Populations

'Washington DC's the Caribbean formed out of the ashes of two of the city's most prominent indie-rock bands, the Townies and Smart Went Crazy. Their self-released debut EP arrived at the end of 1999, and the group signed to Winnipeg's Endearing Records for their first full-length album Verse By Verse, which was released in spring 2001. The Caribbean's pursuit of a musical career well-removed from the scene as such - a part, yet apart - is an understandable approach, finding the balance between living life and pursuing the muse. As backstory it adds a certain air to hearing their work but ultimately it must stand or fall on its own merits, and Populations shows again that the group is enjoyable. The feeling of the songs parallels that of Lifter Puller and the Hold Steady; while Michael Kentoff is singing over much different music than that which Craig Finn likes, both aim for a certain kind of observational reflection via sometimes quietly dramatic lyrics that read as very short stories more than as "poetry," as such. Similarly there's a self-awareness at play near-constantly -- to quote from "The Ill-Fated Cougar," "I wonder if they'll manage to find all of our half-inch tapes in the dust. Yeah -- what a world they'll hear."' - All Music Guide