Hello, and welcome to the first post of the blog! I’ll be breaking great albums down track-by-track while adding other comments about them that I feel like bringing up. A final rating will be posted at the end on a scale of 1-10. Without further ado, the first album to be discussed is Swim, an electronic album by Caribou.
Odessa: The album’s opener that begins the album strongly. Layering the interesting multifaceted instrumental with lyrics about a crumbling relationship, a recurring theme for the album, the song makes a strong first impression.
Sun: The only lyrics of this song are repetitions of “sun” with vocal effects and distortions, but what the song lacks in lyrical substance is made up for by the production of the song. It can be repetitive to some, but is a personal favorite of mine.
Kaili: This is the weakest track, as it feels like an entire song full of buildup without a substantial payoff. There are also quite a few sounds near the end that I find particularly grating. The lyrics themselves about a failing relationship are decent, but nothing to write home about.
Found Out: This song vastly improves over the previous song, as it has a more structured instrumental and lyrics that, while straightforward, continue the theme of dysfunctional relationships.
Bowls: The first instrumental song of the album, and the best track in my personal opinion. It has a very exquisite oriental sound that makes its 6-minute run time pass extremely quickly.
Leave House: This song opens with a nice flute and an upbeat sound. But underneath the beginning is a sinister underlying bass synth line and contrasting lyrics that further detail a deteriorating relationship.
Hannibal: This track is interesting in the way it is structured, as it starts out with an instrumental composed of a variety of instruments, but adds vocals much later in the song. While this is a unique format, the instrumental drags on just a bit, but not enough to make the song bad.
Lalibela: Another instrumental that, while short, has a nice atmosphere that definitely makes it worth a listen. The hums that follow a minute of the synth and drum beat make the song especially pleasant to hear.
Jamelia: The final song with a great buildup, and while the payoff isn’t as grand as other tracks, it works better than “Kaili” as the tune is dynamic rather mostly static. Aside from a few grating violin noises, the song is a decent closer.
Another thing of note is that while the album sounds amazing no matter how you listen, it sounds the absolute best with headphones. On certain tracks such as “Found Out” and “Hannibal”, the sound rotates between earphones, much like the actual sensation of swimming. This adds an extra touch to the album that makes it all the more satisfying to listen to.
Overall, Swim gets a solid 9/10, a definite recommendation!
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