Caribou - Swim

really anticipating this record// met a few people this weekend who played horns on this release//and they hadn't even heard it yet.

Odessa is the jam.

It's an awesome album.

ARGH DON'T PEOPLE HAVE HEARD IT YET

I WANT TO HEAR IT I WANT TO HEAR IT

I'll be good to you, toby. I'll treat you fine.

I'll be good to you, toby. I'll treat you fine.

http://www.batmancomic.info/gen/20100209035747_4b714dbb5d831.jpg

Sorry!

Title of this YouTube video made me LOL (it came up as similar to the "Odessa" video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdTdp7Ep6AM

I hate how half the animals that exist automatically make me think of indie rock bands
it can't be unhealthy

it can't be healthy*

anyway really looking forward to hearing this

Is...is that what I think it is 13 seconds into the "Odessa" video?

The head of an engorged penis? Certainly looks like it.

It looks more like an artistic statement to me.

it's a hoodie clad female, you can see bits of hair...

Its definitely the girl with a pink hoodie on, walking around in the snow. You can see her shoulders too.

it's a baby's arm holding an apple, obv

OH MAN I WANT TO HEAR THIS RECORD SO MUCH

OH MAN I'M HEARING THIS RECORD

Is it good? I like Odessa

Worth the wait?

What's the verdict?

Damn it Sciko, you fucking tease - what's the story?? (you overdid wanting to hear it so bad so now you hear it? or does it involve a promo copy?)

"Odessa"'s really infectious.

NEED MORE LISTENS

That doesn't sound unconditionally positive.

In fact, that's kind of worrying.

I've only got a shorty stream rip, and I've only had about 2 (very) fractured listens to it so far; not got all the way through it, not been able to listen properly.

Shitty not shorty.

This is good so far. Is that an Alice Coltrane sample I spot on "Bowls"?

musically great, not sure about the vocal effects or how they recorded the vocals or whatever

"Jamelia" is fucking incredible. The best album closer I've heard this year (well, at least as good as that Titus Andronicus one, Jordan!).

how does it compare to his previous album closer, the staggering 'Niobe'

It's not epic in length like the longer "Niobe" (it clocks in at under four minutes) but it does feel pretty epic, especially the last minute or so. Snaith samples vocals for it, or gets someone else to sing on it, but it's almost Burial-esque in how he uses the vocals, and there's a great release.

i look forward to hearing this. christ 2010 is going to be amazing

Yeah, it's a little more of a dance record than Andorra, but still not a flat-out dance record. Lots of dubstep-y beats and more danceable tracks, though.

Just found out it's Luke Lalonde from Born Ruffians doing his thang on "Jamelia." He really should sing on more rave-y dance songs. His voice is great for them.

Yeah, he also was on that lovely Four Tet remix of Melody Day

I know I'm biased, but I've been listening to this album so much the last couple of months, and I really think it's the best thing dan has ever done. Might glad people a couple of listens to get used to (it's definitely a change of direction from the last couple of albums), though. Definitely my album of theyear so far.

you can hear the james holden influence in this, that caribou talked about in interviews:

"I went through a big Holden phase last year, which is really nice, because it's been a while since I had been really excited by any electronic music. I guess the music I've been making has been reflective of me doing other things and listening to other things mostly. The idea of him making dance music that is almost on the brink of falling apart-- it's always building and falling apart-- he's just an amazing producer, technically. All of those things made me spend quite a lot of the last year listening to his music, I guess."

The video & song for Odessa are both awesome, im playing them all the time. Wow.

i thought parts of Andorra sounded kinda Holden-ish anyway, e.g. the last couple of tracks

whatever the single is for this, i assume 'odessa', is getting caned on the local radio's breakfast show. i'd jumped off this dude for a while after seeing a pretty bad live show but seems like he's coming good again.

This is gonna be Louis' favourite thing ever. It's like an infinite mutant ambient disco remix of Niobe.

Swim seems structured a lot like Andorra; Odessa is to Swim as Melody Day was to Andorra.

Natural / live instrument textures all gone, near enough. Electronic music on the edge of chaos, collapse. Still could only be Snaith. Pretty much jazz-free. Jamelia is indeed awesome.

Very happy with, need do nothing.

Does continue on from last 2 tracks of Andorra very much, as if they were a signpost.

Lots & lots of stereo movement, but subtle.

Kind of wish Jamelia's intro & outro were infinite.

Sun reminds me of that Alex James song on Parklife, only, like, amazing. And without the other planets.

Lots & lots of stereo movement, but subtle.

This makes me quite happy.

How are the vocals on this album?

I'm often kinda put off by Caribou vocals. Like, he's OK when he does impressionist washes of harmonies, but when he actually tries to sing, something about his voice grates.

I mean, quite typically (ha!) I'd prefer this if it had a better - and by better I mean female, really - singer.

That kind of toybox techno with wispy vocals is pretty much my favourite thing but I'd really rather something like Four Tet who seemed to get a decent singer and chopped them up to make them wispy and pretty and cut-up to go with the music.

Pretty much jazz free? There's a free-jazz quartet on it!

Yeah but they're hardly prominant.

Kate you'll still have issues with the vocals but I think this is the mist Kate-friendly Caribou record yet.

