One More Trip Around The Sun. Cari Cari

Cari Cari entered this blog and my life with the fantastic and very energetic album 'Anaana' in 2018. The album was followed by 'Welcome To KooKoo Island' in 2022. An album that followed the same procedure but was just a little less than the official debut. That makes the third album more important. Is it a trend or a new take on the duo's music?

The first single of the album 'if u know u know' did not convince me, the second single and title song did. Add it together and the conclusion is that Cari Cari has left the musical path it was on and changed course in a dramatic way. On One More Trip Around The Sun there are at best some traces of the duo's energetic surfrock and reverb drenched music. The question is then of course, is the change successful?

Cleverly, the album opens with the title track. It has a trace of the surf guitar but also is extremely psychedelic, which brings memories of the previous two albums (and debut EP). The differences stand out a lot more, as the sound is very different and quiet, subdued. The male voice is dominant, where usually the female voice is. Two things jump at me. How psychedelic this song is, as in incorporating everything released since 1966 until today but also how mesmerising 'One More Trip Around The Sun' sounds. This is the kind of song that gets more under my skin with each listening session.

The song is the start of a musical trip Cari Cari takes me on. On two levels. The first is the makeover Cari Cari has undergone after the tour following 'Welcome To KooKoo Island' and the recording of One More Trip Around The Sun. This is simply not the same band from a musical point of view. The changes are so profound that I doubt if I had recognised the album to be Cari Cari's had I heard the album unexpectedly and without forewarning. There is more likeness to Dutch duo Donna Blue than ever before.

For level two, we get to the quality of One More Trip Around The Sun itself. I notice that with each spin I like the album better than the time before. Songs that at their primary level are not spectacular, are fantastic at the level above the chord changes. The arrangements, the inner tension Cari Cari creates, the elementary instruments that are all in their exact right place. Heck, in the final song 'Goodbye, Stranger', the duo even pulls off a successful Lana del Rey song.

The Vienna based duo Alexander Köck and Stephanie Widmer are at home in many places in the world, sucking up impressions and translating them into music. On One More Trip Around The Sun this led to a far more subtle blues / garage rock form, as in a The White Stripes and Blood Red Shoes style, then ever before. The volume is down and the band wants its fans to listen. In my 'Anaana' review I already pointed to Chris and Carla of The Walkabouts, that reference is more applicable to the duo's new album than ever before.

It is of course to early to tell, but I would be surprised if One More Trip Around The Sun would not turn out to be one of the important albums of 2025. At this point in time it's leading the pack alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order One More Trip Around The Sun here:

https://caricari.bandcamp.com/album/one-more-trip-around-the-world

TORSO. Soap&Skin

Soap&Skin staat inmiddels vijftien jaar garant voor uiterst donkere, indringende en dramatische, maar ook bijzonder mooie albums en ook het met louter songs van anderen gevulde TORSO is er weer een.

Albums met alleen vertolkingen van songs van anderen zijn meestal weinig opwindende tussendoortjes, maar het deze week verschenen TORSO van Soap&Skin valt in een andere categorie. Het alter ego van de Oostenrijkse muzikante Anja Plaschg maakte een aantal van de donkerste albums van de afgelopen twee decennia en ook TORSO is zeker niet gevuld met zonnestralen. Ook TORSO is een album waar je tegen moet kunnen, maar als je er tegen kunt is het een fascinerend album met prachtige orkestraties, geweldige zang en vertolkingen van songs die in de meeste gevallen in bijna niets meer doen denken aan de originelen. Het is aardedonker, maar ook bijzonder mooi. Zomaar een van de meest indrukwekkende coveralbums die ik ken.

De Oostenrijkse singer-songwriter Anja Plaschg leverde in 2009 als Soap&Skin een aardedonker album af. Het in het voorjaar van 2009 verschenen Lovetune For Vacuum verdreef in één keer alle zonnestralen en vulde de lucht met gitzwarte wolken. Het debuutalbum van Soap&Skin was niet alleen angstig donker, maar ook wonderschoon, waardoor het album de boeken in ging als een van de meest indrukwekkende albums van 2009.

