Candypants

  • Candypants
  • Candypants (Sympathy for the Record Industry) 2000 

Possessing a delightfully filthy mind, a voice often compared to Ronnie Spector and wordplay skills rivalling those of Ron Mael and Stephin Merritt, Candypants frontwoman Lisa Jenio is quite the package. On the band’s debut album, Jenio — whose résumé includes playing flute for the Negro Problem as well as editing and writing for the skin mag Barely Legal — leads Candypants through 15 hook-laden songs recalling Plastic Letters-era Blondie, all featuring her cleverly skewed takes on such topics as clueless males (“Monkey Boy”), spoiled children (“I Want a Pony”), older men on the prowl for younger women (“Cherry Picker”), women on the prowl for any man (“Dishy”) and sex (just about every song). Candypants is a smart, energetic and hysterically funny album. Fans of Blondie, Sparks and Fountains of Wayne will find much to like here.

[Brad Reno]