Hey, there aren't really any Caribou/Manitoba albums that aren't Kate friendly. There's just something that stops me from totally giving my heart to this artist and I've been trying to work out what it is.

I will probably pick this up. I usually do.

Does continue on from last 2 tracks of Andorra very much, as if they were a signpost.

― No, YOU'RE a disgusting savage (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 11 March 2010 06:50 (7 hours ago) Bookmark

ok fine, imma give this a try

i'm also gonna say this in every thread more or less: 2010 is INSANE

also can i just say that if the 2010 year-end polls are once more wall-to-wall pitchfork indie, dubstep bobbins, eurohouse remixes, r&b, hip-hop, and chartpop (all of which often amount to pretty much the same thing) then i will lose faith entirely. 2009 wasn't a great year for restless experimentation and variety, but this time you have NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER

oh look it has weird noises/drones/guitars in it FLEE lalala can't hear you, too busy listening to taylor swift

i haven't gotten mad on ilx about this because i'm tryina KIP, and i will try not to let this happen again, but fuck that shit hard; intolerant and narrow spheres of listening shouldn't be allowed to *completely* dominate ILM

That is the most nuts thing you have said in a long time, LJ.

I may have many complaints about EOY lists in general but your asessment is just o_0

i'm just pissed micachu missed out by like 1.5 points or whatever

Fever Ray was a massive and wondrous exception, rather than the rule, even if she did extremely well in both tracks and albums polls; I now expect The Knife's incredible new work to do just as well ;-)

Hey, that Miccachu album would have been on if I hadn't been banned so you can blame me and/or the SB system, not "intolerant and narrow spheres of listening" which is really an odd thing to lever at ILX asawhole.

forgive me, I get antsy when contemplating all the awesome underground stuff that gets largely ignored by the ILM canon, who are nonetheless eager to jump hard on any obscure remix if it's in the right microgenre or was suggested by the right poster

and there is a huge and excellent range of tastes here for sure, although not as huge and excellent as it sometimes fancies itself, although this is coming from someone who regards scott seward as having pretty much the ideal attitude to music

anyway back to caribou, SELL ME THIS RECORD MORE, NICK

I'll be the first person to criticise ILX, but I think there's a fairly large amount of projection in that asessment. x-post

Yeah, there are cliques gathered around certain genres with rolling threads, because guess what? People have tastes! But I think you'll find the average ILMer is a bit more fluid than you give them credit for.

You have your own microgenre, and I always see the same people popping up on the threads that you and I are both on so don't think that you're any kind of abberration to this phenomenon.

Yes, it's true that certain people are viewed as kind of taste-makers - especially if they get access to promos and hear things ahead of the rest of us schmucks. I know there are people whose opinions on music I trust, and if I see them raving about something, I'll check it out. But not because I'm jumping on a bandwagon, but because that person has been right in the past in terms of recommending things I like, or because their last.fm matches up really well with mine, or because - wow, I actually just listen to all kinds of things on ILX and I jump hardest on those things I really like!

There's probably a bit of projection, yeah, and I'm feeling a bit bad for having said all that. ILM IS fluid, greatly so compared to your average indie listener or whatever, and I admire the work ILX has done in the service of pop (it's certainly opened my eyes a lot), but I think this should be balanced with a greater appreciation of extreme or challenging use of sound.

However, I know it's not in everyone's taste to do so, and you can't force what people don't like, so yes, this is projection, and probably a sign that I'm something of a nutcase who should treasure his Kayo Dot and his Tomorrow, In A Year and let others find this stuff if they choose to.

My microgenre (Cardiacsy, I'm guessing) is only a tiny part of what I love, fwiw! And yeah, I use people for recommendations as much as anyone, but I use anyone who expresses their case well, not just a select few.

Odessa is awesome! :D

I think the songs on Andorra are better than these and some of the stereo panning mentioned by N1ck upthread actually annoys the fuck out of me. But still, this has some inspired, lovely moments and will certainly sound better in CD quality.

I'm loving this so far. What a surprise.

Have a 320 CD rip now though, which helps.

Louis you'll just piss yr pants, basically.

ok how do the other tracks relate to Odessa

LJ yr a good dude and it's good to see ppl enthusiastically repping the stuff they're into but calling other posters intolerant and impugning their motives for liking stuff is nagl imo fwiw.

yeah like i say it was just some rubbish i had to purge from my system at a quiet point like this rather than on a year-end thread - never again i promise altho ffs taylor swift now come on dudes ok NUFF

right this album

pretty good, will need more listens to digest

closing track and leave house seem to be the highlights - jamelia could stand to go on for quite a bit longer

Took me a handfull of listens (& a better bitrate than the 1st version) to get REALLY excited about it. But I'm there now.

Sun is a wicked psychedelic thing.

"Leave House" sounds like Arthur Russell.

Yeah, this is probably my favourite album of the year, along with Real Life Is No Cool.

It's weird how Lalibela all of a sudden becomes a Kaili reprise.

He's done that kind of reetition of themes across an album before.

Yeah, it's a v. pretty melody too. :)

just finished my first listen. the last three tracks stood out to me, though it all sounds real nice

More talk, please.

I wish I'd had more time to listen to this; but I've just started a new job and headphones at work aren't yet fully appropriate. Need to start walking to work more.

If you could surmise the USPs of his albums, what would the USP be of this one? Is this his disco record?

