One thing that's always baffled me about electronic music is how 95% of it is dark, depressing shit. Sure, there's been like Fatboy Slim and similar big beat artists in the 90's that mixed that up a bit, but for the most part it seems like new artists refuse to leave the emotional space of their forebearers like DJ Shadow and Portishead. Has it made for some great songs? Sure, but who wants to brood all the fucking time? I listen to music mainly to lift my mood, not erase my will to live, as much of this stuff will do to you if you listen to it long enough.So, naturally, I'm a real big fan of Caribou. Basically, think of the Zombies tastefully remixed by the Chemical Brothers, and you're in the ballpark. The beauty of this album is that they are a bunch of great pop songs first and foremost, and forward-thinking musical statements as a bonus - too often bands confuse those two (see: Amnesiac). Another great aspect of this album is the seamless blend of organic and artificial sounds...retaining the 60's instrumentation while simultaneously embracing the rhythmic complexity of modern music is one of this album's major achievements. Definitely somewhere in my top 10 albums of the year list.
Caribou - Andorra
1 comment:
Unfortunately I listened to this post in the office where I am forced to keep the music level to a minimum. That being said, I liked these two tracks a lot. I'm gonna have to go home and listen to them again in an environment where I don't have to put my ear right up the computer speakers...good stuff all around.
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