Candidate

In late 1998 the dream pop indie outfit Candidate came together when brothers Joel and Alex Morris joined forces with their childhood friends Ian Painter and Chris White. Having devoted much of the late ’90s to American slowcore acts, the four decided to try their own hand at making music. They self-recorded and self-released a handful of demos before securing a contract with the U.K. indie imprint Snowstorm in spring 1999, after which the EPs Leader, Good Works, and Take Over Tokyo appeared in quick succession. The band’s first proper album, Taking on the Enemy’s Sound, arrived in August 2000 as a wholly self-released, self-financed, and self-produced affair; at that juncture, NME’s enthusiastic endorsement proved especially vital. The record’s eclectic spirit, reminiscent of Mercury Rev and Grandaddy, quickly drew the attention of indie listeners. Two years later the group returned with its sophomore release, Tiger Flies, issued in August 2002, followed in October by Nuada, an album shaped by Paul Giovanni’s score for the 1974 U.K. thriller The Wicker Man.