Dan Snaith, a.k.a. Caribou a.k.a. Manitoba a.k.a. “The Professah,” seems to follow a chronologically retroactive pattern. His earliest work reflected IDM and glitch standards prolific in the ’90s. Then his breakthrough full-length, Up in Flames, evoked silky ’80s dream pop and shoegaze. 2005’s The Milk of Human Kindness took cues from the heyday of krautrock. This eventually propelled Snaith squarely in the baroque pop part of the space-time continuum circa 1966 in the form of Andorra, an album that all but references The Left Banke by name. So what of Swim? Will Caribou continue his time traveling trajectory, make good on the album title, and release his surf rock / doo wop / Skiffle album? Not quite. Caribou hinted with the somewhat disappointing “Odessa” a possible move toward more dance-oriented material. For the most part, this is true. However, the result is much more interesting than “Odessa” suggested.

Snaith makes it clear this time around that he’s going balls to the wall, trying on a variety of new hats. “Jamelia” juggles dub beats, Colin Bluntstone-channeled vocals, orchestral arrangements, and non-linear songwriting in one of Caribou’s most driving efforts. “Bowls” is an exploration of the more minimal and ambient works under the Manitoba moniker, replete with David Fridmann ethereal harp accents, Aphex Twin-informed minimal techno, and glitch flourishes.  ”Hannibal” acts as a compromise betwixt the splattered rhythms, bubbling low end, and horn explosions of Scratch Perry and the fluid, galactic vibe of Boards of Canada circa Twoism. “Kaili” shows Caribou experimenting with acid house samples over pop vocals and Love-inspired psychedelic orchestration. The idea has more value than the actual product, but the bold jump should be applauded nonetheless. Despite some pitfalls, Swim showcases some real moments of brilliance and clarity, best demonstrated on the psilocybin-saturated “Sun” – an angelic, blissed out motorik club banger augmented with hauntological synths and the self-evident mantra of “sun.”

Though not as strong as his mid-decade releases, Swim is a surprising follow-up that, while not groundbreaking, is thoroughly enjoyable and a great juxtaposition of electronic and psych genres spanning every decade Snaith has covered in his impressive repertoire. Moreover, Swim set a new paradigm for Caribou by breaking his old pattern, which may be one of the album’s biggest triumphs.

Swim drops courtesy of Merge on April 20 (hurhur, 420 lol), which should be available for pre-order soon. And lest ye forget, Caribou swings through Louisville with Toro y Moi on June 8th at the Zanzabar.

MP3 :::
Caribou – Sun

Rockshows to Know will be our attempt to regularly list shows that are of interest to us and probably you as well, mostly in and around the Louisville area, and will often be accompanied by sample MP3s. The news about Caribou/Toro Y Moi playing at the intimate Zbar last week was epic, and there’s more good jammage around the bend.

The in-fucking-comparable Josephine Foster plays the intimate Skull Alley in Louisville on May 7th. As the show was just confirmed, expect additional acts to be added to the bill in the next couple of months. Another excellent booking from Joel Hunt. (Show info)

Joel also picked up lovely power electronics noise+vocals unit and Jagjaguwar recording artists Sightings. Bring ya mams to Skull Ally on May 6th, as Mother’s Day will be just around the corner at that time. The Teeth also perform. This show will be radical and possibly upsetting, but in the right kind of way. (Show info)

Just announced, like, five minutes ago, the mighty Eluvium will chill your shit out at Louisville’s amazing 21c on May 26th. (Show info)

Black Lips will test the structural integrity of Headliners in Louisville on April 8th with the Box Elders. Hilarity might ensue. (Show info)

Acid Mothers Temple are flying on thunderbirds to Cosmic Charlie’s in Lexington on April 14th. I will probably be thinking about Dogen from LOST most of the time. (Show info)

There is a darkness spreading about your bro, Jack

Beach Fossils hit up Al’s Bar in Lextown en route to SXSW on March 12. They’ll be joined by The Beets, whom I believe to be a different entity from these Beets. (Show info)

On the same day, Titus Andronicus do a free in-store at ear X-tacy in Louisville, starting at 6 p.m. sharp. The band, not the Roman. (Show info)

In typical Will Oldham fashion, the Billy Prince is playing a non-venue on Sunday, March 28th, at the Salvation Army Old Male Campus (I have no idea what this is honestly) as part of The Rudyard Kipling-sponsored Motherlodge Fest. Tickets are only $10, but $15 buys you a meal. Dinnah and a flick, dahling. His facial hair should be amazing. (Show info)

While Vetiver’s last album might’ve suck a big ‘un, they’re still an awesome band (can’t hit it out of the park every time), and they storm Newport’s Southgate House on March 7th. (Show info).

Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow swings through Cincinnati’s Northside Tavern March 13th. Vocoders! (Show info)

Woods and Real Estate are very appropriately touring together and visit The Bishop in Bloomington on March 23rd. Smoke tree. (Show info)

UPDATE: Just got word that No Age is swinging through Lexington and playing a WRFL-sponsored show at… Gumbo Ya Ya? That’s according to the official Gig List. Friday April 23rd is the date to save. Fun fact: that’s Shakespeare’s bday!

Finally, The Decibel Tolls is sponsoring a just-confirmed upcoming show at Zanzabar that I’m pretty stoked on, but I can’t announce yet, and currently working on other exciting shows. More soon….

MP3 :::
Eluvium – The Motion Makes Me Last
Acid Mothers Temple – Ange Mecanique de Saturne
No Age – Loosen This Job
Josephine Foster – She Sweeps With Many Colored Brooms
Sightings – Tar and Pine
Woods – Echo Lake
Real Estate – Snow Days
Beach Fossils – Time

A Carbiou live show is a hell of an experience, at least circa the Andorra tour, and he’s coming to Louisville this summer with Toro y Moi. The show goes down June 8th at the quite intimate Zanzabar. Considering the double drumming extravaganza and brain melting visuals, it should be an utterly devastating show. Production Simple is responsible for delivering the goods, so thanks dudes.

Caribou with Toro y Moi
Tuesday, June 8th
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St., Louisville (map that shizz)
9 p.m. / 21+
Tickets on sale 2/26 at ear X-tacy, $12

MP3 :::
Caribou – Medium Sized Working Dog

This is my article cross-posted from Tiny Mix Tapes.  Since they’re cool about me reposting my articles on my own blog without any exclusivity clauses, you should make like a tree and visit them and click on their ads and shizz.  And speaking of trees, Caribou speaks for them…

For someone who’s named himself after majestic deer and a lush foresty Canadian province, as well as sample and title songs that greatly concern nature, it’s no surprise that Dan Snaith is stoked on saving the Earth.  In addition, as Snaith has a day job as a teacher, it should be no surprise he also likes to give back.

The man best known by Caribou announced last week that he will be donating a vast majority of his $20,000 Polaris Prize money, coin he won for 2007’s {Andorra},  keeping a small portion to fund his forthcoming album.  The money will be given to environmental non-profit Ecojustice, as well as the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

“I have always thought of Canada as an environmentally progressive place… however, recently the Canadian government has acted as a global obstacle to climate action. In a study this year Canada ranked 29th out of 30 industrialized nations for tackling climate change,” Snaith said, remarking on his choice of giving to Ecojustice.  The Stephen Lewis Foundation is a project-based charity helping communities affected by the AIDS epidemic throughout Sub-Sharan Africa.

Heck of a guy, that Snaith.  Hopefully the money given to Ecojustice will be invested in getting real legislative efforts to come to fruition, and not used on another Live Earth (Sorry, Al).

MP3 :::
Caribou – Medium Sized Working Dog (Steady Steady)

Mo’ ’shik, trick. Koushik’s follow up to his hazy, lush, Free-Design-with-beats debut, Out My Window, is now available for download on the cheap. The physical, three-dimensional version comes out September 30. I’ve already expressed my adoration for Koushik’s technicolor dreamscapes, so I won’t bore you with more jive.

Whereas “Lying in the Sun” explores Koushik’s more expansive tendencies, both the title track and “Corner of Your Smile” provide some breathing room with quaint, low-key, almost folkish psychedelia.

MP3 :::
Koushik – Corner of Your Smile
Koushik – Out My Window

The Left Banke folded after chief song-slinger Michael Brown bounced to form Montage, partly due to the ever present “creative differences,” but primarily because of the Left Banke’s baffling inability to receive much recognition. And as Fortuna is a bitch, Montage didn’t take off either. Though “Walk Away Renee” gained some national attention in ‘67, the group’s small but fervent following was restricted to record store dorks, music majors, and serious longhairs. In 1994, Polygram released a retrospective collection There’s Gonna Be a Storm, featuring pretty much everything they ever recorded. Of course, that disc is now conveniently out of print (being a rare psych rock fan is a pain in the ass sometimes). If you feel like shelling out for a CD copy (not even vinyl) of questionable condition, there’s a few on eBay. Luckily, MP3 blogs like this one are here to correct these wrongs, bringing you the finest in stereophonic sound.

