Caribou – Our Love

On Our Love, Dan Snaith and company return with the warm, detailed electronica/pop hybrid that listeners have come to expect from Caribou (formerly Manitoba). And just as he’s done on all of his preceding titles, Snaith has conspicuously incorporated new genre influences, and used them to build an overarching, thematic foundation. Previous albums have seen him absorbing Aphex Twin-inspired electronic abstraction, shoegaze, psychedelia, sunshine pop, and Krautrock, and injecting choice bits into his own trademark headphone symphonies. This time around, there’s a pronounced R&B and disco thing going on.

One of the interesting things about Snaith’s genre-hopping is that it never comes across as dilettantish. Rather, I imagine him as a detached scientist, a drug designer conducting experimental research, trying to synthesize a concoction that will elicit a perfect combination of head-nodding and beard-scratching.

His airy falsetto suits the material and R&B flavor well (just as it did 2007’s pop-psych-influenced Andorra), and makes me think of Arthur Russell’s art disco, especially on “Silver” and the title track. The arrangements are sparse, often consisting of nothing more than a drum pattern, voice, synth bass, and the various percolating, ear-tickling electronic textures which pop up throughout and keep the album grounded firmly in recognizable Caribou territory.

My favorite track is “Second Chance”, which features female vocals on top of synth tones that begin off-key and work themselves up to pitch, much like Kevin Shields’ “glide guitar” sound on My Bloody Valentine records, creating an impression of the track continuously coming in and out of focus.

Check out the album opener, “Can’t Do Without You”, below.

Our Love is out October 7 on Merge Records.

 

 

Caribou Worldwide Dates:

Oct 08 London, UK — KOKO  SOLD OUT

Oct 09 Brussels, BE — Botanique SOLD OUT

Oct 10 Cologne, DE — Ewerk

Oct 11 Hamburg, DE — Grosse Freiheit

Oct 12 Amsterdam, NL — Melkweg Old Room

Oct 13 Helsinki, FI — The Circus

Oct 14 Berlin, DE — Berghain SOLD OUT

Oct 15 Leipzig, DE — Conne Island

Oct 16 Prague, CZ — Meet Factory

Oct 17 Budapest, HU — A38

Oct 18 Vienna, AT — Electronic Beats @ TMuseumsquartier SOLD OUT

Oct 19 Munich, DE — Muffathalle

Oct 20 Zurich, CH — Komplex 457

Oct 21 Lyon, FR — Transbordeur

Oct 22 Lille, FR — Aeronef

Oct 23 Liverpool, UK — Liverpool Music Week at Camp & Furnace

Oct 24 Bristol, UK — Simple Things Festival at Motion SOLD OUT

Oct 31 Manchester, UK — The Warehouse Project  SOLD OUT

Nov 01 Paris, FR — Pitchfork Festival Paris

Nov 05 Dublin, IE — Vicar Street  SOLD OUT

Nov 06 Barcelona, ES — Razzmatazz

Nov 07 Turin, IT — Alfa MiTo Club To Club

Nov 08 Reykjavik, IS — Iceland Airwaves

Nov 10 Montreal, QC — Metropolis  UPGRADED TO BIGGER VENUE

Nov 11 Boston, MA — Paradise

Nov 12 New York, NY — Webster Hall  SOLD OUT

Nov 13 Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer

Nov 14 New York, NY — Webster Hall SECOND SHOW ADDED

Nov 15 Washington, DC — Black Cat

Nov 16 Carrboro, NC — Cat’s Cradle

Nov 17 Atlanta, GA — Terminal West

Nov 18 Orlando, FL — The Social

Nov 19 Miami, FL — Grand Central

Nov 20 Tallahassee, FL — Club Downunder

Nov 21 New Orleans, LA — One Eyed Jacks

Nov 22 Houston, TX — Fitzgerald’sNov 23 Austin, TX — The Mohawk

Nov 24 Toronto, ON — Danforth Music Fall  SOLD OUT

Feb 28 Los Angeles, CA — The Fonda Theatre

Mar 01 San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore

Mar 03 Portland, OR — Wonder Ballroom

Mar 04 Seattle, WA — The Showbox

Mar 05 Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom

Mar 10 Brussles, BE — AB

Mar 12 Berlin, DE — Columbiahalle

Mar 14 London, UK — Brixton Academy