Like the movie it supports, the soundtrack to the Kids in the Hall's film debut
Brain Candy is an off-kilter, eclectic, wildly uneven but enjoyable collection. With the exception of three songs from the Kids in the Hall, the album is filled with some of the biggest names in '90s indie-rock, from
Pavement and
Stereolab to
Guided By Voices and
Pizzicato Five, with a couple of Canadian bands thrown in for good measure (after all,
the Kids are from Canada). Though
Brain Candy is far from consistent, the best moments on the album are wonderful and nearly all of the tracks are rare or previously unreleased. From the infectious pop of
Pavement's "Painted Soldiers" and
Matthew Sweet's "Happiness," to
Stereolab's gorgeous, layered "How to Play Your Internal Organs Overnight" and the glitzy disco revivalism of
Pizzicato Five,
Brain Candy has enough first-rate moments to justify its pruchase. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine