Caribou put on a fantastic show last night at the First Unitarian Church. If you want the poetic version check with Rubens, but I will say this: Drums. I’ve been having a bit of a love affair with all things rhythm lately (still dreaming of Mahogany’s bassist) and the dual drum kits last night were almost worth the price of admission. Snaith (as pointed out numerous times elsewhere) has a talent not only for crafting beautiful melodies, but also for banging out a mean backbeat. When he and Brad Weber were going at it simultaneously, everything else had no choice but to fall into place, and it did. Most shining example of the merits of having two drum kits right up front; Sandy, which they played pretty early in the set.
Now for the gripe, and I’ll keep it brief: There wasn’t enough material from Andorra. Rubens said it best when he described the show as a “greatest hits.” I know Rubens was reveling in the older songs, but I was expecting/hoping for more from the latest album. With that said, it was great to hear them play stuff that I missed when they came through last time. It was especially nice to hear a song like Crayon, which I just assumed I’d never get to hear live (and performed perfectly I’ll add). Here’s hoping that when they tour for the next album, we’ll get to hear more from Andorra. 
You can see the rest of the pictures I took in this Flickr set.
Looks like rehearsals for Caribou’s upcoming North American tour are coming along nicely. This show is sure to be one of the best this year.
…and this isn’t too shabby either.
We saw an amazing show last night at World Cafe Live. We were in the “upstairs” space which is much more restaurant/bar/lounge than concert hall, but the resulting intimacy was a perfect match for these acts. This was our first show at this space, and Heather and I were really impressed. The sound was top-notch, and it was small with a good layout, so there were plenty of clear views to the stage.
But enough about the venue, let’s type about the music! Soundpool opened the set right on schedule (a luxury when you’re used to R5 shows). I wasn’t real familiar with their music prior to the show, but I had listened to clips on their site. They channeled various bits and pieces of shoegaze standards, along with a healthy dose of early Stereolab, and they made it work. My only complaint here was that their vocals were mixed way too low compared to the album tracks I’ve heard. Still, they brought it, and I ate it up.
Mahogany went on next, and honestly, the evening could have ended with their set and I would have been completely satisfied. I’ve been chewing on this album for a couple months, and seeing them live only made me love them more. These kids (and I stress kids because they all struck me as being much younger than I imagined) are destined for great things. If they come back through Philly as a headliner (or even opening again), my tickets will be automatically deducted from my bank account.
Schnauss went on shortly after 11 and played for about an hour and a half. What can I say? The guy is a freakin’ genius. To boot, he comes off as a genuinely humble, likable guy. As I drove to the show, I mentioned to Heather that I wondered how he would handle vocals as his albums are usually punctuated with guest singers. Solution: no vocals. On the surface that may sound like a downgrade, but trust me, the songs didn’t suffer. In most cases there were new melodies in place of the missing vocals. Each track was so completely different from those on the album, it was as if he was remixing his own album, live, as we all looked on and breathed through our mouths in sheer joy.
Simply put, three awesome acts, great venue, plus an official date with my wife. It was an evening well spent.
This show was fantastic despite the horrific level of heat in the venue. I mean there’s hot, and then there’s pizza oven hot. This place fell somewhere in between. The band brought a boatload of energy which resulted in a much more “rocking” set than I was expecting, but Luke and I were in agreement that it worked on every level. These guys just love to play and it shows. If you get a chance to see them, don’t hesitate.
Photos all came out crap as I was only toting my pocket camera that night. The above photo is of a very nice, limited edition print that they handed out for free at the show. It’ll have to serve as my visual representation of the evening.
Another fine show prompted by Rubens. I only found out about this a couple hours before it started, and it was pleasant surprise to say the least. Lullatone hails from Nagoya Japan, so it’s probably safe to say they may not be back around here for a while. The show was very intimate, interactive, and joyful. If you’re not familiar with their music, check out their website. There are also a few tracks to be heard on their Virb page.
You can see the rest of my photos in the Flickr set.