It’s sometimes astounding to remind yourself that the lush orchestrations contained within any Caribou album — especially 2007’s Polaris Prize winning Andorra — are created by one man in his apartment. But tonight, Dan Snaith is living out the Arkestral dreams with a 15-piece band who not only bring to life all the different sounds he’s been exploring on Andorra, but taking what we’ve come to know and love as Caribou to ecstatic new musical heights.

And so what is essentially a dress rehearsal for their Flaming Lips-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties performance this weekend in Monticello, NY, is also a totally unique treat for the hometown crowd. Taking up the entirety of the Opera House stage, Snaith and his usual players Ryan Smith and Brad Weber are joined by folks like Kieran Hebden (a.k.a. Four Tet) and Jeremy Greenspan (of the Junior Boys), as well as three drum kits, vibes, organs, a four-piece horn section, congas and a gong! From the opening drum fill to “Everytime She Turns Around it’s Her Birthday” (off 2003's Up in Flames) the ensemble’s vibrations shake the venue right down to its foundations — especially when Snaith abandons the organ for a seat behind the third drum kit to build the song into a trancey jam.

Though the massive wash of ensemble noise is powerful, much subtlety is lost when all three drum kits are going strong and cymbals are competing for high frequency space with two guitars and electronic noise. (Cymbals Eat Guitars isn’t just a clever band name, you know.) The beauty of Snaith’s arrangements comes out in the quieter moments, like a horns-and-drum breakdown, or the plink-frenzy opening to “Bijoux.” Thus the male falsetto choir on a mellowed out arrangement of “Melody Day,” is one of the evening’s highlights (even if the mics aren’t on through the first half of the first verse).

But the full-scale jams are still the most fun. “Sandy” sounds triple-powered from the version I heard during the band’s secret Rivoli gig back before Andorra came out, and the drum jam attains Boredoms-worthy orgiastic intensity during “Skunks.” On the vocal front, “Eli” greatly benefits from the added singers, and Greenspan reassuming his rightful place as lead vocalist on “She’s the One” (a role normally handled on tours by bassist Andy Lloyd) provides a perfect example of arena-worthy doo-wop falsetto, which is augmented by some stellar soprano sax (the Coltrane kind, not that of Kenny G).

Needless to say, Caribou Vibration Ensemble is more proof of Snaith’s ability to realize even the most sonically ambitious endeavour. This is definitely the kind of project that will make Wayne Coyne proud. Who’s up for a road trip to New York?