Caribou | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Dan Snaiths early recordings as Manitoba underlined his status among the chattering electronic classes as one of the brightest talents to emerge during the early 2000s. Having already proved himself master of the sublime with his 2000 debut EP, People Eating Fruit, the Canadians subsequent Pauls Birthday EP opened him out even further. After moving to London, he released an excellent second album, Up in Flames (2003), that saw him become a darling of critics. One year later, however, Snaith was forced to give up the name Manitoba after Dictators frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba sued for trademark infringement, despite the passing of 15 years since the release of the only material under his name. Snaith renamed his project Caribou, his two previous full-lengths were reissued under the new moniker, and he released his first new Caribou album, The Milk of Human Kindness, in 2005 for Domino. Snaith moved to Merge for 2007s gorgeous Brit psych-influenced Andorra -- which won Canadas 2008 Polaris Music Prize -- and 2010s more dancefloor-oriented Swim. Shortly after the release of Swim came two lesser entries in the Caribou discography, the self-explanatory Swim Remixes and a busy live album entitled Caribou Vibration Ensemble, both released in 2010. The latter found Snaith conducting a 15-piece ensemble that included four drummers over the course of several live dates in 2009. It would be four years before the sixth Caribou studio album emerged with the bouncy underwater rhythms of 2014s Our Love. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Start Breaking My Heart Released: 2001-03-26 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:43:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dundas, Ontario (04:23) 2 People Eating Fruit (06:11) 3 Mammals vs Reptiles (04:47) 4 Brandon (05:23) 5 Children Play Well Together (03:06) 6 Lemon Yoghourt (02:24) 7 James Second Haircut (04:15) 8 Schedules & Fares (05:13) 9 Pauls Birthday (06:56) 10 Happy Ending (03:02) 1 Victor and Carolyn (05:57) 2 218 Beverly (05:30) 3 Evan Likes Driving (10:07) 4 Anna and Nina (05:40) 5 Dundas, Ontario (remix) (05:05) 6 Tits and Ass: The Great Canadian Weekend (04:46) 7 Webers (05:28) 8 If Assholes Could Fly, This Place Would Be an Airport (04:48) 9 Air Doom (02:28) 10 Ach Who (07:34) |
| Start Breaking My Heart : Allmusic album Review : Its closer to Elliot Smith than Coldcut, and about as stable as a bull in a china shop full of unlistened to copies of Kid A, but this is the sort of production that niftily stands for modern solo meloncholists with more to offer than a co-option of Warp back catalogs and egregious MOR. Responsibility for it goes to Torontos Dan Snaith, a 20-something musician whose work is both technical enough for scholastic jazz ears and organic enough for acoustic traditionalists. Beats spring about but dont go all clickety spangly. Homespun tunes swoon and sway but never whine. The work here is so good that you no longer have to eternally connect the words "classically trained" with pompous incompetence. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: Up in Flames Released: 2003-03-31 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ive Lived on a Dirt Road All My Life (05:36) 2 Skunks (03:46) 3 Hendrix With Ko (03:57) 4 Jacknuggeted (03:29) 5 Why the Long Face (00:44) 6 Bijoux (04:18) 7 Twins (01:46) 8 Kid Youll Move Mountains (05:01) 9 Crayon (02:40) 10 Every Time She Turns Round Its Her Birthday (07:49) |
| Up in Flames : Allmusic album Review : A one-man pop band, Dan Snaiths Manitoba project distills everything thats breathtaking and slightly absurd about several extremist alternative-pop movements of the 90s: the jangly white-noise of classic Too Pure/Beggars Banquet records (Pram, Stereolab); freewheeling pastoralia from Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips; and the warm 60s bubblegum of prime Elephant 6 pop music. But despite the parade of influences (many of them quite clear), Snaiths productions definitely arent simply recycling these; his tracks are vibrant and imaginative, calling on fuzzed-out guitar solos and summer-day vocals that recall a raft of solid shoegazers. And unlike a lot of top-heavy albums, Snaith saves one of the best for last: "Every Time She Turns Round Its Her Birthday," a rewrite of Mercury Revs "Chasing a Bee" that does the masters proud. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: Tour CD 2005 Released: 2005-04-15 Tracks: 7 Duration: 58:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Mix (36:28) 2 Bloody Murder (02:19) 3 Medium Sized Working Dog (Steady Steady) (07:02) 4 Cardiff (00:51) 5 Raspberry (03:02) 6 The Snow Capes (03:33) 7 Sinuses (04:54) |
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: The Milk of Human Kindness Released: 2005-04-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Yeti (05:01) 2 Subotnick (01:05) 3 A Final Warning (07:15) 4 Lord Leopard (01:37) 5 Bees (05:23) 6 Hands First (00:29) 7 Hello Hammerheads (02:42) 8 Brahminy Kite (05:22) 9 Drumheller (01:33) 10 Pelican Narrows (03:50) 11 Barnowl (05:50) |
