1. Caribou – Andorra
December 22, 2007
Time for a cliche, this album gets better every time I hear it. And I have listened to it a lot because it is so good. The artist formerly known as Manitoba has created a masterpiece of music. He blends 60′s style rock with an electronic sound to make the most delicate and beautiful music I have listened to in a long time. Once you add in the lyrical stylings to the mix, you get just about the perfect album.
This album has 3 songs in my top 5 songs of the year and no other album has more than one. That is the level this album is at. Melody Day starts off the album with a ruckus and a surprise, which leads into the very 60′s sounding Sandy. You are then bombarded with a dramatic beat to start off After Hours which evolves throughout the song through both the music and lyrics. Then you get to the top song on the album, She’s the One. You have listen to it, because I can’t say enough about it. The album could easily trail off from there, but instead keeps going on strong with the quiet start of Desiree. A note, Desiree doesn’t end quiet, especially with the inclusion of the classical hints throughout.
We then get to another 60′s influenced song with Eli. This is the weakest song on the album, but still is great. Are you noticing a trend yet? Even the “bad” on this album is better than almost anything this year. Sundialing comes up next with a strong beat that continues to evolve. For those of you who prefer the earlier sound of Caribou, Irene gives you some of that as well. Then the album ends with the epic sound of Niobe, lasting nearly 9 minutes.
This album is great, if you have not listened to this you owe it to yourself to. It is my top album of the year and to be honest, it wasn’t even close.