It List: Monday

Caribou/Fuck Buttons (the Loft): The last time I saw Caribou perfom was at The Loft last fall, and I'd be lying if I told you that the whole thing wasn't disappointing for the most part. The WSJR crew had caught Caribou a couple times before then (including a fantastic show at Hailey's with Junior Boys and Russian Futurists a couple years back), and each time I saw them, I found their sets to be completely mind blowing. The stunning, Kraut inspired electro found on 2006's Milk of Human Kindness translated into live performance amazingly well, thanks in part to solid on-stage visuals and two excellent live drummers pounding away at all the little Neu!-esque rhythms found in Caribou's better material. Last year, however, Dan Snaith and company shifted to a more psyche-pop oriented sound on their highly acclaimed 4th album Andorra, and although the album was tightly constructed and insanely catchy, it seemed that the band's stage show might have suffered a bit from their move towards pop music. Whereas the older Caribou shows featured all pre-recorded vocals, samples and bass parts, the new Caribou was a full live band playing more "band" oriented music. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to pack the punch that the earlier set up did, however good they might have been in the big scheme of things. I don't know what Caribou's set up will be like tonight, but I'm inclined to find out. Fuck Buttons burst into the collective indierock conscious this year with Street Horrrsing, an album that sounds like harsh noise for people who listen to house music. Seriously, a lot of the record sounds like it was created with dance music sitting quietly in the background, waiting to strike but never really getting the chance. Add in the fact that the first minute of album opener "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" reminds me of the theme music for Goonies, and I think you got something good. I'm looking forward to seeing just how much tension these guys are able to create in the never tense Loft.

Fuck Buttons (Good Records): Free In-store starts at 5pm, so get there fast people.

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (House of Blues): If I have to explain this group to you, then please get off my website. You might be taking your chances seeing them at the frustratingly sterile House of Blues, though, so plan accordingly.

Mum/Tacks, the Boy Disaster (Granada): I've never had the chance to see Iceland's Mum live before, but I'm curious to see whether they come off as charming or obnoxious. Their sort of unclassifiable electro/ambient/pop songs are usually at least somewhat interesting.

Cool Out (The Cavern): Tonight is Schwa's birthday, so if you're an irregular Cool Out attendee like I am, tonight might be a fun night to go.

Paul Slavens (Dan's Silverleaf)