Record companies are spending a lot of money these days to produce well behaved bands so that they sound like indie artists. Those of us in the indie scene find it kind of funny. Why not just go to the indie artists themselves? There are a ton of musicians out there who aren’t weighed down by big record deals producing some pretty innovative stuff. Take Caribou, for example. Great songs, great vibe. You can get a taste of psychedelic bliss without having to deal with the unpredictability of the real thing. After all, that’s the role of an artist – to explore those unpredictable and sometimes dangerous corners of the inner and outer world, and to report back, to try and communicate what they’ve found to everyone else. That’s something I haven’t seen a lot of the major players doing lately, and if that attitude of playing it safe and pleasing a bunch of corporate dinosaurs is what mainstream rock and roll has resigned itself to, then I look forward to its demise. Check out the video, and listen to a few of their tunes. Sure, there’s a hint of low production quality there, but does it matter? I think it adds a little charm when you know it’s real. Thanks to my friend Curtis, who originally tuned me into these guys a while back. I didn’t listen too closely back then, but liked what I heard, and it’s good to see they’re still kicking around.