Ryan's Caribou Review

Have you ever had the experience of being in a confined space with two people speaking a language that you don't understand? It can be an incredibly frustrating experience, even if you're not trying to pay attention to the conversation. What can be even worse, though, is when those people are speaking a language where you know a few words of it, because you'll inevitably hear those few words that you know, and then you'll end up paying attention to the conversation, 99% of which you don't understand, because that's just the way the human brain works.

That experience was the same one that I had while listening to Caribou's Swim. There were a few things that I recognized here and there – dashes of Daft Punk here and there, and a healthy dose of Underworld's Beaucoup Fish album – but for the most part I just didn't get it.

No doubt that's my fault – I haven't really listened to much electronic music in the better part of a decade, and by not listening to it probably means that I've lost the ability to judge the quality of it, because I'm used to expecting a certain set of things from a song, and the types of things in 'good' electronic music are different from what I expect. But listening in as an outsider, there was really nothing here that pulled me in or interested me. If I had to pick a favourite track on the album it would most likely be the lead track, Odessa, but for the most part I felt like the songs kind of blended together and didn't really stand apart from each other.

Gary's Caribou Review

On more than one occasion I’ve seen my wife climb into a pair of shoes that looked fantastic but were clearly uncomfortable. And after a long day of immense pain, she pulls these twin torture devices from her feet with relief, and asks herself was it worth it?

This is basically what listening to Caribou’s Swim is akin too.

We start comfortably enough with opening track Odessa and its perfect blend of trashy glam and bubble gum pop, the kind you would hear in any Brooklyn club. With wispy vocals and Daft Punk pianos, Odessa starts things off on a high note. Sadly, the rest of the album never quite achieves it again. After that the feet start to cramp and the shoes start to pinch.

Second track Sun is repetitive and annoying with Caribou repeating the word Sun incessantly and as the blisters set in, you’re suddenly starting to regret your choice. But then by track 3 (Kali) we’re back to this infectious dozy dance-pop and you continue on.

And this is how the rest of the album progresses, leap-frogging between catchy numbers and horribly forgettable ones. For whatever reason your forced to pay the penance of suffering through one boring song before getting to the enjoyable (if not interesting) one.

This is a tough album to love. Hell, this is a tough album to like – at all. Frankly it’s too much work and the payoff is never all that satisfying. Most of the songs feel half done and aimless while the few remaining tracks give you the faint hope things are going to get better.

They don’t.

There are some solid songs on their own (the aforementioned Odessa and Found Out) but buried amongst Swim’s other tracks, it’s just not worth rummaging around to find them.

I wouldn’t go as far as saying this was a bad album, but it sure isn’t one you’ll instantly love. It’s going to take a few listens. And by the time you’re done listening and start rubbing those blisters, you’ll think was it worth it?

The answer is probably not.

Dave's Caribou Review

Caribou’s Swim is a journey through a tapestry of sounds – it will either find it enriching or it will drive you completely bloody insane. The following is my opinion of Caribou’s Swim.

In the late 90’s and early 00’s there was a club scene that was hooked on funk driven side of house music. These club kids prided themselves on being more mature, more refined –they wouldn’t let themselves be pigeonholed with the other eccentric club kids of the time. They searched for that DJ or producer that could deliver that magical beat, either created of found, that lives somewhere between jazz, funk, and 80’s synth rock. Dan Snaith as Caribou has done that for them on Swim

Outside of two or three songs Swim is a hard album to listen to, it’s not very accessible, it’s doesn’t allow simple listening. You are there not to participate but to simply listen. Swim is cold that way, but it can be argued that techno/house is always emotionally detached from it’s listener. There are lots of moments on Swim where it feel like you are listening to an experimental that wasn’t brought to full completion at times. The hypothesis could never match the results so the scientist just sort of gave up.

However if you can listen to this again and just do nothing but listen, like those sophisticated club kids, you’ll be chasing it down, listening each time for a new sound, and new element, and you’ll realize it has more emotion than a gospel song. It will find it’s place in your mind, and your heart, and you’ll come back to it, not all of it, but enough to remind you of the power of sounds layered one on top of each other.

