With rare exception, few new-wave artists enjoyed much of a career outside of a one-hit wonder. Candy-O proves the Cars were anything but. It’s loaded with minimalist atmospherics, pulsing bass lines, catchy refrains, and labyrinthine synthesizers that stick in your mind for days. And while retaining a simplicity that’s a Cars hallmark, the album also takes myriad stylistic detours: the glam-rock accents of “Dangerous Type,” a song whose title references the record’s mysterious and lusty matter; the percolating riffs of the contagious title track; the dizzying garage-rock nature of the upbeat “Got a Lot on My Mind,” complete with a tooting Farfisa organ. Nothing drags or feels out of place.

Through it all, vocalists Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek keep their heads about themselves, singing in direct albeit detached tones that convey the tension, excitement, and risky promise inherent in the lyrics. Hook-laced choruses abound. Yet all is not what it seems. As critic Robert Christgau wrote: "Cold and thin, shiny and hypnotic, it's what [the Cars] do best--rock and roll that is definitely pop without a hint of cuteness.”

Mastered from the original analog tapes and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 33RPM LP brings the Cars’ distinctive melodies and exotic arrangements to the fore. Roy Thomas Baker’s vocal production shines, with each member’s contributions rescued from a cold sonic murk. Once you hear the newly uncovered dynamics and rich textures, you’ll be wondering where they were all of these years.