Wire has it under "Avant Rock"! Haven't read the review yet though. Listened to the album twice, on the train, while reading, so not really focussed listening. Some great textures.

Waiting to purchase on 4/20 and happy (EXCITED!!) to discuss at that point.

Yeah. Discussion of an album that isn't released yet and most of us haven't heard is a bit much to ask for.

This is beginning to fuck me off more and more on this board.

I'm also gagging to buy a physical copy; the cover is lush. So lush I may even plump for vinyl if there is a version. We already have Milk on vinyl purely for the purpose of hanging it on a wall in a frame.

Apologies for over-enthusiasm.

omg @ this on big serious headphones with stupid amplifier set-up. Fucking hellfire.

Please share with me.

I would like a plane ticket to the UK and a bus ticket to your house, please.

I just listened to this for the first time. I had this playing in the background and once "Bowls" kicked in, I had to pay more attention to it. What a sensational song! Like a twisted intro to "hell's bells" -- or "hell's bowls". whatever. The second half of this is really strong.

yep thats definitely a sample from the start of Journey in Satchidananda on Bowls. beautiful stuff and great album.

is it just me or does snaith look kind of like a handsome 70s movie star these days?
http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/caribou452.jpg

So I've given this a quick listen. If the big influence on Andorra was Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue", then "Swim" is, I dunno - something by Opus III or the Beloved or something? Definitely more 1992 in vibe than 1965.

Also a nice one to file next to the recent Four Tet. They seem to complement each other well.

and i absolutely love Snaith's idea of making music that sounds like it's made of water. what a great concept, and well executed too. endless delays that morph into other sounds. The new Autechre does this quite a bit, but more cavernously.

Out today in the UK. Even dog latin can't make me hate this. Sleeve is awesome at CD size; would like to see it at 12". Psychedelic!

This is a great, great album. I gave it 4.5 stars in a review that's to be published tomorrow.

Link when you can.

Free mix from Caribou over at Allez Allez

Tracklisting:

caribou - sun (sunapella)
phill & friends band - this man
alog - every word was once an animal (daphni mix)
caribou - odessa (david wrench's drumapella)
moodymann - dem young sconies
caribou - odessa (clubb mixx)
sofrito specials featuring l barrabas - tabou for the people (sofrito edit)
jackey beavers - mr. bump man (give me a hand) part 2 (theo parrish edit)
crash course in science - flying turns
unknown - egyptian wedding (luxor)
daphni - ahora
dj sprinkles - grand central, pt. i (deep into the bowel of house) (mcde bassline dub)
mr. fingers - slam dance
caribou - bowls (harpapella)
a number of names - sharevari
steve poindexter - short circuit (c64 bypass mix) (noleian reusse remix)
caribou - sun (jeremy's mix)
thomas mapfumo - shumba (daphni edit)
patten - version (test mixxx)
pazy and the black hippies - wa ho ha
billy stewart - cross my heart

even dog latin can't make me hate this

lol whut? i like this.

that mix looks excellent!

dj sprinkles - grand central, pt. i (deep into the bowel of house) (mcde bassline dub)

Eat yr heart out Tim!

Caribou + Sprinkles = insta-download

Here's the review I wrote of this, Nick.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4538990192_5e1df633a2_o.jpg

xp good review :)

First listen left a good impression, looking forward to getting acquainted with this. Gotta love those cow-bells rocking across your ears...the effect is almost *funny*.

^in Odessa, that is.

Nice piece.

Echoing same.

Good review, that. Additionally that mix for Allez Allez is *awesome*, thanks for linking on both counts.

Picked this up yesterday... played twice. My first impression (aside from it being really damn good) is that I really wish a few of the songs -- "Found Out" for example" -- were allowed to stretch out more. Feels too short!

i think i'm gonna remix 'sun' this weekend for that thing

My only issue with this album (and the Four Tet one too) is it could do with a little extra bass frequency. I realise, indie-dance/glo-fi/chillwave/folktronica/whatever isn't necessarily all about the booming sub bass, but sometimes all these competing mid and treble frequencies hurt my brane. Only sometimes though.

Although haven't tried:

omg @ this on big serious headphones with stupid amplifier set-up. Fucking hellfire.

...most of my listening is done on the train these days, so I'm gonna try it properly at home some time soon.

http://soundcloud.com/matthewmathieu/caribou-sun-matthew-mathieu-remix

my first remix of "sun" is above

jordan, we should do an ilx tag team remix

i'd be down for that. i'm going to do my remix this weekend.

So I'm the only one whose enjoyment of this album is entirely diminished by the excessive stereo panning and the inclusion of sax in Leave House?

There is no such thing as excessive stereo panning.