What separated this album for me is that it sounds holistic through and through. Caribou, doesn’t change the instruments they use from previous recordings, they just change the limits that they are used wtithin. It’s a major step for any artist, but for Dan Snaith this is what he does, pushes his limits, the goal is not pass or fail, its the journey. As it should be – so enjoy it. It will enrich.

DAVE'S KEY TRACKS: 'Odessa'; 'Leave House'; 'Lalibela'

POST #3: Caribou

ARTIST: Caribou

ALBUM: Swim

FROM: Dundas, ON

Ryan's Broken Social Scene Review

I studied psychology as a university student, and one of the concepts that most fascinated me while doing that was that of the gestalt – that in combining things you ended up with something that was more than the sum of the individual parts. It interested me especially because growing up as a fan of rock and roll music, I was already familiar with the concept of the supergroup, and knew that it was often seen as an anti-gestalt; ask anyone, after all, and they'd tell you that supergroups, from Humble Pie to the Traveling Wilburys, always ended up being a disappointment compared to what one would expect from the lineups assembled therein.

Broken Social Scene seems to have bucked that trend in the history of supergroups (and yes, BSS fans, I know they don't like that term, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, they're a supergroup). Not only does the collective make music that gets acclaimed just as much as those of the individual members, but they've managed to hold on to their indie cred and kept the hipsters loyal despite becoming incredibly popular, both internationally and at home. We'll have to see how long that last point lasts, though, because with Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene have made a mainstream rock album.

Don't take “mainstream” in the pejorative sense – they're not Nickelback, or anything, but compared to the other BSS stuff that I'm familiar with, it's a lot hookier, a lot more accessible, and filled with summer radio singles like Chase Scene and Texaco Bitches, while seeming to be deviod of a lot of what would appeal to that hipster crowd. This wasn't the Broken Social Scene that I was familiar with, but honestly for me that's a good thing, as I've never been a fan of the group, despite liking a lot of the individuals in it. Part of that is because, paradoxically, I've always been kind of fond of supergroups, because from the perspective of a fan they always seemed like fun projects – people who just happened to be amazingly popular musicians getting together and just jamming out. I know that they weren't often actually like that, but that's the myth of them I've always had, and myths are important in rock and roll.

Part of why I've never been able to really appreciate Broken Social Scene is because they defied that myth; because, despite actually being friends who got together and jammed, they never seemed like that, either in the image they chose to present publicly or in the music that they were creating. With Forgiveness, though, BSS finally seems ready to take their pretensions and “art is serious business” attitudes and leave them in the coat check, choosing to become the mainstream rock supergroup that they were always destined to become.

Gary's Broken Social Scene Review

Broken Social Scene has always seemed like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys for me- a collective of friends first and musicians second, with Kevin Drew in the titular role. BSS make urgent, frenetic sounds with child-like zeal. They seem to always be chasing the music, trying desperately to capture the ideas before they evaporate into thin air.

These are the truths of Broken Social Scene. These are the things we know.

Until now.

With Forgiveness Rock Record we’re suddenly introduced to a less chaotic, more contemplative band of older, wiser musicians. But no less urgent!

This is undoubtedly BSS’s most accessible album to date. And while many scenesters (read: fucking hipster douchebags) will throw this around them like a scarlet letter, it’s definitely not a bad thing. There are some amazingly well written – nay, crafted – songs on this album and it’s crawling with hooks and potential singles (Texico Bitches should be the summer jam for 2010). Soaring pop melodies and sun-soaked harmonies wind their way through the songs and eventually into your head – where you’ll be left singing them over and over again.

What makes this album so successful is that it feels fresh – like nothing you’ve heard before. There isn’t a real definitive influence to point to or reference. BSS has managed to create the most unique and listenable album I’ve heard in ages and yet at the exact same time something recognizable and familiar.

I listen to songs like Forced to Love or Art House Director and can easily envision a summer classic circa 1977. Or feel the dramatic impact of Meet Me in the Basement and think that maybe I’ve heard that riff before. It’s these contradictory feelings that make this such an enjoyable album to experience. And for a band built around contradictions (beautiful/ugly, order/chaos) this seems fitting.

