The Dodos - Carrier

‘Carrier’, the fifth album from The Dodos, is a tribute of sorts. A creation borne of grief, a product of coping, or perhaps a toast to a departed friend - in 2011, Chris Reimer, touring guitarist, died in his sleep. The Dodos’ Meric Long says he reassessed his writing process after working with Reimer, and ‘Carrier’ is the first record where his songs began life on an electric guitar rather than acoustic.

It’s a step away from the indie-folk of 2011’s ‘No Colour’, but not a departure from the band’s core sound. Which is just fine. And although some of the songs deal with loss - there is even one titled ‘Death’ - the album as a whole doesn’t feel a maudlin affair. There’s a clarity and lightness to many of the baroque guitar lines, as if they’ve floated off a mountainside. But there are also sudden bursts of intensity. ‘Confidence’ speeds up in steps, adding distortion and pace until eventually reaching a Krautrock-like peak.

There are clever lyrical references to Reimer’s death, Long repeatedly asking questions he knows won’t get answered while expressing moments of doubt. The music itself does offer some sort of response, however, its driving force appearing to try to get the band to move forward, to reach a better place.

Of course, this is not an album entirely devoted to the memory of Reimer, there are other themes and influence at play. But considering the impact he had on the band and the quality of this record – it is among The Dodos’ best work – ‘Carrier’ is a fitting eulogy.