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If Thousands - Candice Recorder
MP3 Album 2000 (re-issued 2014) | Silber 158
12 tracks, 68 minutes
$5 (download only (320 kbps, ~131 megs))
Minimalist drone, aggressive ambient, electro-acoustic, organic, whatever you call it to describe it doesn't change this from being a great record.
~ Brian John Mitchell, QRD

If Thousands classic first album.  Somewhere between ambient, drone, avant jazz, shoegaze, & experimental noise is where Candice Recorder record lies.  Probably their darkest album & a must listen for fans of bands like Coil & Goblin.

: Press Release
: Digital Booklet
: Listen on Spotify
: Listen on Bandcamp

 Track Listing:
things in symbols
with a voice as big as a tree
last noise in 3 pt 1
atrocious
candice recorder
last noise in 3 pt 2
paint the night
i can close my eyes for you
last noise in 3 pt 3
you were found under water
kasio
secret bonus track
Reviews:
Candice Recorder is the sound of meditation. Full of ease If Thousands uses repetition to lull the listener into a comfortable place. Kept to the absolute basics this is ambient music unadorned. Guitar, a few samples carefully woven in, and the occasional surprise (strings, drums) make up all of it. Dreamy in tone the songs appear to lift themselves up towards the sky. Melodies shimmer half-remembered simply lingering long after they have passed. Song length works in their favor too: these are songs that require incredible patience in order to see their true beauty.
“things in symbols” begins with a gently chiming guitar immersing itself into a giant sea of sound. Gradually the guitar finds itself thoroughly manipulated until its origins can no longer be determined and it becomes a drone. On “last noise in 3 pt 1” If Thousands are reminiscent of a more approachable early Stars of the Lid. By far the highlight of the collection is the title track. Possessing a sense of great loss the track decays slowly. Moving into more recognizable territory is the western twang of “paint the night”. With a wink to those champions of the slow Dirty Three is the tender “i can close my eyes for you”. Towards the end If Thousands moves into genuinely surreal territory with the infinite space of “kasio”. For the finale there is “secret bonus track” which plays backwards until it comes to a close.
Quietly beautiful Candice Recorder is an exquisite piece of work.
~ Beach Sloth

Plus a recent and simply adorable discovery - If Thousands!
Please give their carefully chosen works an attentive listening.
Definitely one of this year's best soundworlds!
Don't miss it !
~ Noise Admiration

US band IF THOUSANDS was formed back in 2000, and have since it’s inception explored the universe of ambient music, soundscapes and, from what I read, with occasional forays into more of a post-rock oriented expression at times too. “Candice Recorder” is their debut album, initially released on a label called Sursumcorda in 2001, and then reissued through US label Silber Records in 2014.
Ambient music can be a lot of different things, from field recordings with subtle additional instrumentation added to gentle noisescapes as the arguably most extreme styles found within this general context, and various kinds of more or less new age oriented elevator music wil probably be the most widespread and well known direction inside this specific take on music. If Thousands is among the bands that thankfully shies just about as far away from the latter kind as it is possible to get, and while their escapades may be easy on the ears and the mind at times it is for far different reasons than the relative torture of the dreaded elevator music and the equally dreaded new age drenched ventures.
A common denominator for all of the creations included on this album is that they tend to be rather dark in mood and atmosphere. This due to the fairly constant presence of a dark drone, fairly often produced by either organ or cello I suspect, that is a constant presence as a hovering presence, as a slowly fluctuating texture or, in some cases, as more of an ominous undercurrent that with some additional sound flavorings produce more of a machine-like dystopian atmosphere. At times with a stronger impact with additional dark drone- or noisescapes giving this aspect of the compositions a stronger feel and presence.
Upon this foundation we are, roughly and generally speaking, treated to two different kinds of end results. The most broadly appealing of these, to my perception at least, are the ones where a delicate guitar is added to the proceedings. Plucked, wandering and mainly light toned guitar motifs, often developed into producing an echoing effect on the individual notes, typically subsiding in intensity and presence as the track develops, with various electronic sounding effects, ethereal careful surges and occasionally rhythm details as well added to provide additional but subtle variation. Somewhat more challenging are the creations one might describe as soundscapes or noisescapes, revolving around the main drone, effects, additional surging sound textures and noise effects, perhaps mainly because these tend to be darker in overall mood and spirit, from dystopian oriented gentle noisescapes to more cosmic oriented slow paced affairs with subtly more of a melodic focus.
What all of these creations share is that they are ambient and minimalistic. The pace is sedate, the sounds by and large unobtrusive and careful, the general scope is one focused on the minimalistic and sparse. Generally pleasant sounding too I should add, at least if you have an affection for music, sounds and atmospheres generally dark and brooding in nature. And fairly often If Thousands manage to create that hypnotic, engaging nature one does get from higher quality ambient music as well. In short: If dark, ambient minimalistic soundscapes is something you tend to enjoy, this is an album worth giving a spin.
~ Olav Martin Bjørnsen, House of Prog

Wow.  This is really good.  I really like this band.  Minimalist drone, aggressive ambient, electro-acoustic, organic, whatever you call it to describe it doesn't change this from being a great record.  These are all instrumentals & all great.  I want to listen to this album while driving through Nebraska.  Very soothing built from guitars & synthesizers with very little percussion.  Anyone who likes pieces better than songs should buy this.  Here's the timeline path where I think this record finds its place (1) Sonic Youth – Confusion is Sex (2) My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (3) lovesliescrushing – bloweyelashwish (4) If Thousands – Candice Recorder.  I know it's shocking to hear me say this, but this band probably beats out The Bodylovers.
~ Brian John Mitchell, QRD