Miike Snow: The Radio-Ready Gamble

 By Anika RastgirFriday, March 04, 2016Whenever I listen to catchy, highly produced electronic music, I’m wary about how the sounds will translate to a live show. Miike Snow, a Swedish electronic-pop band, had just released several songs from their latest album the day of their concert at the Warsaw. Beyond well-known tracks like “Animal” or “Song for No One” from their eponymous first album Miike Snow, I looked forward to hearing the brand new cuts from their newest album, iii, for the first time live.iii’s release comes four years after their previous album and builds upon the same pop-electronic trend. While I tend to stray away from more pop-based vocals, I listened to “Genghis Khan” an embarrassing amount of times on repeat. Andrew Wyatt croons about a love scorned man using Genghis Khan as an adjective for his extreme jealously (kind of thinking of incorporating the term into my regular vernacular except I don’t think anyone is currently feeling Genghis Khan levels of envy about anything in my life). His words and song concepts are not particularly complicated and usually revolve around love and lovers.Danceable songs with radio-ready hooks are littered throughout iii. Besides “Genghis Khan,” songs such as “Back of the Car,” “My Trigger,” and “The Heart of Me” showcases Miike Snow’s pop savy. The concert itself was strongest when Miike Snow stuck to these types of songs. The packed crowd in Brooklyn’s Warsaw danced along to songs from iii and gems from previous albums such as “Paddling Out.” Similar to the some of the songs on iii, it contained a catchy chorus that the audience shouted out in near perfect unison.  While the slowed down “I Feel the Weight” is a favorite of mine on the album, it did not work as well for the audience (neither did an ad-lib attempt in the form of a Donald Trump joke). Instead most simply started looking at their phones or left to get a beer, waiting for a song that would allow them to continue their dance marathon.I enjoyed the latter parts of “Silvia” and “Paddling Out” that focused on the electronic backing rather than the vocals. During the concert, Wyatt’s voice was rather flat and did not carry the same nuance that it did in the album recording. I acknowledge that it’s incredibly difficult to transfer the musical depth of a studio recording to a live performance when the vocals are noticeably manipulated (especially for ears like mine that have also have had the privilege of listening to more than their fair share of talented vocalists). Hopefully as he gets more into the groove of performing his newest album live, he will be able to modulate his voice and add in the dynamism that makes iii an engaging listen. Wyatt had the strongest performance in “Animal,” his most recognized song from the band’s self-titled debut, not a surprise given the song is one of the band’s most recognizable.If you are looking to have a fun night out dancing with friends, definitely go to a Miike Snow concert. Those looking for more vocal depth or even fans of iii, may find more pleasure from listening to the album with a decent pair of headphones in the confines of their room like I did.