kyle

Niki & The Dove, the criminally catchy indie pair from Stockholm, Sweden, have been my go-to band for a couple months now. I just can’t seem to get their recent album Instinct out of my head, and the stand out track “Last Night” is fully to blame. As a whole, Instinct is perfectly intact. It rises and falls, speeds up and slows down. Therefore, “Last Night” is a perfect jumping off point for anyone to get into their music. The track starts slow, building off the perfectly timed stressed moments of singer Malin Dahlström’s subdued vocals. The beat bangs along, keeping both a slow pace and maintaing that your head keeps rising and falling. And then the song takes off in the chorus, where the rhythm and Malin’s vocals head for the sky, taking the listener to a place that only fleeting moments can take you. Malin croons with a certain swagger “Last night, we got married in a taxi … I loved you like there’s no tomorrow.” “Last Night” perfectly captures a night living solely in the moment, providing lyrics for the feelings that can be expressed and then towards the end of the song a muffled, indistinct, funky jazz break down for those certain moments that cannot be put into words.

Instinct is out now in the UK and comes stateside in August on Sub Pop. Get it!

This post has a certain duality to it that I feel I should address from the beginning. Yes I want to write about CANT, the smooth, electronic, kinda funky-jazzy side project of Chris Taylor, the bassist/producer/vocalist/blonde dude from the band Grizzly Bear. But in addition, I need to write about a special night I spent with the band, eating Spanish tapas and drinking fantastic riojas for super cheap, enjoying the company of a humble, talented human being. So let’s begin…

November was one of those months that the musical gods favored here in Madrid. In one month The Antlers, Washed Out and CANT, Neon Indian, Wye Oak, Clams Casino, Fleet Foxes and Vetiver, and finally St. Vincent and Girls all made their way through Madrid (and then in the first week of December: Toro y Moi, Battles, and Real Estate decided to come too). So obviously I was a little swamped with all the good music made available to me. But with such a great line up (I mean St. Vincent AND Girls?) in front of me, the standout show was a surprise. CANT killed it, hands down, absolutely killed it.

They had a small opening set for Washed Out and began their set to a crowd of around twenty people (Spaniards being punctual? HA!). They were alloted a small time and got right to it. Chris brought along Dev Haynes from the previously highlighted band Blood Orange to play guitar and and also had a drummer and keyboardist with him to add new depth to his mostly electronic, synthetic sound. The set was one of the tightest, most in-synch sets I’ve ever seen, and to come from a backing band that seemed to be thrown together before the tour was absolutely amazing. They were all on point and had everyone that was smart enough to come to the show on time fully entranced. Washed Out came on afterward and sadly were pathetic. In comparison they looked like rookies, with lead singer Ernest Greene pleading for the crowd to pick their spirits up and join the pop-heavy high school dance party he was trying to curate, “C’mon now everybody!!!”

After the set finished I was inspired by the state of euphoria I was in after witnessing such wonderful live music to go say thanks as the band cleared the stage. I thanked Chris and he humbly thanked me back, then I proceeded to ask him if the band had any plans for the night, and if not that I would be honored to show him around Madrid. He said they’d love to and after the show he came up and found me and from there we went.

A couple bottles of ridiculously good red wine (it was real nice to have my sommelier cousin visiting me at the time), a few rounds of tapas, and some late night churros con chocolate entertained for most the night and after that we escorted them back to their hotel. Needless to say it was a fantastic night.

But the music!! Enough bragging Kyle! CANT’s debut album Dreams Come True is an odyssey into a polyrhythmic trance of slow hip-hop drums, reverbed guitars, smooth poignant pianos, and Chris’ well-oiled and well-tuned voice. The songs are at times beautiful and haunting, raging and docile, multi-layered and straight forward. They will lull you into a stupor before building into a wallowing fury (see: “She Found A Way Out”) or build and build until you find yourself head-bobbing to smooth 80′s electro-funk singing “Each time you said you loved me, each time you said you cared/ Just love me, love me like you said.” (see: “The Edge”) The production stands out as well, with slinky synths and sonic base notes all perfectly placed by the man himself (he has also produced albums for Twin Shadow, Blood Orange, and Class Actress). Dreams Come True doesn’t lie, there is truth to be found in all ten tracks. Enjoy a taste below.

CANT – “She Found A Way Out”

CANT – “The Edge”

And the video for “Too Late, Too Far” is a fun little nightmare too!