Friday, November 16, 2007
Caribou - Audio
With writer/producer Dan Snaith in control, on record Caribou are both majestic and magical, each track rich in atmosphere and heady melodies. But honestly, what is the point of re-rendering painstakingly crafted material like this live when the only enhancement seems to be playing it four times louder? Audio’s unforgiving, boxy acoustics are notoriously unkind to drummers and my heart sank at the sight of not one, but two drum kits set up at the front of the stage. Sure enough, virtually all Caribou’s nuance and swirling atmospherics were buried beneath a battery of rattling snares and sibilant cymbals.
Delivery of a record like this year’s “Milk of Human Kindness” with a full live band work when the songs - should there be any - are given centre stage as opposed to the sonics. But Thursday's set was largely instrumental and the weak vocals and songs themselves nowhere near the quality required to fully engage in this context. Each tune drew from the same sonic palette and with little variation in pace the whole thing became exceptionally dreary. Mid set, the majority of the audience could scarcely be bothered to remove their hands from their pockets to applaud and with the band also looking distinctly unmoved by their performance they certainly deserved the dreary reaction.
They almost redeemed themselves with a gorgeous ‘She’s the One’ its spectral harmonies and gentle chug providing some much needed respite from the relentless percussive attack. A wigged out kraut-esque encore eventually stirred the audience from their slumber, but it was too little too late. A massive, massive disappointment.
posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:51 PM
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