“Desiree” is aerodynamic. The bombastic chorus is beautiful but destructive, like the Alaskan Black Bear or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill. Proceed with caution. “Desiree” is technically a Left Banke song, written by Brown and banged out by the rest of the band. However, it didn’t see the light of day until Montage’s eponymous record dropped in 1970, and later on the Storm compilation. Brown collects his alimony, for sure. You may notice that Brown’s arrangements sound very reminiscent of Caribou. Well, Caribou’s Andorra album, for all intents and purposes, is basically a fine reinterpretation of the Left Banke – a fair assessment considering that Andorra also features an expansive canticle titled “Desiree.” I can only assume this is an obvious nod to Brown and Company.

“Bartenders and Their Wives” is some Tolkien shit. I can hear Spanish guitar, clean distortion electric guitar, harpsicord, and autoharp. What all do you hear? Again, nothing but epic vocal harmonies, thick textures, highly mobile bass melodies, delicate composition, and a semi-bucolic musical milieu. Majestic and tectonic.

If you don’t know what’s up, and you want to know what’s up, the Left Banke is what’s up. And sweet sassy molassey, Amazon (who I’ve had always had good experiences with) has the Storm compilation available for download on the cheap. Yeah yeah, it’s not the same thing as a physical copy, but unless someone gets all ambitious and starts reprinting this disc (I’m looking at you, Light in the Attic) or releases a new collection of the Left Banke’s singles and 45s, this is the best, most affordable solution for your baroque psychedelic needs.

MP3 :::
The Left Banke – Bartenders and Their Wives
The Left Banke – Desiree

After two months of flawless weather in Chicago, the climate waited until the most excellent of weekends to unleash her fury, with downpours on Saturday and oppressive, Biblical heat on Sunday. Despite that, Pitchfork Music Festival, by and large, ruled. Though we were all very privileged to see some excellent performances (sans Vampire Weekend… the Decibel Tolls is the only blog with an official “VW sucks it” philosophy), this whole festival belongs to one man, in my opinion.

And that’s Mr. Jason Spaceman…

Remember when I said Boris would be the loudest band at PMF? Wrong! Spiritualized was loud enough to decimate the festival’s PA system in the middle of “Take Me to the Other Side.” Mr. Pierce was so distraught over the whole predicament that, well, he took it upon himself to knock over their mic stands with his guitar and send his vintage (I think it was a) Telecaster through his amp head. It’s good to see psych dudes go delightfully apeshit every now and again. He wasn’t too upset about the whole thing, as he came back on stage to wave bye to the crowd and take a humble bow.

I was hoping that Spiritualized would roll through with an extra ensemble or two, and they delivered. The crowd roared when the Spritiualized gospel singers took the stage for some very intense, wall of sound plus gospel renditions of “Come Together,” “Soul on Fire,” and more. Pierce even brought out the big guns and dusted off “Shine a Light” from 1991’s Laser Guided Melodies (my favorite Spiritualized album)! This is the closest I’ll ever get to taking drugs inside a church.

Animal Collective brought a whole slew of new material during Saturday night’s performance. Actually, they premiered one song in the middle of a 20-minute rendition of “Fireworks” come to think of it. AC also brought out one of their newest fan favorites, known as “House” and “Simple Things,” depending on what you read. Avey Tare sported an awesome bucket hat. Unfortunately, none of my photos turned out that well, so I won’t post them. I had amazing photos of their performance last May at The Dame in Lexington, but unfortunately, my camera went AWOL shortly after. Moral of the story, unload your shit early and often.

Caribou was the other sick performance that stood out from the weekend. The rain hit right when Caribou started at 2:15, but the music was too sunshine-saturated to make you take notice. As I discussed in the Pitchfork preview, Caribou is an exercise in percussive fortitude. Dan Snaith performs with a full band, and bangs the shit out of the drums for each song’s climax.