Weird, it gives me a headache.

i wouldn't mind remixing this - where are you guys getting the sample files? are there any?

http://www.caribou.fm/index.php/blog/entry/sun_remix_contest/

DL'd these a couple of weeks ago and forgot to do anything with, might have a go this weekend.

i did my remix today. i didn't want to spend too much time on it because i have my own stuff to work on, so i mostly left the synth parts alone and did new beats:

http://soundcloud.com/jordan1/sun-onlooker-remix

this is fantastic! i love the horn parts--they're pretty much wtf but TOTALLY work.

damn. don't have internets at home at the moment :-(

sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun

i don't really listen to a lot of electronic music, and the little stuff i have heard is whatever crosses over into the indie world

not really sure i like this yet. the last electronic record i really liked was last year's Fever Ray, and before that i think it was, like, Burial, Silent Shout, and From Here We Go Sublime

oh, i lied, i also bought Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 last year, and i really like that. probably a few other records here & there too

not sure what you're talking about

this record is pretty funky however. tighter than andorra

was just rambling about my limited knowledge of electronic music & noting that i'm not sure how i feel about this record

guess it depends on how you define electronic music but caribou generally feels v. organic to me.

yeah! it does. i just don't feel wired to "get" this stuff the way i feel wired to get indie or metal

\(O_o)/

Like anything you have to learn the language, understand the semantics, engage with a different set of emotional triggers. When I was 17 I had my mind absolutely squeegeed clean by In Sides by Orbital. I still feel like I'm "wired" more to "get" indie or whatever but only just.

ksh: I recommend reading through this feature for a decent intro to recent electronic stuff:

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1144

This is the site's Best 100 Albums of the Decade list. You'll notice there's plenty of indie-friendly electronic stuff peppered in here at different points (LCD, Knife, Avalanches, Daft Punk, Burial, Field, Hercules & LA, Boards of Canada, Hot Chip, Fever Ray, Prefuse, Rapture, Radiohead, Fennesz... the list goes on). If you dig a bit deeper, there's no doubt a ton of great music waiting to be discovered...

Sick Mouthy's suggestion is great, also. Get some '90s stuff when you have a chance -- Orbital's as good a place to start as any. You should be able to find most of their stuff pretty cheap in the used bins... not a knock on its quality, by any means.

thanks, ilxor! i actually went through that a little while ago and listened to some short clips on YouTube from a bunch of those songs, but that doesn't really count as actual, deep listening

electronic music is a singles-oriented genre a lot of the time, isn't it? dunno, it's just a huge wilderness of stuff i have so little knowledge of

actually think i might've bought In Sides once due to something S. Mouthy wrote for Stylus, but i don't think i really listened to it beyond, maybe, part of a track, which can happen when you buy a lot of music & aren't a disciplined listener. it piles up

It's no different than, say, metal being a wilderness when you listened to just indie rock. Or than indie rock being a wilderness when you were a nu-metal stan. Just take note of some of the albums mentioned, read about electronic stuff here and there on the side, watch a few ILM threads, then pick up an album here and there when you feel compelled. You will engage with some stuff, not so much with others... it just takes a bit of time and effort to branch out.

That said, you should buy In Sides again. It really is one of the best albums on the planet, fantastic from start to finish. One of the rare "double" albums that is completely without filler.

On the subject of Swim, I like it, but I'm not bowled over by it like some of his others; I ink it's the emotional coldness of a lot of it, especially after Andorra. But, you know, I got married the Saturday after this came out - divorce songs are t what I'm into right now!

But aesthetically it's awesome.

Guys, I forget if this has been posted, but NPR is streaming a full Caribou set from the current tour, lots of Swim material being plated... oh and did I mention, I am seeing these guys on Sunday?

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=126527798&m=126715996

played*

It wasn't too difficult for me to dive headfirst into metal late last year, because Metallica was my first favorite band, and I was into them years before I knew what indie rock was, and I'd also listened to a lot of nu-metal growing up. I didn't feel too out of place jumping into stuff like, Baroness, Torche, Isis, Burzum, or whatever.

With electronic music, I've heard almost nothing, and I have little context for it. That being said, as I've already noted, I have enjoyed stuff like The Field and Burial, especially.

But you're right--what you outline in your post is the best way to go about getting into a new, huge genre.

nick is swim about divorce or something?

I dunno, who pays attention to the lyrics on a great dance-psych record like Swim, anyway?

here's the lyric sheet:

sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun

I have enjoyed stuff like The Field and Burial

Another tip: watch for remixes that these fellas do for other artists, stuff they namecheck in interviews, stuff they throw into DJ mixes and sets. That's another really great way to branch out, once you've pegged a particular person you enjoy.

here's the lyric sheet:

sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun

Genuine LOL IRL @ this!

Odessa is about his friends getting divorced.

ah, did not know that.

ilxor: great idea, dude! i'll do that. actually, i'm gonna go look up Burial remixes right now

Once you play a remix, it certainly helps to check out the original song, of course.

definitely

Must confess that i really don't get Burial.

Do you like "Archangel"?

Don't know tracks individually offhand; I'll try and remember to check that out specifically this weekend.

Made easy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlEkvbRmfrA

Nick, I think you'd like "Archangel," at least. It's really more poppy & great.

I love Burial's s/t. Don't even know how far I made it into Untrue, but I think I got less halfway through and then just kept playing Archangel again and again. Not that I didn't want to hear the rest of it, but, I'm all over the place w/ my music listening. Need to go buy a copy of it again at some point.

Wish I hadn't run away from the Philly show...hopefully at least the tour cd will be available for mail order or somethng

I forgot off the top of my head which exact track it is, but there's a half-way (or just past half-way) point on Untrue when the album kind of flips and the clouds open up, so to speak, or perhaps more accurately the sun starts to rise after a dreary rainy night, and the album just gets really warm and comforting and beautiful. Not to say it's not beautiful throughout — it is — but like the last few tracks are almost, like, joyful.

