summer soundtrackin' : caribou.

ok, so 'odessa' won me over from the instant i heard the horn infused spirally trip happy pscyadelia indie dance jam back in the spring. and then when i finally downloaded his latest effort, 'swim,' i was equally pleased. but i gotta admit, i kinda listened once or twice, agreed with some pals that 'yeah, this record's really good for sure!' but then shelved it on account of it not being the hardcore make out session soundtrack i had hoped it to be. (god i'm lame). anyway. i knew and still do now know better. i had been a casual follower of mr. daniel victor snaith since i checked his 12 inch for 'yeti' and 'the milk of human kindness' back in my days of wrst fm and i knew he was good shit.

how good though? well, if monday was any inclination, i gotta give homeboy mad props. his electronic orchestration and layers of intimate, yet bass thumping dance happy psychadelic indie pop are delectable, hypnotic and enchanting, all whilst being uber hip.monotone, yet airy vocal work, it entices even the most casual fan to listen in closer, to observe what this mysterious little white guy is humming about.

checked the free set at millennium park this past monday along with the budos band (who surprisingly wowed my guts out! felt like i had time traveled into the 1960's into a british spy mystery with all the brass and horn works that was going on. very jim jarmusch's 'broken flowers,' i felt as if winston had burned me a mystery mix cd, but nope, it was just the budos boys with the help of some of sharon jones's dap kings, GOOD STUFF).

totally rambling. but let me just get to the gist here. caribou was amazing live. me and my girls had a massive happy dance party on our wine and grass stained bed sheets. barefoot boogying. starburst snackin. chocolate chip cookies and merlot. a tail gating blanket bash. ideal summer soundtrack. when 'odessa' came on, i lost my shit. at one point my friend turned to me, all smiles, clapping with her cute indie haircut, 'oh wait a minute, we're like 4 minutes into this song and i realized it's not really a dance song! why am i clapping?' BECAUSE YOU'RE ADORABLE AND WE ARE HAVING FUN AND IT DOESN'T MATTER. shit was so fun.

i really think you all should go listen to 'swim' if you haven't already. it really is a fine collection of art, regardless of whether or not you've got a lip smacking partner nearby. perfect for a summer time jam soundtrack, 'specially live.

millennium park in the summer is like, really fun, dudes.

so love 'em or hate 'em, she & him brought in half the goddamn city of chicago under age 35 last night at millenium park's downtown sounds series. arriving an hour early, i was fortunate enough to nab a spot on the grass towards the back big enough for my greasy wine stained sheet and 4 partners in crime to accompany me. lots o' fruit snacks, red wine, salt & vinegar chips and tacos, we were set. i wasn't really caring too much for the show itself, but moreless forcing myself to be social and whatnot.

i gotta say, though, she & him had definitely upped the ante from the last time i caught 'em at sxsw 2 years back. neither deschanel nor ward were much for banter other than a few generic, 'chicago its so great to be here's,' but that's ok. the sun was shining, the grass was green and the skies were blue. sunlight reflected off the aluminum sculpture beams and later on, as the sun set, the sky transitioned into a dark violet and orangey hue, shimmering off the chicago skyline buildings. it was pretty. the set was over an hour and i picked up on the two singles from volume 2 including that sun song (it's alright, it's ok) and thieves which is slowly growing on me. plenty of covers were accounted for including 'why do you let me stay here,' 'sentimental heart' -(sadly, without the luda version, STOP MOVIN SO SLOW I GOT MOUFS TO FEED, this track ain't as delectable as i'd like it to be) and the closer 'i put a spell on you.' as much as zoey pisses me off with her 'look at me i'm so indie and adorable but better than you'ness, girl's got pipes. a good wine buzz complimented my experience and i just gotta say i'm happy my homies got my back.

this summer's line-up looks pretty rad, though. lemme know if any of ya'lls wanna be my date for the following:

Thurs 6/10 Bassekou Koyate - 6:30 PM
Mon 6/14 Cool Kids - 12:00 PM
Mon 6/14 Great Lake Swimmers - 6:30 PM
Mon 6/21 Dosh - 12:00 PM
Mon 6/21 The Books - 6:30 PM
Mon 7/5 - Thermals - 6:30 PM
Mon 7/12 El Guincho - 12:00 PM
Mon 7/12 Caribou - 6:30 PM
Mon 7/19 High Places - 12:00 PM
Mon 7/19 Kid Sister - 6:30 PM
Mon 8/2 - VHS or Beta - 12:00 PM
Mon 8/16 - The Juan Maclean - 12:00 PM
Mon 8/16 - Lost in Trees - 6:30 PM