CD REVIEW: ‘Swim’ barely stays afloat

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“Swim,” the latest album from Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith, better known as Caribou, is something of a mixed bag of Snaith’s now-familiar brand of kaleidoscopic dance and pop music.

One word that pops up in a lot of reviews of Snaith’s albums, both those released under the Caribou moniker as well as those released as Manitoba, is “swirling.” It really is a very apt descriptor of Snaith’s output, and is just as fitting in describing the sound of “Swim” as any previous records.

“Swim” begins with the album’s quite-danceable lead single, “Odessa.”

The song is based around a very simple, yet fractured drum loop, and an incredibly obvious bass progression that pushes the track forward.

Snaith’s vocals, which sound dangerously close to those of Kings of Convenience vocalist Erlend Øye, aren’t much to write home about, though they are a logical fit.

What really makes the track is the rather freaky high-pitched sample that stabs through the mix quite persistently. Whether it’s a heavily treated vocal sample or a synthesizer lick is uncertain, but it colors the track quite heavily and really helps it shine.

One of the biggest drawbacks about “Swim” is its rather strange choice of sequencing. The album is nine tracks long and is bookended on either side by two strong tracks. However, in between those four songs are five tracks that just aren’t that interesting and can be quite grating at times.

After trudging through the album’s weaker middle half, the listener is greeted by the beautiful “Lalibela,” a very short, simple and sweet little instrumental comprised of nothing more than a paper-thin techno beat and a reversed guitar loop. Still, the effect is quite surreal and succeeds in taking the listener someplace delightful for its two-and-a-half minute duration.

The album closes with “Jamelia,” an epic little mini-suite that goes more places in its four-minute duration than most of the album’s middle section.

All in all, “Swim” is a relatively solid listen from start to finish, despite its rather sagging mid-section. The first two tracks provide just enough momentum to get through it, though, and the spoils at the end of the record are well worth the trip.