I'm rambling, I know.

Awesome, rennavate. Really need to buy it.

any ilxors among the winners?

should've submitted a version of "Sun" that was just the original song w/ an extra track of me giving a hearty, bloodcurdling scream for the duration

or a black metal version w/ me shrieking "SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!"

or a black metal version w/ me shrieking "SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN 0)))! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN 0)))!"

fixed

Still loving this. Swim, that is, not ksh screaming.

:-)

I hate the vocals on this, they are completely ruining the album for me.

I think it's the third track, Kalili, where I really wonder what exactly possessed him to think that vocal line would in some way do, or that it added to the music, or anything.

This album has grown on me. I listened to it twice and thought it was just... overrated. Like, it was OK, but I didn't see what the fuss was about. But I put it on again yesterday and it was better than I remembered.

But then again, I have this experience with all Caribou/Manitoba stuff, don't I? It's shoved down my throat as THIS IS THE MOST AMAZINGLY KATE THING YOU WILL LOVE IT... and I get it, and it's just alright, so I'm disappointed. When if I'd allowed it to sneak up on me, I'd have probably loved it.

Yeah I always think his stuff is pleasant but just sort of... there, nice without really being particularly captivating or interesting. Like he's assembled all the right sort of sounds in the right places but there's a spark missing. I really like Sun though.

I think I'm with Matt about this album. I liked the album before this, but this one is kind of painful to hear in places due to the excessive higher-mids.

vocals are no worse than Hot Chip's for me - obv a better singer would elevate it. the depth and texture of sound here is greater than on One Life Stand so i prefer this to that even tho the latter is dancier.

I've come to the conclusion that Hot Chip irk me on the whole (save a few tracks)... I appreciate what they're trying to do and respect that Goddard is a good musician and not really a bad singer, but the result is usually no more than flimsy directionless indie-electro with no cojones.

Thing is Snaith is a very good singer - Andorra had some pretty stunning vocals on it. Here they're just a bit too reedy and obstreperous for me to really want to enqueue on a regular basis.

The difference is that the Hot Chip guys can actually sing in tune and hit the notes they're aiming for, even if they sound weedy in the process, Caribou sounds like he's straining painfully at times and the wonkiness of the music exacerbates this. There are tracks here where it sounds like he's completely unconcerned with it, which is okay in indie rock sometimes but hardly ever in meticulously produced electronica.

Maybe but the difference between Snaith and Taylor/Goddard as weedy/dreary singers is the same difference between them as producers I think ie they gain on one side to counter deficiency on the other.

Smaith's said that the reason he doesn't use more collaborators is insularity; he basically gets so tied up making the music hay he forgets to invite anyone else in to help. The success of the Lalonde track on this makes me wish he did so more often. Mainly I find Snaith's own vocals very easy to ignore, but good guests would definitely improve things no end.

Saying that, and despite my initial reaction, im finding it hard to make myself listen to this for sone reason. Unsure what.

I like this album too but, there's something keeping me from wholly embracing it. The sounds and arrangements are interesting and they whizz around your earspace in a way that's easy to be impressed by, but nevertheless it's not an inviting, moreish record. Snaith introduced this album as 'dance music made of water'; I hear more the copper pipes behind your bathtub.

Guest vocals + wider collaboration could work wonders, in fact based on how he expands each record's best ideas into each next one (Niobe, say, definitely prefigures Swim in a lot of ways) it could be a major possibility. Kish Kash, laptop style.

I like that he keeps it pretty close to his own ideas, myself. A collaborator or two is fine but this doesn't need to turn into, say, a Def Jam album with a guest collaborator on 3/4 of the tracks.

Still in my top 4-5 albums of this year!

yeah i like Lalonde's vocals on Jamelia and this should happen more. as usual would probably respond better to a woman's voice too.

sun

fwiw, i still can't get into this :-/

http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/anim-htm/images/4sun_t.gif

http://jp917.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/64e23e315b15d.jpg

"Leave House" sounds like Arthur Russell.
― The Magnificent Colin Firth (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 12 March 2010 17:20

I'm also hearing Arthur Russell in this.

dude on the final track sounds like Jim James if he were in an "i'm-not-very-confident" mode

^dope fuckin song anyway

it's doing my head in who Luke Lalonde's voice reminds me of

This record's probably the next one in my trash bin. Having trouble seeing what other people see in it.

what's the point in deleting mp3s? hard drive space is cheaper than water.

So when I'm scrolling through my iTunes library I won't be reminded of this record's existence!!!

Nah, I just don't keep around shit I dislike.

less is more, don't forget.

This record's probably the next one in my trash bin.

U KIDDIN, THIS IS TOP 3 OF 09 SHIT RIGHT HERE

(Seriously.)

Yeah, it's definitely top 10 for me this year — probably more like top 5 so far.

What aren't I hearing? Actually, what are you hearing? This isn't up there with LCD or Sleigh Bells for me, not by far. Already deleted it.

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/7782/52457890.jpg

Dude is doing an awesome live show at the moment; I love the album but the London show last night was 50 times better. Haters of post-AnCo/Hyperdub rave-up bliss for kids in flannel and big specs stay away maybe but everyone else should see him. "Sun" as the closer was just a perfect endless progression up and up and up and up and...when it finished I look around and everyone around me was just smiling. Kinda restored my faith in going to gigs, I'd started to feel jaded recently.