The big reason Forgiveness Rock Record feels so unique and inspires repeat listens is probably because it feels like a really great mixtape. The kind of mix your friend would have made – you know, the one who’s well ahead of the curve, knows all the cutting-edge songs and listens to bands you’ve never heard of. Yeah that guy – he makes a great mixtape.

I’ve flip-flopped for a week on whether the album is about 4 songs too long. And while you could argue that a trimmer, leaner album would make for easier consumption, it still manages to keep you engaged for all of its 14 tracks.

In case you hadn’t gleaned from this review yet – I loved this album. It’s as close to a perfect record as I’ve heard in a long time. I was excited listening to it - excited to tell people about it, excited to talk about it, excited to hear it again. BSS has demonstrated that growing up doesn’t mean growing old and that you can create a new and unique experience without completely eschewing rock and roll conventions.

P.S. - I have a feeling you'll be hearing this track a lot.

Dave's Broken Social Scene Post

I had grand ideas for this review but it seems the album didn't inspire me as much as thought it would. That's not saying it's a bad album by any means, this is maybe the most I've enjoyed BSS in ages. (read that however you want). It’s just that well, it didn’t move me the way I expected it to. It entertained me. It provided and escape for me. It made me tap my toes and sing along with it. Everything I want from a record, but it didn’t completely inspire me.

Forgiveness Rock Record opens with a stunning track: World Sick, and is filled with gems like Texico Bitches, Sentimental X's and Sweetest Kill – when it rocks it really rocks. But also it feels like it takes time to meander along with itself on tracks Highway Slipper Jam, Meet Me In the Basement, and Me and My Hand.

I can't really blame the BSS gang for posturing either. After success as a rotating all-star band, the solo stuff that is coming out of BSS Camp is some of the best music this country has seen in the last two years. So if they feel the need to strut like a peacock a bit. Go ahead.

Forgiveness Rock Record hits it’s stride perfectly when it finds that magical musical place where the spacey synth comes together with heavy beat and you can feel like influences are swirling around each other to create a perfect storm of what everyone loves about BSS. They top it off with a sing-a-long type chorus and bridge – just add a crowd and stir. It’s really a well-produced album more than anything – with a perfect mix of sounds colliding and not too much of anything, or too little of something.

I feel Broken Social Scene has earned the respect not to be compared to other bands – and besides, other bands get compared to them all the time now, so this record sounds like BSS through and through. As for being on the shortlist for 2010 Polaris Prize, I suspect it’s a wink to their past successes and the nod to the distance that will come before we see another album from this crew.

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: ‘Sentimental X’s’; ‘Sweetest Kill’; ‘Texico Bitches’; ‘Art House Director’.

POST #2: Broken Social Scene

ARTIST: Broken Social Scene

ALBUM: Forgiveness Rock Record

FROM: Toronto, ON

Ryan's Besnard Lakes Review

The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night is an odd album to listen to. It doesn't really feel like a modern album, and that's something that starts from the cover art – it's an absolutely gorgeous oil painting that would look great on the sleeve of a vinyl record, rather than on a tiny Ipod screen or CD case. That classical aspect of the art is reflected in the material in the album; we've sort of swung back into a new age of the single, as a society, but this album is a holistic piece of art. On my first listen through the album I had to double-check that I was listening to separate tracks, because they all flowed into each other seamlessly. This isn't to say that they all sounded the same, or were repetitive, but rather that each song seems like a movement within a larger composition. It's reminiscent of the golden age of the album that was the late sixties and seventies, in some ways.

At the same time, though, the soundscape being produced here isn't “classical” in any way, despite the lack of modernity. If anything, the opposite is true; the laser-like precision of the instrumentation and sterile environment generated by the lyrics give it a futuristic feel. If David Lynch were making science fiction films set in the far future, this album is very much the kind of thing that would appear on the soundtrack.

That feeling of sterility is what stopped me from being able to get into this album. Listening to it, I felt separated from what was happening lyrically, as if the artists themselves wanted to keep distance between themselves and the material that they're writing about, which only creates a greater distance between the listener and the subject matter.

Ultimately, I can see the merits of this album on an academic level, and I can definitely understand why it would be included on the Polaris shortlist, but it was unable to create any sort of emotional resonance for me.

