Search - Caribou :: Andorra

When your smile, it melts away

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 08/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not sad that Caribou has been absent for the past few years. Not a bit.



For the record, that doesn't mean that I don't like his music. In fact, I'm glad because Caribou (also known as Daniel V. Snaith) apparently spent his time coming up wiyj "Andorra," an album of psychedelic folkpop that stands way above his past work. It's a magical, almost transcendent little album that never allows you to be bored.



It opens with a swirling, lush little melody, full of bells and twittering flute. "Melody day/what have I done?" Snaith murmurs softly. "Now our hearts are locked up tight again/and when I pray its all begun/and when you smile it melts away again..."



That sound is echoed in "Sandy," which straddles the fence between pastoral pop and psychedelica. And it echoes in the songs that follow: swirling folkpop, languorous indie-rockers, soaring psychedelica, sunny breezy pop melodies, delicate electropop, and ending with the darker, shimmering "Niobe."



"Andorra" is a pretty big departure from Caribou's past work -- he started with jazzy electronica, then dense electro-guitarpop and then the free-form psychedelic dementafolk of "The Milk of Human Kindness." This one sounds more like a 1966 acid trip in a summery meadow -- it's just pure, magical psychedelica, with moments of indie-rock and krautrock thrown in.



It's also his most conventionally poppy work, but that's not a bad thing. While his past works were more about exploration than melody, this one is sheer beauty, with lots of peppy melodies swathed in the instrumentation. "Desiree," for example, is a pretty typical love ballad, but smothered in a cloud of tinkling chimes, jabbing violins and delicate synth.



The music itself is a kaleidoscope of gentle acoustic guitar, strings and expansive keyboard full of chimes, twitters and bubbles. As if that weren't sumptuous enough, Snaith adds on bells, banjo, and a flute that does its best to imitate birdcalls, as well as his own elusively wistful vocals.



"Andorra" is unlike any of Caribou's past work, but it's also the best. Soft, sunny and transcendentally pretty, this is a electronic and psychedelic masterpiece."

Best of 2007: Psychedelic goodness from Canada

Manny Hernandez | Bay Area, CA | 09/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2007 seems to be quietly turning into another 2005 for Canadian music. The Besnard Lakes, Do make Say Think, Stars, The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew have come out with new material... and then there's "Andorra" by Caribou, a production with a very psychedelic feel to it, which yields a super-stellar album when combined with Caribou's typical electronic experimentation.



There are moments when you feel you could be in front of Beck, but then you know it's not him. You then figure: it sounds a bit like The Besnard Lakes: perhaps, but still not there. I guess the easiest way to picture this album is: imagine how The Beach Boys would sound if blended with 1966-1967 Beatles experimentation, had they come to life in an age where digital audio production was available.



This was my introduction to Caribou... and made me feel like I owe it to myself to dig back in this guy's discography to find which other musical jewels I may be able to unearth. I will report back any findings. In the meantime, enjoy "Andorra"."

Beach Boys learn Electronica

R. D. Kissell | Virginia, USA | 03/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My rating: 9 out of 10



The opening track of Andorra, "Melody Day," is a fantastic sample of what Caribou is capable of; a dreamy atmosphere, a great use of electronica, and music that is not easy to forget. Combining electronica with the Beach Boys, Caribou creates luscious sounds and makes music that is instantly enjoyable. The songs "Melody day", "After Hours", and "Sundialing" are upbeat, fun, and danceable. Other songs like "Sandy", and "Desiree" are reminiscent of sixties bands like the Byrds, and the Mamas and the Papas; but the guitar, drums, and poppy electronica keep the sound very modern. The looping of "do"s on She's the One is surprisingly fascinating, and gives the song a complex texture.



The lyrics are sometimes very personal, "There's nothing left I can say/To stop it ending this way/I think you wanted me here/To watch it all disappear", and add emotion to an already powerful collection of songs. At other times, the lyrics are a little too abstract; "And in your summer sky and in the air/Have you forgotten how you got us here/While I remember how much I care." But when listening to Caribou, one doesn't focus too much on the words; the instrumentation is what makes Andorra such a delight and Daniel Snaiths's vocals(while quite good in their own right) are more like an afterthought to the delicious sounds.



The light sounds of this album are refreshing, and full of inspiration.

Favorite tracks: Melody Day, Sundialing, Eli

"