Caribou – Our Love

Previous Caribou albums have borne out the view that Dan Snaith’s output tends to be on the ‘grower’ end of the spectrum. Our Love, Snaith’s fourth official album under the moniker doesn’t buck this trend, though it never quite reaches the peaks of its predecessors. Part of the problem is how uneven a journey it feels overall; Snaith is vocally absent for a large stretch of the ten tracks, while fully-realised, alt-dance cuts rub shoulders with half-formed song ideas which, at times, struggle to take off.

Of the former category, lead single Can’t Do Without You and second half highlight Back Home are like old friends within a few spins; of the latter, the title track is left meandering while a track named after late sound engineer Julia Brightly promises much though escapes us with the feel of a tune too busy to stay for a dance. Even so, with more pluses than minuses Our Love stacks up to an often compelling offering, yet it leaves the unmistakable aftertaste of a missed opportunity. [Darren Carle]