Miike Snow appeared earlier this year as a near-anonymous trio of Swedes with a name that looks like a typo and a logo that looks like a jackalope. But despite the humility, the three multi-instrumentalist members of Miike Snow sport some serious A-list credentials. Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg are also known as the production team Bloodshy and Avant. Together they’re responsible for “Toxic,” the 2004 Britney Spears hit that even Britney Spears haters like. They’ve also worked with Madonna, Kelis, Kylie Minogue, and numerous other pop stars. Miike Snow singer Andrew Wyatt was in lesser-known bands the A.M. and Fires of Rome, but he’s well connected. Among other projects, he wrote songs for the surprisingly enjoyable Hugh Grant–Drew Barrymore movie Music and Lyrics.
But don’t let all those mainstream names throw you off; Miike Snow does not make pop fluff. The band cites the experimental Animal Collective as an inspiration and has been trading remixes with the avant-pop likes of Vampire Weekend and Peter Bjorn & John. What’s more, there’s a dark current running underneath all the catchy choruses on Miike Snow’s debut album. The oddly self-conscious narrator of “Animal” (“I change shapes just to hide in this place/ But I’m still just an animal”) turns out to be one of the happier characters. “A Horse Is Not a Home” begins with Wyatt singing, “Oh God, I think I’m dying.”
Jack Peñate also performs.
MIIKE SNOW: The Casbah, Monday, October 5, 8:30 p.m. 619-232-4355. $13.
Miike Snow appeared earlier this year as a near-anonymous trio of Swedes with a name that looks like a typo and a logo that looks like a jackalope. But despite the humility, the three multi-instrumentalist members of Miike Snow sport some serious A-list credentials. Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg are also known as the production team Bloodshy and Avant. Together they’re responsible for “Toxic,” the 2004 Britney Spears hit that even Britney Spears haters like. They’ve also worked with Madonna, Kelis, Kylie Minogue, and numerous other pop stars. Miike Snow singer Andrew Wyatt was in lesser-known bands the A.M. and Fires of Rome, but he’s well connected. Among other projects, he wrote songs for the surprisingly enjoyable Hugh Grant–Drew Barrymore movie Music and Lyrics.
But don’t let all those mainstream names throw you off; Miike Snow does not make pop fluff. The band cites the experimental Animal Collective as an inspiration and has been trading remixes with the avant-pop likes of Vampire Weekend and Peter Bjorn & John. What’s more, there’s a dark current running underneath all the catchy choruses on Miike Snow’s debut album. The oddly self-conscious narrator of “Animal” (“I change shapes just to hide in this place/ But I’m still just an animal”) turns out to be one of the happier characters. “A Horse Is Not a Home” begins with Wyatt singing, “Oh God, I think I’m dying.”
Jack Peñate also performs.
MIIKE SNOW: The Casbah, Monday, October 5, 8:30 p.m. 619-232-4355. $13.
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