Fuck Buttons and Caribou at The Paradise

Fuck Buttons



Caribou

I know I just posted a review about Fuck Buttons' Street Horrrsing less than 24 hours ago but that's the only reason I found out about this show. By searching the web for an image of their album cover, I discovered they were about to go on stage in Boston in 2 or 3 hours. So I obviously needed to rush down there as soon as possible and secure a ticket and a spot right up front. It was so coincidental the way it happened and I'm really happy it turned out the way it did. Otherwise, if I had known about this show weeks in advance, I wouldn't have gotten any sleep due to my sheer excitement.

I would think that Caribou fans would really enjoy Fuck Buttons. They both are melody driven with occasional bouts of fierce drumming. But apparently that's not the case. I guess Fuck Buttons is just too harsh for the delicate ears of Caribou fans because as far as I could tell, nobody was pleased with what they were hearing. Clearly, these people don't know good music when they hear it. One kid who was standing next to me was explaining to his friend who arrived after Fuck Buttons finished playing that "they didn't even have any real instruments. It was just electronic button mashing noise." Evidently, drums, keyboards, and microphones aren't "real instruments." I assure you, live Fuck Buttons is just as good, if not better than studio recorded Fuck Buttons. It does not sound like "electronic button mashing noise." It sounds (to steal a quote from Pitchfork) "like the sun rising over the ocean... then going supernova." It's having your ear drums explode from beautiful noise.

I need to admit something. I only found out within the past few months that Caribou is actually the new name of the guy previously known as Manitoba. I had been digging Manitoba's Up In Flames forever, not paying any attention to whether or not any of his new material was coming out. Then by some strange accident, I found out that Manitoba changed his name to Caribou. Now it all makes sense! Although, it didn't really change anything because I still haven't heard anything from Caribou proper. That is, until last night. Caribou was pleasant and wonderful, everything I expected them to be. They haven't changed too much of their sound since Up In Flames came out, which I was thankful for. I wasn't expecting was two drum kits, however. That made for some fierce drum-duels. I also didn't expected to hear much from Up In Flames, seeing that it's been out for 4 years, but I was surprised to hear quite a few tracks form that album. Also, they had a projection that was timed perfectly in sync with their music. I'm still not quite how they did it. I think the drummer had an earpiece so he was able to time everything correctly from the start of each song. It made for a great audio-visual experience. Now I think I'll need to go hunt down some real Caribou.

Fuck Buttons and Caribou are still touring so you have a chance to catch them when they come around.