| The Milk of Human Kindness : Allmusic album Review : Dan Snaiths recordings as Manitoba exuded a flair for recycling the most enthusiastic of early-90s indie rock within the context of a one-man production band. Slightly naïve and only a passable songwriter, he nevertheless compensated with his gushing productions and the sort of breathless vocals that only a newcomer can imbue with such pleasure. After dealing with a slight setback (Handsome Dick Manitobas baffling appropriation of the name, which led to Snaiths subsequent rebirth as Caribou), he proves on The Milk of Human Kindness that his compositional powers have grown during his five years on the scene. (The seven-minute "A Final Warning," with its smooth, ebb-and-flow glissandos, is easily his most accomplished production yet.) Unfortunately, although Snaith may sound novel expanding upon his indie forebears of ten years ago, when he begins conjuring the ghosts of Krautrock ("A Final Warning," "Bees") or trip-hop ("Lord Leopard"), as he does here, hes entering the company of talented producers who have ploughed the same ground (Stereolab and DJ Shadow, most obviously). The opener and first single, "Yeti," is one of the prime disappointments, a one-note rocker that attempts to strike the same chord as Snaiths previous classic "Hendrix With Ko" with nothing like the same results. Similar however, to what happened on Up in Flames (his final Manitoba record), dedicated listeners will find excellent material on the second half of the record. As Snaith straightforwardly hums his choruses on the minimalist folk of "Hello Hammerheads," or conjures Robert Wyatt with the eccentric, driving pop of "Brahminy Kite," he shows that he still has plenty of room to roam to be bothered messing around with second-rate imitations of long-dead styles. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: Marino Released: 2005-11-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Barn (04:53) 2 Marino (05:56) 3 Handelschnapp (03:30) 4 Sunsesame (04:11) |
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: Andorra Released: 2007-08-17 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Melody Day (04:11) 2 Sandy (04:09) 3 After Hours (06:15) 4 She’s the One (03:59) 5 Desiree (04:11) 6 Eli (03:04) 7 Sundialing (04:40) 8 Irene (03:38) 9 Niobe (08:51) |
| Andorra : Allmusic album Review : As Dan Snaith became an accomplished producer with his Manitoba and Caribou albums of the 2000s, the breathtaking vitality of his early work gave way to music that may have been more accomplished, but was never as interesting or as fun to listen to. Andorra is just the kind of break with the past that he needed after 2005s relatively lackluster The Milk of Human Kindness. His first album on Merge, its less a collection of innovative sounds and productions (like The Milk of Human Kindness) and more an album of songs, united by his motivations and desires. These tracks are first and foremost songs -- and not just because Snaith is singing a bit more. Theres less of a "programmed" sound, although the productions are dense with tape cut-ups, layered harmonies, and various percussion lines threaded through the mix. And the sheer strength of the material is immediately apparent when the opener, "Melody Day," reveals itself as the best moment in Snaiths career. First of all, it sounds like it was recorded in 1966 by a British band that just missed the cut for the Nuggets, Vol. 2 box set, recalling 60s touchstones like the Move or Soft Machine. Not strictly a throwback, though, its ineffably crisp and kaleidoscopic production style ranks with the best of Dungen or Fiery Furnaces or Animal Collective (which is high praise indeed). Andorra may be a bedroom record, but it certainly doesnt sound like a bedroom record; it has the energy and intensity of group participation, and that makes it Snaiths best yet. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: Tour CD 2007 Released: 2007-09-25 Tracks: 7 Duration: 55:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Mix (33:37) 2 Seven Oaks (01:52) 3 Yo‐Yo (06:05) 4 Stones (01:54) 5 Woodcarver Steiner (03:18) 6 Shim Shimmer (06:55) 7 Hummingbird (02:11) |
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Swim Released: 2010-04-16 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Odessa (05:15) 2 Sun (05:44) 3 Kaili (04:42) 4 Found Out (03:18) 5 Bowls (06:21) 6 Leave House (05:12) 7 Hannibal (06:15) 8 Lalibela (02:25) 9 Jamelia (03:58) |