Wat het album nog wat indrukwekkender maakte, maar wat ook wel enigszins zorgwekkend was, is dat Anja Plaschg het album opnam tussen haar veertiende en haar achttiende. Ook op het in 2012 verschenen Narrow was Anja Plaschg zeker geen lachebekje, maar het album klonk wat minder donker en eerlijk gezegd ook wat minder indrukwekkend dan haar debuutalbum.

Met het in 2018 verschenen From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend overtrof Anja Plaschg, op dat moment ook een succesvolle actrice, wat mij betreft haar debuutalbum. Ook From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend was een album met vooral donkere tinten, maar de muziek van Soap&Skin kon ook sprookjesachtig mooi klinken.

De afgelopen zes jaar was het vizier van de Oostenrijkse muzikante gericht op andere zaken, maar eind vorig jaar verscheen er eindelijk weer een nieuw album van Soap&Skin. TORSO bevat bijna een uur muziek en in dat uur muziek komen twaalf songs voorbij. Het zijn allemaal songs van anderen, waardoor het album misschien aanvoelt als een tussendoortje, maar dat is het zeker niet.

Anja Plaschg vertolkte de afgelopen 15 jaar veel vaker songs van anderen, die twee jaar geleden samen kwamen in een op een festival gespeelde set. Ze staan nu ook op TORSO, dat songs bevat van onder andere Sufjan Stevens, Lana Del Rey, Cat Power, Tom Waits, David Bowie (wat een fascinerende versie van Girl Loves Me), The Velvet Underground en The Doors.

Een aantal songs op TORSO moeten het doen met het donkere pianospel en de indringende stem van Anja Plaschg, maar de Oostenrijkse muzikante werkte ook samen met een klassiek ensemble en trekt hier en daar wat beangstigende elektronica uit de kast.

TORSO bevat misschien uitsluitend songs van anderen, maar het is desondanks een typisch Soap&Skin album geworden. Het is wederom geen album om vrolijk van te worden, want de vertolkingen van Soap&Skin zijn behoorlijk intens en indringend en vooral donker van kleur.

Achter alle donkere tinten is echter ook een hoop schoonheid te vinden. De orkestraties op het album zijn behoorlijk dramatisch, maar ook bijzonder mooi. Hetzelfde kan gezegd worden van de stem van Anja Plaschg, die in meerdere songs keihard binnen komt en die enorm is gegroeid sinds haar debuutalbum.

De Oostenrijkse muzikante is er in geslaagd om van alle songs op het album Soap&Skin songs te maken. Het levert een serie songs op die soms zo donker en intens zijn dat je er bijna bang van wordt, maar het is ook razend knap hoe de muzikante uit Wenen de songs zo heeft verbouwd dat ze nauwelijks meer te herkennen zijn.

Ik ben echt niet altijd in de stemming voor dit album, maar dat was niet anders bij Lovetune For Vacuum, Narrow en From Gas To Solid/You Are My Friend. Als ik er wel voor in de stemming ben grijpt TORSO me een uur lang op ongekende wijze bij de strot en worden de vertolkingen van Anja Plaschg alleen maar mooier, bijzonderder en indrukwekkender.

Erwin Zijleman

Cari Cari live. Bitterzoet, Amsterdam Monday 14 November 2022

Photo: Wout de Natris

Speaking of growth. Cari Cari was a nice band, somewhat subdued in the winter of 2019. Come fall 2022 the band obviously has gained experience and is far more self-confident. Despite the Covid period, everything spells more experience. The stimulus an ever more enthusiastic audience provides, no doubt adds to the interaction and thus atmosphere. At one point Bitterzoet was cooking.

With the album 'Anaana' Cari Cari came into my life in the fall of 2018. It became one of my favourite albums of 2018 and of the 10s as a whole even. Only last month, finally, the new album was released. Ten more songs to enjoy. Of course, Cari Cari could not surprise me with 'Welcome To Coocoo Island' like 'Anaana' did, but the album consolidated the band's standing with ease. So absolutely no complaints there.