Saw them at Corsica Studios just before the album came out which was great but that show sounds like something else. Didn't go last night as I'm not a big fan of Heaven really. They're playing with Four Tet in November which seems ages away but I guess I should just get tickets already.

are you Dave Longstreth?

Yeah, Heaven is shit but then so are most venues in London.

xp - who me? No.

no, he of the useless chamber

haha, no. Was just listening to them when I picked the username..

yeah most places are shit but Heaven is shit and new to me (think the only time I've been there was for Panda Bear this year), feel like I want to try and limit my exposure to places while I can.

Thank you for mentioning Animal Collective and encapsulating why I don't like this.

Snaith's been doing his thing for 10 years or so. Nothing "post-AnCo" about it!

Yeah but if you hate post-AnCo you'll probably hate this as well. It's got the same faded approach to psychedelic colour, the same painstakingly-assembled-but-still-a-mess feel. Same shit singing.

the same painstakingly-assembled-but-still-a-mess feel

exactly why it is good.

Yeah but if you hate post-AnCo you'll probably hate this as well. It's got the same faded approach to psychedelic colour, the same painstakingly-assembled-but-still-a-mess feel. Same shit singing.

wrong

i don't know why ppl are missing the point--this is an awesome psych/dance mashup and feels like the album caribou was meant to make.

framing this album as "post anco" is a disservice to it tbqh

I wish it were possible to stop calling "this kind of music" Post-Anco. Okay, maybe a lot of these bands have been listening to Merriweather Post Pavilion, but blaming them for all the world's chillwave woes is a bit unfair, especially when this sound has existed in some shape or form for long before that album, not to mention that pre-MPP stuff also differs a fair bit from that sound.

it is totally possible. might as well call it post-disco inferno.

It's also of a piece with Snaith's previous work -- pretty easy to trace all the common threads between his stuff, if you've been a fan for a while. I can see how someone viewing Swim in light of post-AnCo/MPP would dislike it, but...

xps

My problem with this album is still that lack of bass frequency = not really a dance album. A few four on the floor beats does not necessarily make me want to move.

not to mention snaith's shit is, and always has been, considerably more intricate than anco/chillwave/we have a laptop and don't know what the fuck we're doing mushc

not sure about that. caribou is considerably more conventional than AC at least.

The reason people equate this album with Animal Collective is because their sound references (i.e. the Beach Boys, shoegaze and early rave) are drawn from the same sources.

more because they're just lazy fuckers tbh

That too. Saying shit sounds like Animal Collective is the new "sounds like Kraftwerk" or something.

I'm not sure they sound particularly similar, they just draw from similar inspiration, and I don't like either. The feel is the same even when the music is different.

i don't agree with that at all, and i'm not a big fan of either of their most recent records.

this album's awful y'all

sun's out today so i'd totally be up for some really dope song about the sun but there isn't one on this record so instead I have the new LCD Soundsystem on, which indeed does rule

lame!

You srsly have those two albums mixed up. LCD album's nowhere near their impeccable debut and decent follow-up, while Swim is on par with the best stuff that Snaith's done in recent years.

Caribou record is an unfun slog imo -- LCD record is fun as hell

Up in Flames > LCD Soundsystem (self-titled) > Swim = Andorra >>> Sound of Silver > The Milk of Human Kindness > Start Breaking My Heart >>>>> This Is Happening.

dude

have to say i don't like the soft synth sound on this album as much as his previous live instrument stuff. i bet the next one will be dope though.

that's funny because it doesn't sound v. synthy to me--sounds like a bunch of weird live instrument samples running all over each other.

What the fuck all do Caribou and LCD Soundsystem have to do with one another?

It's like... what would you prefer? Sunny D-lite or lukewarm piss served in a cup of dogshit?

great point

sunny d is pretty gross imo

Caribou being of course, Sunny D-Lite. You know. Not quite orange juice, not quite soda pop, but if you're dying of thirst on a hot day, it's pleasant enough.

itt inane comparisons

glad you pointed that out

Sensible comparisons ie dance-not-dance bedroom listening: Black Love > Pawel > There Is Love In You >>>>> Swim.

i think this album is just fine, snaith comes up with some catchy ass melodies. some of the construction and pacing is a little half-assed tho

The Afghan Whigs made a dance-not-dance bedroom listening album??

That's news to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwnAPbgvz-U

xp

That Afghan Whigs album is admittedly better than anything being discussed here.

Now we're talking.

I thought it was decent enough - nothing too overwhelming.

I threw in the "post-AnCo" thing because the Merriweather Post Pavilion and Swim live shows channel the same vibe for me. Maybe Snaith would have ended up in the same place regardless (given that he hangs out with Four Tet etc.) but given the timing MPP is a very obvious prior reference point.

I don't think there's much commonality with the "lazy dude on a synth" chillwave stuff though.

I don't think there's much commonality with the "lazy dude on a synth" chillwave stuff though.

