auf das ihre Fans 7 Jahre warten mussten, da die Mitglieder von The Wet Secrets auch in andere Band verstrickt sind. Die elf Titel auf "Free Candy" werden von spooky Orgel-Klängen, wummerndem Bassspiel und mehrstimmigem Gesang geprägt und klingen als hätten The B-52's einen Horror-B-Movie vertont. Als Anspieltipp sei das humorige Vampir-Video zu "Nightlife" empfohlen:  

Driven by Bell’s acrobatic bass lines and soaring yelps, tunes like the pulsing opener “Maybe We’ll Make a Plan” and the self-conscious party anthem “Nightlife” showcase an effortless flair for melodic hooks and danceable grooves. Even seemingly one-dimensional offerings like “Get Your Shit Together” and “Animals in Disguise” at least provide more good dumb fun. It’s not all so lighthearted, however: “What’s the Fucking Point? (Zenko’s Theme)” mourns the death of a friend, albeit with a heavy dose of gallows humour and cheery horn lines. Evidently, The Wet Secrets can find a silver lining in pretty much anything.
(The Grid)

How’s this for a little Can-connection? For the music video for second single, "Nightlife", Canadian indie troupe The Wet Secrets employed Joe Flaherty to revisit his SCTV character, Count Floyd. In the hilarious video, Flaherty shows how much the world has changed for an old vampire. He even takes a bite out of a Robert Pattinson stand-in.

This should give you an idea of the Wet Secrets’ brand of quirk, which they play up to great effect on third full-length Free Candy. After a five-year break (where Lyle Bell kept up with his other band, Shout Out Out Out), the five-piece goes wild on material both new and some salvaged from an unsuccessful recording session in 2009. The result is a bass-heavy party album, delightfully played live in full matching marching band regalia.
(New Canadian Music)