| Swim : Allmusic album Review : Dan Snaith is not the kind of artist who likes to take an idea and stick with it until he runs out of gas. Throughout his decade-long career under the name Manitoba and now Caribou, his output has retained the same inner core of hooky melodicism and sonic experimentation, but he’s hopped from sound to sound on each release. The album previous to 2010’s Swim, Andorra, won him the most praise he had seen to date with a richly layered sound that added elements of 1960s British psych and folk to some tightly structured and memorable songs. Swim takes the seemingly illogical step of stripping away most of the layers, stretching the songs out, and leaving the stuffy 60s sitting room for a glittering, pulsating dancefloor. Not that he’s completely left behind the Andorra sound; there are moments, like on the chorus of "Kaili," where it is obvious you are listening to a record by someone who has a deep knowledge of Wimple Winch B-sides. What becomes clear after the first listen or two though is that Swim combines all the elements of Caribou’s past (the left-field IDM of Start Breaking My Heart, the shimmering neo-shoegaze of Up in Flames, the spare Krautrock on Milk of Human Kindness, and the songcraft of Andorra) into a compelling batch of songs that sound good over headphones and might even work better in a club full of discerning dancers. The arrangements are predictably inventive and suitably thoughtful, with plenty of odd sounds and an interesting juxtaposition of instruments, but there’s a slinky groove underpinning the bulk of the record that will get feet moving. The funky, late-night groover "Odessa" could be a hit too in some magical land where dance music fans reward sincerely weird songs with chart success. So could "Leave House," a super-catchy dance-pop track that sounds like a classic Hot Chip jam, all rubbery bass and surprisingly forceful pop-soul vocals. The rest of the album is filled with quietly stunning songs that are dazzling on the surface, but also reward close listening. So even though you could call this move toward the dancefloor a surprise, Swim retains all the qualities that make Snaith and Caribou so impressive. It just dresses them up for a night out at the club; no, make that a great night out at the club. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: Tour CD 2010 Released: 2010-04-20 Tracks: 7 Duration: 1:09:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Mix (47:02) 2 Selfish Boy (05:16) 3 Yusef (01:57) 4 Cellophane (03:06) 5 Sea Rea (03:45) 6 Gebre (04:07) 7 The Dauphin (04:36) |
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: Caribou Vibration Ensemble Featuring Marshall Allen Released: 2010-09-01 Tracks: 8 Duration: 55:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Every Time She Turns Round Its Her Birthday (08:45) 2 Hendrix With Ko (04:32) 3 Sandy (04:25) 4 Skunks (06:14) 5 Barnowl (10:42) 6 Melody Day (05:11) 7 Brahminy Kite (05:26) 8 A Final Warning (09:51) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: Swim Remixes Released: 2010-11-01 Tracks: 3 Duration: 19:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Found Out (DJ Koze remix) (09:05) 2 Jamelia (DJ Koze’s Alarmclock) (03:59) 3 Odessa (DJ Koze’s Campfire) (05:57) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Our Love Released: 2014-10-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Can’t Do Without You (03:56) 2 Silver (05:16) 3 All I Ever Need (03:52) 4 Our Love (05:34) 5 Dive (02:06) 6 Second Chance (04:00) 7 Julia Brightly (02:03) 8 Mars (05:45) 9 Back Home (03:33) 10 Your Love Will Set You Free (05:47) |
| Our Love : Allmusic album Review : Electronic artist Dan Snaith, working as Caribou, produced brilliantly abstract albums for more than a decade, moving from the glitchy weirdness of his 2001 debut, Start Breaking My Heart, into more delicate mergers of organic sounds and electronic production, with his 2007 standout album Andorra and its more psychedelic follow-up Swim in 2010. The move toward the dancefloor that was hinted at on Swim is brought into full focus on sixth full-length Our Love, a collection of ten powerful grooves that still manage a bit of Snaiths trademark psychedelic production. The underwater-sounding loop of electric piano and slowed-down vocals that begins album opener "Cant Do Without You" lingers for a while in a soft, welcoming way, setting the tone for a good minute and a half before the songs beat drops, offering the most good-natured take on a house track imaginable. Covered in aquatic phaser effects, the song builds to anthemic heights before settling back into softness for the end. Snaiths falsetto vocals throughout the album seem to find the middleground between James Blakes moody mysteriousness and Arthur Russells curious wonderment. Standout tracks like "Silver," or the lovely title track, find Snaiths airy vocals floating atop a web of steadfast beats and murky vocal samples. Unexpected snippets of string samples, 80s-sounding electronic percussion, and disconnected voices come in and out of the picture, with songs seamlessly blooming from blurry bedroom productions into full definition dance tracks. Snaiths ear for pop hooks keeps even the harder-edged tunes here catchy, as with the hypnotic but ever melodic forward push of "Your Love Will Set You Free." All told, Our Love stands as the most straightforwardly danceable Caribou album to date, but holds on to both the experimental bent and composition-minded musicality that helped build the projects one-of-a-kind sound world. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: CVE Live 2011 Released: 2014-10-10 Tracks: 3 Duration: 27:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bowls (08:42) 2 Ahmed, Colin, James, Kieran, Kyle, Rob and Steve (05:16) 3 Sun (13:22) |