Yes, and thank fuck for this.

chillwave isn't nearly as bad as everyone says it is -- i would rather listen to Neon Indian than Swim

He's all yours!

wow, so some of the comments upthread are infuriating but this album is incredible. had no idea he was going this direction (i stopped paying attention with 'andorra') but more pls! excited to see him play with emeralds soon

and the tour-only mix he put out this year is pretty great too, based on this and the allez allez mix i definitely want to hear more of snaith-as-dj. he's always had quite an ear for samples i suppose

had no idea he was going this direction (i stopped paying attention with 'andorra')

You never really stopped paying attention, then, since Andorra came directly before Swim -- right?

Right. And the last two tracks on Andorra point directly towards Swim.

^_____^

http://0.tqn.com/d/space/1/0/Y/Q/sun_tour.jpg

sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun

:-D

I'm looking forward to seeing him live next week.

You never really stopped paying attention, then, since Andorra came directly before Swim -- right?

i stopped paying attention because i never listened to andorra, likely because i had no idea he was going this direction. that clear it up?

anyway, that tour-only thing seems to be all over the web and it's totally worth checking out

Andorra is a pretty awesome album, I go back and listen to that way more often than Up In Flames

Aye, I think Andorra might be his best. Though this is growing in my estimation all the time. Still have a lot of love for Milk Of Human Kindness too, more so than Up In Flames, which blew me away but is a bit too schizo and ADD to throw on anytime.

haha interesting, Up in Flames is my ultimate 'throw on anytime' album

Caribou remix of Brothers by Hot Chip is killing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=408swgx_xHs

I think I agree with the Captain, but I still think Up In Flames is their best. It was a revelation when it came out and it still knocks me out now. Been down with them since UIF and I love the current direction - it must have something to do with seeing them live last year, they are easily in my top five current favorites if not #1.

I remember seeing them open for Stereolab years ago and while it was good it didn't blow me away and the animal masks were irritating.

the allez allez mix and the tour mix rule.its kind of awesome (disheartening) when a musician is beating most djs at the dj game.

i've seen them quite a few times over the years and the live show has just got better and better, the current version of it is a proper rave-up, highly recommended if they're playing near you.

^^^OTM

^ Cosign. They've got John Schmersal from Enon as co-frontman all of a sudden.

I've seen Caribou on each tour since 2003 (Up in Flames, Human Kindness, Andorra) and I always go in thinking it's gonna be a snooze b/c I've seen them before, and then each show is incredible all over again.

The current lineup was incredible in Seoul when they visited in July.

So this Caribou Vibration Ensemble live album is pretty rad

i've seen them quite a few times over the years and the live show has just got better and better, the current version of it is a proper rave-up, highly recommended if they're playing near you.

― jabba hands, Thursday, 9 September 2010 11:03 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

^^^OTM

― seandalai, Thursday, 9 September 2010 11:38 (2 weeks ago)

^^ this! good show

no idea that was the dude from enon/brainiac! he did look kinda familiar...

Yes! CVE is fantastic! and it's got Marshall Allen!!

i just got around to listening to the CVE record and it really is something else.. especially the vocal arrangement of melody day

anyone watch the dvd yet?

There's no legitimate way to get this CVE thing without going to a show, right? Oh well...*sneaks off*

turn it up!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOAkz8Vl5iE

and get a friend to pick it up for ya

sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun

He's coming next Tuesday. Should I check it out? Tics are $15.

Saw Caribou + Arp live last night, fantastic as always. Think it was my fifth time? (I've caught the tours for Up in Flames, Milk of Human Kindness, Andorra, and now Swim... plus the ATP NY show/collaboration.) Setlist was basically all of Swim (maybe minus one track?) + "Melody Day" + "Every Time She Turns Round It's Her Birthday" + perhaps one older track that I'm forgetting. Arp was good, but his set suffered from a lack of any sort of volume...

Alfred, if you're big on Swim, go for it. Setlist was 80% Swim material and it comes across very well live. If you're going in the hopes he'll dig out more from the older records, I'd pass.

Not a big fan (I like Swim well enough) but down here $15 is cheap for this sort of show.

I paid $22 and I'm satisfied.

Who's the supporting act, um, wherever you are?

(Side note on Austin show, the promoters [or whoever] waayy overbooked the venue. Place holds 1,200 at capacity, there were *maybe* 400-500 people there. But it did make for lots of space to dance...)

Arp!

Probably not an indicator of what this current tour is like, but he played in Millennium Park over the summer and it sounded heavenly while I lazed on a picnic blanket.

Probably not an indicator of what this current tour is like, but he played in Millennium Park over the summer and it sounded heavenly while I lazed on a picnic blanket.

humph.
i am assuming that show was after my little stay in the area.
that youtube clip sounds gorgeous.

Caribou & Arp = Jealous.

i am assuming that show was after my little stay in the area.

Yes, you were here in June, right? The show was in mid-July.

glad to hear the excellence of MP continued throughout the summer.

Most of this album is just ok.. but OMFGWTF I just heard "Sun" for the first time the other day and it's probably my favorite song of 2010. Amazing.

Like fucking amazing.

caribou is a lot like animal collective

aesthetically speaking

and I hate it.

Sun doesn't really sound like animal collective at all.

Caribou sounds nothing like Animal Collective.
I'm sorry you hate well-made dance music

Your ears must be broken if you think they sound anything alike.

saw a baaaaad caribou show in '06ish, kinda turned me off dude for a while - i skipped the last record and only took a punt on this one after people i know saying it was so good - but this is excellent. especially the last track, might just be that it's a different singer but it hits some weird future-retro sound, really wasn't expecting that.

