Caribou

I‘ve seen Caribou twice before, both in smaller and I dare say better venues, but more on that later. So I went into this show with high expectations. in fact, Caribou has been among my best live show experiences.
Unfortunately Dan Snaith (and his 3 accompanying musicians) didn’t t deliver the same level of performance that I’ve come to expect from Caribou. Electronic music is hard to play live, it’s hard because it’s so easy. Too many DJs and EDM musicians lack musicianship because they’re programmers. It’s hard to convey the same level of energy and dynamism fiddling with levels and activating programmed beats as one gets from someone wielding an instrument. And yet, some groups do this well, some are great and then there’s Caribou. What has set him apart (and still does no matter my misgivings for this last show) is his ability to actually perform techno -- In that he is very much like LCD Soundsystem. The result is a spectacularly enfranchised version of techno.
Snaith (along with Smith, Weber and Schmersal) give you a techno experience like none other, wielding guitar, base, two drums kits and myriad apparatus more traditionally associated with electronic music. So why didn’t I get into the show at the Metropolis on November 10th? Because techno is all about flow and Caribou never hit his stride.
I believe the main culprit for this is his shift towards dance music. If you can’t appreciate the difference between techno and EDM than never mind. There were popier elements emerging on Swim but with his foray as Daphni, Snaith has been pushing the dancier side of his music and so Our Love is far more EDM than Techno. That isn’t a critic but in the 13 years since his first album, he has become very good at performing techno so its easy to notice his failure to integrate his new material into his older stuff.
There are glaring issues with pacing, mood and flow, which is three different ways of saying the same thing, his setlist was no good. To be more precise, he hasn’t yet developed a homogenous skill level between his various styles of music which would allow him to integrate those same various musical styles.
It didn’t help that more than half the crowd were talking throughout the show and uninvested in the music. The sound guy did a good job equalizing the show but had the volume so far down that the chatting from the crowd easily overwhelmed the band as though we were at a folk show!
But mostly, Caribou failed to create the right atmosphere. He never reached that level of groove where songs bounce off one another. Alternatively exciting and sedating you in order to build a crescendo of swelling emotion. He stumbled on his newer material, seeding them throughout in such a way as to throw cold water on any enthusiasm built=up through his earlier tracks.
With expectations of such levels of mastery is there any surprise I was disappointed? Well yes, because Caribou is that good, just not this time.

Daniel Victor Snaith’s brainchild, Caribou, uses layers of electronics to create a diverse range of sounds that will either make you want to dance to the rhythm or have a psychedelic freak out. Although Snaith is the sole composer of Caribou’s music, he often tours with a very talented backing band. The main core of Caribou’s compositions consists of synthesizers and electronics, but when Caribou performs live they incorporate electric guitars, a bass, and acoustic drums, which create a more rich and lively tone. When Caribou performs live they stress that attention should be focused on the music and not the performers. When I saw Caribou open for Radiohead in 2012 all the performing members were dressed in identical white attire. This emphasized that the performance had little to do about the individual performers, but rather Caribou was a united vessel delivering a form of music that is organically created and which should be the main focus.
The light designs have been known to be fantastic at Caribou shows with strobe lights flashing on and off synchronized to the rhythm of the beat. The crowd is also very responsive to the music ecstatically dancing away like they were in a club scene. The music is often composed of melodies that repeat themselves, but are always changing texture and gradually building into more elaborate sounds rewarding the audience that pays attention to each intricate subtlety. Caribou remains a master at synthesizing the most pleasantly catchy tunes that will mesmerize you into a psychedelic trance and transcend you into another dimension of music.

Caribou is a MUST SEE experience. The band has fun and keeps the crowd dancing the entire time! Also, a lot of the songs have a different sort of live improvisation that the recordings on the LP do not have. Dan Snaith switches off from playing the synth to drums and back multiple times which I happened to find very unexpected. Overall the experience of driving three hours East from San Antonio to Houston to catch this show and drive back the same night was amazing. Caribou made the drive definitely worth it and had me moving the whole time. Do not miss them!

I went to this gig expecting nothing (not knowing the last album but knowing that their first album was awesome.) It has to be said like this : Caribou live is mind-blowing, delivering a unique tasteful performance and making everyone willing to dance starting the first song. Needless to say I'll run to the next concert !

Caribou consistently puts on amazing live shows. And this one in particular was special b/c I was close enough to the stage to see that he was smiling after every single song. Love like that for what you're doing can't help but be contagious!

Caribou always put on a good show, and I knew they wouldn't disappoint. They kept the crowd going and moving with a good mix of their best old jams and a lot of their new ones! Don't ever miss out on seeing them when they are in your city!