If I was to be sent to a desert island for the remainder of my stint here on Earth and was allowed just one album for company, this is the one I would choose, no question. There is something incredibly comforting about the thought of knowing that this would be the only music I could ever hear.
Standard Candle Demos was first released in November 2021 by Paisley Shirt Records as a companion piece to third Cindy album 1:2, and comprises home demos mostly recorded by Karina Gill alone, with occasional assistance from friend and Flowertown collaborator Mike Ramos. Since it’s initial release I have regularly returned to it and with each listen its stature has grown, to a point where I now consider it one of the most important parts of my entire music collection.
Some of these songs would be destined for this years Why Not Now? album and here, in their purest form, August and The Price Is Right in particular are epic in their starkness. Other tracks, such as Nothing To It and Standard Candle #2 are currently only available via these recordings, with every inch of their initial inspiration laid bare. The compilation only Thin As Flags is also featured here in a remarkable take that shines a light on Gill’s beautifully understated guitar work.
These songs in this form have become the soundtrack to the parts of my life that nobody else can see or understand, and they bring calmness and clarity when all I feel around me is chaos. If I’m too excited to sleep I reach for this album to bring me back to Earth. If I’m feeling low or lost I reach for this album to help me find my centre. Whatever is happening in my life, I can always rely on these songs to guide me home.
The recordings are lo-fi and even more so than Cindy’s core catalogue require the fullest time and commitment of the listener. At times it feels as if the slightest breeze could blow these arrangements away completely, but in truth I often feel that way about myself too. There is power and beauty in vulnerability however, and this is truly some of the most powerful, beautiful music I have ever heard.
Out now via Paisley Shirt Records.
LISTEN/BUY/SHARE:
Vinyl edition via Sloth Mate Productions here.
UK exclusive order link here.
Further reading:
(Article originally posted June 26th 2023.)
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