"Sun" reminds me of Boredoms, this song in particular, wonder if it was an inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGqZUksAcF0

Yeah, Sun is the standout jam for me on that record, although I really like the first track too - the one that seems to be the big single.

Leave House is my jam.

Odessa (1st track) stands out so much more than anything else on this album to me. One of my favorite songs of the year.

SUN OWNS

Most of this album is just ok.. but OMFGWTF I just heard "Sun" for the first time the other day and it's probably my favorite song of 2010. Amazing.

― billstevejim, Saturday, November 20, 2010 8:31 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

"Jamelia" is song of the year.

^bombastic and dope tune

I had a conversation with a friend a couple of years ago who said:
"Nobody ever got excited about stereo panning."
But this record got me pretty excited about it

^^^word

"Bowls" is my favourite headphones track of 1020.

Also of 2010.

I am seeing Caribou tonight in Bristol, amazingly for the first time.

"Odessa" and "Jamelia" and "Bowls" and "Leave House" are all super.. After a few recent listens, this is a great record overall. I shouldn't have said it's "just ok." Takin it back.. (although I think my favorite Caribou track is still "Melody Day").

I'm hearing "Sun" as a more relaxed, psychedelic, and chilled-out update on "Windowlicker" or something RDJ might have released around that time.. It gets me a lil nostalgic for 99-2000.. kinda sounding like random music heard on an old archived John Peel broadcast from around that time.. And the video is totally the type that would have been aired on a late 90's episode of AMP around 2:30AM. So trippy!

How unbelievably great is "Bowls"??

Like billstevejim I still love Melody Day better than anything else he's done.

Fucking love this guy and his band. Wonderful live.

Yeah I saw them two weeks ago. Very intense and beautiful.

This guy is my favourite music dude of the last ten years, I reckon.

I'm enjoying this, was tipped off to it by the tracks poll. Only problem is that his vocals aren't my cup of tea at all, and accordingly I like the tracks with little or no singing the best.

What about Jamelia, with Luke Lalonde singing?

That's the last track right? Yeah, thought that might be a different guy. It's a good one.

Think my favourite is Bowls, which if iirc is the only completely instrumental track.

saw their live, jamelia with John Schmersal was brilliant.

I think Theo Parrish when listening to Sun. No one likes Kaili? It's my favorite.

http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sun.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_06.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_07.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne006.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne020.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif

http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sun.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_06.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_07.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne006.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne020.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sun.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_06.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_07.gif

http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sun.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_06.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/gif_56_07.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne006.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne020.gif http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif
http://www.gifmania.co.nz/astronomy/sun/sonne010.gif

hahaha great!

Aerosol OTM!!! :D

Resident Advisor podcast today:

http://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=246

^^ some jams on there, some stuff kind of worthless tho? apparently a lot of it is original music created uniquely for the mix. i wasn't even aware that 'yes i know' was a separate track from the first, thought it was just a sample that floated in & out of it. i'm curious to hear what ppl thought of this podcast

Loved the Rough trade bonus live lp that came with that. Think I've listened to lp itself only a couple of times. Caribou Vibration Ensemble is great though, seems to share sprawling melodic near chaos with 1st 2 lp Mercury Rev with similar melodies.

Probably need to give lp proper another listen too.

doesn't seem to be much (any?) talk of the remix edition - most of these are dece (and i like this cover more too)

http://uclaradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/caribou-swim-remixes_featured_thumb1-300x300.jpg

1 Odessa (Junior Boys Mix)
2 Leave House (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
3 Sun (Altrice's 'Only What You Gave Me' Remix)
4 Jamelia (Gold Panda Remix)
5 Bowls (Holden Remix)
6 Kaili (Fuck Buttons Remix)
7 Leave House (Ikonika Remix)
8 Jamelia (DJ Koze's Alarmclock)
9 Bowls (Gavin Russom's Rework)
10 Odessa (Nite Jewel Remix)
11 Kaili (Walls Remix)

Annie Mac Minimix, quite diverting for about one listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WIbSq512dA

this album keeps on giving. can't wait for their set on our stage at Primavera this year. have a feeling it'll be pretty special.

this album is such a treat. the new video for jamelia has prompted me to listen to it again. kaili blowing my mind atm. those panning effects are just o_____O

jamelia video btw http://vimeo.com/20379388

noticing a lot of sax on this record, why didn't this one get the criticism kaputt got?

Que?

because rock critics love skronky free jazz sax

New track from Caribou alter ego Daphni:

http://soundcloud.com/caribouband/daphni-ye-ye

It's alright, I suppose. May be a grower.

Altrice has now "re-imagined" the entire album, different titles and all.

http://www.umstrum.com/altrice/

sophisti-'edm' for pitchfork readers.

And...?

if I'm going to go for edm, I'd rather go for the unsophisticated deadmau5/avicii/guetta end of it.

So you are anti-sophistication. If you detect sophistication, you wince and seek out a less sophisticated version instead

I'm not a fan of edm in any of its guises, so the point in this instance would be moot. But generally the sophisticated, art school take on dance styles can be too parodic and parasitical. This isn't inherently a bad thing but it is easier for it to be bad than good.

intelligent gangsta rap.