Net Music Review

Swim by Caribou

Caribou's 2010 album, "Swim" has taken the term IDM or "Intelligent Dance Music" to a whole new level, Dan Snaith is a Canadian who studied and gained a doctorate in Maths from Imperial College London and now resides in the UK. Snaith has been releasing music now under the moniker "Caribou" and previously "Manitoba" for the last ten years and has been quietly gaining critical acclaim whilst steadily expanding his fan base. All that could be about to change though as this could be seen as something of a breakthrough, after 2008’s Polaris Music Prize (The Canadian version of the Mercury Prize) winning album "Andorra". "Swim" consistently charted in best of lists for 2010 including "The Guardian" and our very own "Net Music Review"!

Snaith had previously stated he wanted to create dance music that sounds more like water than metal and he goes someway to fulfilling that aim. Opener "Odessa" kicks off with a plodding but phat bassline that sets the tone for the rest of the album, electronic beeps and percussion almost create the illusion of running water if you close your eyes and allow your imagination to run wild. Snaith’s vocals serve to create a sense of foreboding with his whispered, almost falsetto style and seem to deal with loneliness and loss. "Sun" adds to the feel of a watery backdrop with its swirling synths and understated bass with a swing inspired beat, add into the mix snippets of vocals and it could be the perfect accompaniment to a sun down moment in Ibiza. Following on from this is the synth drenched "Kali" which could be "Sun Pt2" but manages to distinguish itself by creating a rhythm from the bouncing synths and minimal percussion. "Found Out" creates a much darker atmosphere than what has come before, with Snaith’s vocals combining to create a sense of paranoia. "Bowls" takes this theme one step further and seems to borrow from fellow Canadian electronic music pioneer Platikman, the creeping bass line and echoy percussion merging almost into one to create a musical version of a nightmarish trip.

The dark, sombre mood is lifted however by "Leave House" with its more up-tempo beat and wind instrument samples, but you are left in no doubt that the sense of doom could come back at any moment with the oppressive bass line. On "Hanibal"the influence of Plastikman can again be heard, the minimal synths and drums only interrupted by a soothing brass section that could have you drifting off to sleep if you’re not careful, such is it s anaesthetic quality. "Lalibella" serves somewhat as an interlude before the albums finale, an almost formulaic slow dance track which even has hints of Dario G in it! This shouldn't put you off as it does develop into something quite special and acts as a well timed break from some of the more oppressive beats that have gone before. The album closes with "Jamelia" featuring vocals from Luke Lalonde, starting slowly the track builds into a crescendo of synthesisers that is quite spellbinding. It is perhaps the ultimate expression of Caribou's desire to create dance music sounding like water, synth, bass and percussion melting into one another sounding like water running wild, unconstrained by any boundaries.

For those of you who like straight up, thumping dance music, this may not be for you, however, for those who like a but more depth and substance this is definitely one to listen to. No other dance or electronic album of 2010 will provoke your imagination to run wild than this.