Better Late Than Never

I know.  Caribou was over a week ago.  I’m sorry.  I was going to post my review, then came down with what is one of the most disgusting colds I’ve ever had.  I figured you would still want the dirt on the show (not my cold), and well, here you are.

There was a surprisingly diverse crowd in attendance, yet in no short supply of the usual tights/big glasses/flats crowd.  I got word from the door person that the show was sold out and thus began having fantasies of raucousness sprinkled with light debauchery.  JPT and I waited patiently for the music to start, after getting there a smidge on the early side.

First up to bat: Emeralds (pictured below), with their unique take on kosmische.  While definitely living up to their reputation as hard-working ambient providers, the performance was difficult to dig in a standing-room only setting.  Their set was truly a tailspin of noise, the only sound not bleeding into all others being the guitarist’s wail.  While I had a hard time getting knee-deep in the grooves, I must say that technically speaking, the performance was quite good.  Emeralds were very focused on the task at hand and I think they did a good job of delivering as much stage presence as ambient music allows.

Caribou however left me feeling a bit… limp shall we say?  While I love everything Daniel Snaith, this performance just didn’t do it for me.  A peer of mine aptly described the set as “listening to the album.”  The music sounded dangerously identical to the recorded material, which is tough when it comes to dance music.

I only had the notion of a super-jazzed up performance in thanks to the press materials I so eagerly consumed (and shared) prior to the show.  Unfortunately, Snaith was the only one really delivering on the showmanship his brand of music demands.  It felt as though everybody else in the band forgot about the audience.  A quick scan of the crowd told me I was not alone.  In the center of the dance floor stood a core group of people, haphazardly fist pumping, looking around to see if the coast was clear, then either pumping with greater fury or giving up altogether.  Until that moment, I had not realized that a sold-out show at Chop Suey could be so tame.

While I was disappointed with this particular Caribou performance, I will be at their next show in Seattle, hoping for the best.

-Casey Sagisi