PHOTOS BY JAMES HAMILTON

The complex arrangements of the Born Ruffians' jangly Pixies-ish sound warmed up the hipster crowd Monday night (Oct. 8) for an evening of hypnotic harmonies and honey-colored drones. But projected over Caribou on the stage of the First Unitarian Church basement were criss-crossing patterns of light and color, controlled not by anyone at the soundboard, but by the sound-waves themselves, a mirror and shadow to the music whirring and whooshing through the audience.

Dancing around digital star-bursts and haywire games of Tetris, Caribou frontman Dan Snaith led his three piece band into both poppier numbers off new record, Andorra, like sweet waltz of "She's the One" and the aptly named "Melody Day," and into the extended psychedelic epics of "Bijoux" and encore number "Barnowl." Snaith's songs, a mixture of past and present, are akin to hearing Beach Boys being picked on, and then pummeled by, Sonic Youth: sunny melodies overtaken by fuzzed-out distortion, feedback loops, and dizzying echoes. The lyrics to "Brahminy Kite" repeat the phrase, "descending all the time," but a more apt description of this band would be a constant ascension, as these songs start in climax, and keep taking you higher.

Before the show, SPIN.com had a chance to speak with Snaith to see what it was like transforming a bedroom noise pop project into a full rock band experience. "It was surprisingly natural," Snaith said. "When I create the songs, I don't think about whether or not they'll be playable live. And if they do change when we translate them, then all the better."

We asked: Dan Snaith was legally forced to change the name of his band from Manitoba to Caribou. What animal would have named the band after?

Name: Jonathan Sutherland
Age: 17
Hometown: Ambler, PA
Occupation: EMT
"Flaming Horned Elk."

Name: Evan Kent
Age: 22
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Student
"Grizzly Bear."

Name: Isaac Votta
Age: 21
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Occupation: Student
"Platypus."

Name: Jennifer Allen
Age: 27
Hometown: Harleysville, PA
Occupation: Intern at Maternity Company
"Manecoon."

Name: Lucas Saunders
Age: 25
Hometown: Oakland, NJ
Occupation: Vanguard
"Aardvark."

Name: Erin Wade
Age: 21
Hometown: Reading, PA
Occupation: Student
"Brontosaurus."

Name: Aaron Christman
Age: 19
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Student
"Platypii. The plural of platypus."

Name: Ashley Valentine
Age: 20
Hometown: Moultonborough, NH
Occupation: Student
"Seahorse."

Caribou at the First Unitarian Church / Photo by James Hamilton

Caribou bassist Andy Lloyd / Photo by James Hamilton

Caribou's Dan Snaith on xylophone / Photo by James Hamilton

Snaith and Co. leading the audience in song / Photo by James Hamilton

Born Ruffians drummer Steve Hamelin / Photo by James Hamilton

Born Ruffians vocalist/guitarist Luke LaLonde / Photo by James Hamilton