Andorra - Caribou

Andorra

Caribou
Domino Records.

SCQ Rating: 61%

Perfection looks better on paper than it sounds on record. How is that so? Because it doesn’t translate: you cannot write the perfect song without at least one x-factor lending you a hand. Every purportedly perfect recording has been aided by one of the following: a revolutionary approach to production, catching a rising trend in culture or sound (possibly by accident), having a distinct voice or musical ability that stands clear of the pack, having a killer back-story, or touching upon something that is timeless or timely that neither performer nor audience could’ve anticipated. What x-factor helped Loveless or Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Tonight’s the Night or Kid A? It’s seemingly impossible to pinpoint… which is why making a thesis out of the x-factor theory is so easy to stand by. For those who need another example of how perfection doesn’t cut it on record, look no further than Andorra; a record that boasts fresh songwriting, universal lyrics and immaculate production to such a degree that it sounds positively sterile.

For a man of Dan Snaith’s talents, who once masterfully filtered psychedelia and krautrock into pastoral electronica, to try to recreate a Zombies’ album gives new depths to the notion of ambition. One of the first things you’ll notice about Andorra is that it’s absolutely mesmerizing to hear. Strings are exhaling and flittering like birds dispersing, chimes and xylophones are clattering like wedding bells excitement, while auxiliary percussion and bass are mixed to be as unobtrusive as possible. I could be speaking about nearly any of these nine tracks, but ‘Desiree’ encompasses all that sugar best. Truth is, outside of the catchy ‘Eli’ or Milk of Human Kindness-era ‘Sundialing’, none of these tracks warrant particular attention since they all sound so damned alike. While ‘Melody Day’ or ‘Sandy’ are great tracks to play guests during your next pre-drink session, I wager you’ll be playing them because you know the inherent truth (and weakness) of Androrra: none of these songs grow beyond the glimmer of their first spin.

I respect Dan Snaith. I’ve listened to him reshape what I knew pop music to be and I’ve seen him absolutely rock three venues with his live full-band performances. And I respect that he tried to write and perform perfection on his own, without any aid of or luck from an x-factor. Yet without the grit of his previous fusions or the arrangements that blended catastrophe with harmony, Andorra is Snaith’s first project where he utilized his PHD in mathematics instead of his heart. These songs are a show-off of precision and multitasking; beyond that, they’re a total bore.