Customer Reviews

Swim

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So you say you loved Andorra, but you don't trust Dan Snaith because the sneaker bugger never does the same thing twice? Good call. However, if Dan Snaith is known for anything, it should be for being able to live and breathe whatever musical genre he is currently digging. When he was heavy into dreamy '60s psych pop, we got the brilliance that is Andorra. Now, Snaith has been getting his groove on to dark electro dance music, and true to his craft, he has expertly synthesized what he knows and turned it into a fresh and unique take on the genre. First track "Odessa" happens to be both my favorite song on the album and simultaneously the most accessible one. I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on my cred. The rest of the album takes a darker, pulsing turn, with stretched out melodies belying very intricate production. With help from guys like Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys and Four Tet, you should expect no less. Yet another great album for 2010, hot damn.

This really is one of the best releases of '10 thus far. I didn't know much about Caribou before hearing this and I must say I'm quite impressed. This is one of the most consistently interesting and melodic dance releases in recent memory. The other reviewers seem to think this is one of his weaker efforts. If that's true, his good stuff must be really mind-blowing.

I have been following Caribou for a couple years now. Although this album is much different from their previous releases, it is good as gold. Upbeat rhythm and excellent samples offer a very melodic soundscape. This is actually their first album that I fully appreciate from start to finish. My new favorite!!

It's hard to verbalize why I didn't love this album, because well....it's a good album. There are great tracks and interesting things happen. I suppose my qualms don't necessarily fall on intentions that failed, but on the intentions themselves. I feel like dance music is too linear for Dan. What makes his stuff so interesting are the explosions into sound, the 180s, the implementation of strange sounds in a seamless way. His albums have been about exceptional moments. Moments where you haven't realized your attention has floundered, until it is suddenly and aggressively reclaimed through some sonic shift.

The mere introduction and stripping away of different layers is just sort of below him. This isn't his first attempt at dance music either, as Start Breaking My Heart showed us just how electronic this guy can get. But even though that was a dance-y-ish album, it still wasn't straightforward enough for you to lose attention. This album was kinda like oh, I guess an hour has passed and I just listened to the new Caribou album. On albums like Up In Flames and Andorra I rarely forget and by rarely forget I mean absolutely never forget that I'm listening to a Caribou album. He doesn't allow me to wander off. But for someone as ambitious as Dan, you're bound to have albums that don't quite work......it's actually kinda nice to know he's human after having so many consistently incredible releases.

I really liked andorra and all of the Manitoba stuff. But Swim is by far the best in my opinion. Leave it to a math genius to mess with your eardrums like this. Perfect...perfect...perfect!

And the Junior Boys version of Odessa is worth half the price of the CD or download.

This album has an incredible amount of depth. I think of it as one long song rather than 9 disparate pieces. A total masterpiece.

This may not be the most accessible album of the year, but it is one of the best. It's a complex dance album that isn't really for casual listening. Seeing this band makes it even better since there are sounds that are easier to appreciate in sight than in sound. Don't steal that.

I admit to being a fan of Caribou, so I was prepared to like this cd; I was not disappointed in the least. Caribou is right on near perfect on his latest disc. This is ear candy in the best sense of the phrase. Mellow , trippy, psychedelic, fanciful, freespirited, creative and alive with melodies and riffs galore! A real fun album to uplift your moods. It's been in my cd player a lot this past month. Very satisfying as an overall piece of work that ranks high on the scale of pop deliciousness that makes it all worthwhile....enjoy and often.......

I was not a fan of Caribou or Manitoba before this year, but this album really just hits all my soft spots in the right way.Sw

Tracks four and five make me think of drag queens. Love every track on album.