Candy Shop
By Jake Vigliotti
February 11, 2004
This Just in.... Peter Griesar can put together a song.
Candy Shop is the latest release from Griesar, following up his fantastic Superfastgo. Superfastgo was a bit more slick, but the 'lack of slick' doesn't take anything away from Candy Shop.
The trademark for Griesar is his ability to take different styles of music, mix them together, and make it all work. Techno, Reggae, a dash of 80's, and Alternative fuse together in this perfect presentation.
Griesar performs most of the instruments on Candy Shop, using some well placed backup singers along the way (Nikki Simon's vocals on Let's Go (Find A Way) remix perfectly match Griesar's). The album is a narrative, and a powerful one at that. From the alure of drugs, the 'candy' in Find A Way; to the Empty Chair of withdrawal; the lamenting Life Goes On; the bitterness of How I Work, Candy Shop is a complete album, a la DMB's Before These Crowded Streets. The music is a journey, a personal, painful, and fulfilling journey.
Superfastgo established Griesar's gift of mixing different styles of music together to form a fluid project. Right off the bat, the first track, Find A Way rips a bass groove. OK, so, what kind of song will it be? No clue! In come the drums. OK, it's a bit funky, not what I was thinking... Guitar next. Wow. Not what I was thinking at all. That's what Griesar does. He throws curveballs in his presentation, and you're more than happy to watch 'em go by. You come off of the Let's Go (Find A Way) remix and you think it's going to be a Whitney Houston song coming up next. Just like with the first Find A Way, Empty Chair changes immediately, and yep... another curveball.
It's the musical styles that show his skill in storytelling. It's not just a catchy lead to this review: Peter Griesar sculpts songs. You don't even need the lyrics; the music stands alone to tell the story, and set the ever changing moods. Techno, Reggae, slow and trippy, really trippy, and so on. In How I Work, Peter sings, "you get all my parts but miss the whole thing". As great as Superfastgo was (individually), this album, as a whole, surpasses it.
Candy Shop is available via
CD or MP3 download now.
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