Live it did as well. Those who keep a tab on this blog, know what happened on Sunday 13 November and will understand that if music was a race, Cari Cari could never win it. As music isn't a race, it still possible to go home totally satisfied, despite having seen three absolutely superior shows the day before. Cari Cari gave it its all and won me over by the song.

Photo: Wout de Natris

Live Cari Cari is not a duo but a trio. The drummer is now present for nearly all the songs. Stephanie Widmer plays drums a few songs but that it is in 2022. Guitarist Alexander Köck in all things to do with presence is leading the band. He tells his entertaining stories. Speaks a little Dutch these days, is not afraid to show it and is the show person of the band. Widmer is far more in the background but is also full of energy in all the right moments. Just less present.

Together they can cook up a storm that took Bitterzoet perhaps even a little by surprise. Slowly but surely bodies started to move more and more to finally let go in total abandon. Just like on the latest album the final song took the energy totally down, with Stephanie Widmer sitting on the edge of the stage with the audience sitting at her feet. Not me, I would never get up again, probably. Luckily I was not in front of the stage. Lucky for two reasons, avoiding the pogo and the kneeling. The result was that everyone went home totally zen despite the bursts of energy just before.

Photo: Wout de Natris

Cari Cari is a band to watch. It has the songs, that combine several musical genres in very interesting ways. The energy it is able to share with the audience also makes it a party band and great fun for festivals. The two members are both performers in their own way. Bitterzoet had sold out, with fans as I did not hear a lot of talking. A totally great experience once again. Records and live performance are fully in sync where quality is concerned.

Wout de Natris

Welcome To KooKoo Island. Cari Cari

It is about four years ago I first got to hear Cari Cari. 'Anaana' became one of my favourite albums of 2018 and of the whole 2010s. A live show in Paradiso was fantastic as well. And then came the pandemic and slowly but surely Cari Cari moved back into the mist of thousands and thousands of albums and bands. Until the summer of 2022 when the digital version of Welcome To KooKoo Island landed in my inbox.

The first listen was a disappointment. There's no denying there. In the second things slightly changed and by now the album can't get itself out of my player. Welcome To KooKoo Island is totally addictive. Perhaps slightly more laidback than Anaana, although that may be more due to the energetic live show than to the actual album.

Cari Cari is a duo that came out of Vienna but decided to become globetrotters. Undoubtedly, like everybody else they were limited in their trotting in the recent years. This album was created in London, Hamburg and Madrid. Not exactly Australia but still more than most people can claim in the past few years. Stephanie Widmer and Alexander Koeck are musical and life partners and together are responsible for all you hear and see.

Promo photo

Their music is a perfect blend of surf guitar, exotic and modern rhythms and mystery. For those who remember The xx, that kind of mystery in music. The reverb on the guitar is what sets the main atmosphere. Fans of Dutch band Donna Blue will recognise it for certain. Cari Cari lays down the 1960s French sigh girl music a lot less obviously into its music. The fact the duo recently played a few support slots for another Dutch band, My Baby, is more understandable.

By alternating the lead vocals, Cari Cari makes the album unpredictable. What to expect next? Of course this changes after the umpteenth listening session. The variation remains. I simply love how the mood changes between the songs. A sound rocking song like 'Bubu Fire' goes down extremely well after the dreamy and beautiful 'Around The Bend'. With each song Cari Cari touches the right snare, reverberating deeply within me. The only exception is the final song, ballad 'Departure from Kookoo Island'. It's too dreamy to my taste. That is the only thing I can hold against this album.

Overlooking it all, Welcome To KooKoo Island is a glorious return for the duo. This is an album that I will keep playing for a long time, just like its predecessor 'Anaana'. The only question remaining will it get as many hits as 'Anaana' did on this blog? That album remains one of the best read ever posts on this blog.

Wout de Natris