Fort Collins-based dream pop band Candy Claws, played Larimer Lounge last Thursday alongside Santa Barbara indie rockers Gardens & Villa and Denver electro pop duo, FLASHLIGHTS to an amiable crowd who turned an otherwise quiet night into a blissful dance party. Candy Claws’ conceptual indie pop has recently struck a chord with various music publications and critics, including Pitchfork, as fresh and ambitious. Founding member Ryan discussed the band’s experience at SXSW with PopWreckoning, and explained the intent behind “Candy Claws in Dreamland,” a series of “documentary vignettes about nature,” that the band is releasing weekly. 
Brianna Hernandez, PopWreckoning: Where does the name “Candy Claws” stem from?
Ryan, Candy Claws: The name Candy Claws sets up a vivid contrast – sharp danger with sweet innocence. There’s not much of a story behind it, just two words that sound cool together. It also rings of Christmastime.
PW: How did you come up with the idea for the “Dreamland” series? Did you approach Pitchfork about featuring them or did they come to you?
CC: Whenever we’re trying out new sounds for an album, we like to put them to video to help get the right feel. This time, we figured we’d make it a weekly thing, and let everyone hear and see what we’re up to. We live right next to the mountains, so beautiful footage is just a car ride away. Our wonderful publicist and label guys worked their magic with Pitchfork.
PW: Explain your creative process.
CC: We think of our theme first. It was the sea, then the forest, and next will be the Mesozoic Era. That helps to give a specific direction for the sounds and arrangements. We work on chords and melodies next, recording everything as we write. Lyrics come very last.
PW: You are largely inspired by nature. What else inspires your music and writing?
CC: Science and the scientific mindset. The world is incredibly beautiful, bizarre, and enthralling the closer you look at it, the further back you step. Thinking about deep time and the far future. Carl Sagan. The cosmos. Evolution. Burt Bacharach, George Gershwin, Tchaikovsky. Golden Guides.
PW: What made you want to record Christmas songs?
CC: Some of the best songs ever are Christmas songs. They have the perfect balance of sweetness and melancholy, some very clever chord changes, exciting dream pop instrumentation – sleigh bells, etc. It seemed worthwhile to add to the canon.
PW: What is it like performing with your close friends? Do they get to weigh in on the creative process? Do you ever have any disagreements?
CC: It works, for the most part. It just Kay and I making all the creative decisions on the records, so when the time comes for everyone to learn the songs for the live set the parts are already there.
PW: Your previous work has been inspired by “The Sea Around Us” by Rachel Carson and “Secret Life of the Forest” by Richard M. Ketchum? How did you get into Carson and Ketchum?
CC: I found Rachel Carson’s “The Sea Around Us” at my grandparents’ house, and fell in love at once. They have an extensive collection of really great, old science books. I love to visit and poke around for new material. Lots of Sagan, Attenborough, etc. Kay found Richard Ketchum’s “The Secret Life of the Forest” at a used bookstore in town. The illustrations were what convinced us to buy it, and when we read through it the words were just as inspiring.
PW: You performed at SXSW for a second year in a row this year. What was your experience like?
CC: SXSW was a blast. It was a special time because SXSW 2010 was our first time out on the road, so this year was sort of an anniversary for us. It’s our favorite fest to play, by far. It was hot and chaotic, and all the people and bands we’ve been in touch with over the year were all there in one place. We played seven shows in four days, and some of us were in the first annual SXSW fashion show. So fun!
PW: What does the remainder of 2011 have in store for you?
CC: We’re hoping to tour Europe in July, continue the Dreamland series, and make a new album. Fingers crossed!
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You can check out Candy Claws’ new video series here and download an mp3 of their song “Snowdrift Wish” below.
. “Snowdrift Wish”