Gary's Besnard Lakes Review

I’ve glimpsed the future dear friends, and its soundtrack kicks ass. The Besnard Lakes are The Roaring Night is the sonic equivalent of an Arthur C. Clarke novel. From the album’s quivering robotic intro our minds are filled with dystopian futurescapes with shimmering chrome, flashing LED lights and stomping armies of robots. Or at least that’s what I thought of.

The truth is, these songs feel like the future. As if the Beach Boys rocketed forward to the year 2150 and started making gorgeous pop music with our soon-to-be alien overlords. And while the soaring harmonies and haunting falsettos make the Beach Boys a clear touch point, there are definitely more.

Listening to the Besnard Lakes you’ll hear them drawing from sources as diverse as My Bloody Valentine, Polyphonic Spree and yes - even fellow Montrealers Arcade Fire (but who can do chamber pop these days without being compared to them).

But for all its futuristic sounds and Space Odyssey hums, oddly the lyrics never hint at anything more futuristic than a camera. But you get the distinct impression that words are secondary. Maybe not an after-thought - but certainly not the showcase. No, for husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Gorgeas the beauty is in the writing. These songs aren’t jams but meticulously crafted opuses from start to finish and the stories lie within their melodies.

This isn’t to say there aren’t short comings here and there. At times they fall prey to the shoegazer disease, meandering through songs like a child eating supper (that is to say they take too long) with a few too many songs coming in at a bulky 7 plus minutes. But the good definitely outweighs the bad here and we’re left with extremely beautiful music that soars despite its heft.

My friends, the future is now. The future is The Roaring Night.

Dave's The Besnard Lake Post

Firstly let me welcome you back to the hot spot blog spot. It’s all fired up and we even cleaned up a little knowing you’d be around more this season. Hope you enjoy what Ryan, Gary and I have going on here. Let’s - as they say - drop the needle, shall we?

“The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Nights” feels otherworldly when you first listen to it. It feels like a record not of our time –with life getting faster and faster these days – this album takes you out of that world and into well, a slow burn of a roaring night.

It has roaring guitars and drums that at times sound like there are four kits playing at one time that all create this musical landscape that builds up and builds up and perfectly works in compliment with the vocals from Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek. Throughout “…Are The Roaring Night” the vocals swirl and up and down the register and playing in tandem with the music until finally both music and vocal come together and create that moment where I find myself lost in this world that The Besnard Lakes have created. It’s like the music and vocals are playing a game of flirty chase, then finally they connect – like they were meant to be together – and everyone listening just knows it.

I can’t help be hear the Pixies in moments throughout this album. I know that’s easy to say – “well the Pixies influences everyone” - but here The Besnard Lakes seem to have captured a part of the Pixies sound that I really love – that ripping guitar and rhythmic beat blending together so perfectly. I also hear a lot of Mazzy Star, Olga’s vocals sound similar no doubt, but there is an emotional energy to the music that takes me back in different moments on “…Are The Roaring Night”

I can see the album becoming a little prog-y for some tastes, but once you buy in and set yourself up for the journey, I can’t see how you can give up on it. There are dark themes at play here - elements of nature played against personal emotional states that some may get lost in. But isn’t this the kind of insight we demand from our art anyway? For me these are elements that make this album completely satisfying and remarkable.

DAVE’S KEY TRACKS: 'Albatross'; 'Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 2: The Innocent'; 'Light Up The Night'.

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POST #1: The Besnard Lakes

Artist: The Besnard Lakes

Album: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

From: Montreal, PQ

We're Back!

The Polaris Prize shortlist for 2010 was announced today. The full list is available at http://www.polarismusicprize.ca/2010shortlist/ along with lists to the bands' online presence and links to listen to and purchase the nominated albums. With the announcement, Dave, Gary, and Ryan will be returning to the blog to share their thoughts on the albums, starting July 12. As with last year, one album will be discussed each week, with posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The albums on the shortlist, in order that they'll be reviewed on the blog, are:

1. The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

2. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

3. Caribou – Swim

4. Karkwa – Les Chemins De Verre

5. Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice

6. Owen Pallet – Heartland

7. Radio Radio – Belmundo Regal

8. The Sadies – Darker Circles

9. Shad – TSOL

10. Tegan And Sara – Sainthood