The highlight for me was hearing an old favorite, “Skunks” off of 2003’s Up in Flames. Just like the recorded version, Snaith and Company laid the booty bass on thick. Though the Left Banke never received their due credit in the ’60s, their body of work is alive and well in Caribou. One interesting side note – Caribou seems to get 86 love in Chicago. At their Metro show back in November, they were opening for Battles (though they were great, Caribou was better). Otherwise, for their headlining shows, they’re generally plunged back into smaller clubs like the Empty Bottle. Their Saturday afternoon super-stoked psych-pop explosion blew the crowd away. You heard it from everyone in attendance, so methinks their Pitchfork appearance will reverse that current, and Snaith will receive his due props in the Windy City (though I do enjoy seeing Caribou in smaller rooms, he deserves a wide audience). Though the music was still sweeping and gorgeous as well, it’s the two drummer assault that takes emphasis live.

Also during Caribou’s set, hometown drank heroes 312 Ale / Goose Island flung about a bazillion beach balls into the crowd.

Though not related to the focus of this blog, my girlfriend (much to her delight) and I got to see our lil’ friend Jarvis, too.

Straight from my view from the cheap seats, here’s the Decibel Tolls’ preview for some choice artists I’m anticipating seeing at this year’s festival. My prophecies for these shows have been gleaned from my experience with a couple of these artists in the past, general intuition, and my magic 8-ball. First, it should be noted that the clouds are currently graying here in Chicago, and it looks like the first day of rain we’ve had in, oh I dunno, two weeks or so will conveniently happen during the festival. Just our luck, right? Should be a delightfully apocalyptic time!

It’s somewhat unfortunate that Caribou was slotted for a 2 p.m. show. As with any psych group worth their salt, Caribou offers very enthralling visual aspects including background images that look like they were taken out of a Julian House book. No matter, Caribou has the chops to engage with or without seizure-inducing lights. They hang tough with two drummers, including Dan Snaith himself. When I saw Caribou with Battles at the Metro in November, it was an exercise in percussive fortitude. Since he’s not promoting a particular album at this point, it’s a safe bet that Caribou will dig deep throughout his catalog, which is generally the preferred position for me. Caribou is absolutely not to be missed. [Saturday : 2 p.m. : Connector Stage]

I had the privilege of being involved with two different Animal Collective shows, and if I was smart, would’ve started this blog back then. When you help run a concert through either a venue or your college radio station, it’s easier to score interviews and sound bites. But enough about my stupidity… The first show was in the last wake after Sung Tongs in the spring of ‘05, right at the time the group was moving away from more acoustic material. Jane (Panda Bear and friend Scott Mou) was getting ready to drop the excellent but zoned out Berserker, and you certainly heard a lot of that. It was very droney, and the crowd seemed somewhat polarized by the lack of Sung Tongs songs played. It was great nonetheless, but would’ve been better to see in a theater instead of a standing room recital hall. Animal Collective understands this to an extent, so I would be surprised if the outdoor Union Park setting didn’t encourage the more pop-oriented side of their repertoire (with a little Here Comes the Indian thrown in for good measure and to draw a line in the sand). The second time was at The Dame in Lexington in May of ‘07. AC toured sans Deakon, and considering the electronic structures on what was to be Strawberry Jam, it didn’t much matter. The performance was unrelenting. They played non-stop, with all three members in queue facing the side of the stage instead of the front, and swaying in unison like a cult. It was a sinister, but dare I say, upbeat and almost danceable performance. Every song morphed into the next, and most songs were unrecognizable until Avey Tare throated out the first lyrical yelp. Every Animal Collective show is different, and that’s part of what makes them one of the most exciting, relevant groups of today. Panda Bear is a super rad dude, by the wayz. [Saturday : 9 p.m. : Aluminum Stage]

Boris has a wealth of source material to choose from, with their prolific output of releases and collaborations. Though some of their best stuff to date has come from their work with Michio Kurihara of Ghost and Sunn O))), Boris, either out of respect or functionality, will probably not perform these songs. And I certainly would be surprised if we heard anything from their Merzbow split Rock Dream. No matter what the show shapes up to be, Boris will be the loudest band, and most immovable object, at Pitchfork. I’m not a bettin’ man, but I would put money on that (unless Spiritualized shows up with, like, 30 goddamn dudes). If “Blackout” from Pink starts rumbling from the PA at 10,000 watts of evil, all bets are off. Shut down the park, call the police. [Sunday : 2 p.m. : Connector Stage]

This might be wishful thinking, but I want, as mentioned, Spiritualized [Sunday : 7 p.m. : Aluminum Stage] to show up with 30 goddamn dudes. Like this:

If you didn’t get tickets yet, well, they’re gone except for tonight’s performances. But, you can catch some streaming live intarweb action at the festival’s website.
Pitchfork Music Festival 2008