Caribou / Manitoba (Dan Snaith) - Classic or Dud?

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There have, obviously, been several threads about Dan Snaith over the last four years or so, both pre-and-post name change, but they've always concerned specific albums (or the name change farrago). So i think, four albums and numerous other singles and tour EPs in, it's time for a straight up Classic or Dud.

Unsurprisingly I'm picking Classic without hesitation. Start Breaking My Heart I thought was a nice little organic electronica record with some excellent little jazzy horns on the side, but from Up In Flames onwards he's been blowing my mind with frightening regularity. The Milk Of Human Kindness took me a while to get into, but might be my favourite now (if I didn't adore Andorra so much, nor have such fond memories of those first few listens to Up In Flames).

His production is exemplary, and getting better - sonically the new album is absolutely fantastic, although none of them have been less than "very good". Plus, as Geir as it sounds, I think he's getting melodically better too; Andorra is much less about joyous textures and drum rolls than it is about "songs" (even though it's still MASSIVELY about joyous textures - the bass and horns in Eli are astounding). The opening line of Sandy is one of my favourite pieces of music from the whole of last year; there was nothing on SBMH, UIF or MOHK like that, because it was the whole aesthetic that was generally appealing.

In fact, Dan Snaith might be my favourite... composer(?) of the 00s. It's probably between him and Patrick Wolf.






So, Manitoba / Caribou - what say you?

Scik Mouthy, Friday, 18 January 2008 09:45 (5 years ago) Permalink



Scik Mouthy, Friday, 18 January 2008 09:45 (5 years ago) Permalink

sometimes classic sometimes dud.
a bit overrated imo

Zeno, Friday, 18 January 2008 10:37 (5 years ago) Permalink

"Andorra" is a real grower...like it a lot

sonnyboy, Friday, 18 January 2008 11:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

Dunno if I can say "classic" yet, but definitely not a dud. Though he is improving with every album he puts out, which is a rare and wonderful trait.

Telephone thing, Friday, 18 January 2008 11:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

any good live? wondering whether i should go see him play tmr night.

Roz, Friday, 18 January 2008 13:21 (5 years ago) Permalink

Amazing live ... much better than on record. A lot noisier, two drummers = live madness, etc.

NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:00 (5 years ago) Permalink

Only "Milk of Human Kindness" is a classic, his other albums are too patchy. "Andorra" was too maximalist for me, but "Milk of Human Kindness" had more of a focus on rhythm, with some very Can-esque moments to balance things out rather than bells-ringing psych-pop from start to finish.

NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:04 (5 years ago) Permalink

See, I'm of the mind that Up in Flames is his only front-to-back classic. Still one of my favorite records of the '00s. Milk of Human Kindness never really clicked with me, though I've given it plenty of time to sit. Andorra is fantastic as well, though slightly less so than Flames.

jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

classsssic
theres plenty to love on andorra and human kindness but yea up in flames is best. i always forget what start breaking my heart sounds like.

sleep, Friday, 18 January 2008 15:36 (5 years ago) Permalink

I find UIF a little too ADHD for me these days; I like the space, calmness and lower-keyness of MOHK and Andorra more, I think.

Hearing Dirtroad for the first time though, fucking hell...

Scik Mouthy, Friday, 18 January 2008 15:48 (5 years ago) Permalink

Start breaking my heart is a straight up classic. Sparse, fast and clever.

UIF is fairly patchy imho. MOHK a bit mawkish, as in it's not a clear progression on from UIF. Andorra is just fantastic. So dense and well thought out.

Roz, did you see him live? I've seen him a few times and he's great fun. Got to talk to him a bit after the last gig. Very friendly guy!

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 10:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

I still need to hear Andorra. I'm in the "Up In Flames = flawless" camp (no better album for lazy summer driving), but Milk of Human Kindness never really clicked with me.

bernard snowy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:05 (5 years ago) Permalink

I'm not mad about the 2007 Tour CD. I probably just need to give it another couple of goes.

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:14 (5 years ago) Permalink

I'd love to get my hands on real copies of both the tour CDs. Does anyone know where they can be bought online?

Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:16 (5 years ago) Permalink

Posteverything.com? That's where I've found his stuff before.

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:22 (5 years ago) Permalink

(In return could you tell me where you found your drop leaf table that I saw in the record collection thread? I am having a doozy of a time tracking one down!)

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:23 (5 years ago) Permalink

I'll have a look at Posteverything.

Table = http://www.johnlewis.com/Home+and+Garden/Dining+Room/Dining+Room+Furniture/Tables/173/230176366/Product.aspx

Tesco and Argos online both do similar ones that are much cheaper (and feel it).

Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:26 (5 years ago) Permalink

The 2005 one is deleted, and they don't have the 2007 one. Hmph. Have to set-up an ebay search.

Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:28 (5 years ago) Permalink

You can have my signed one (including his usual sketch of manic Dan) for a million dollars. Bargain.

Cheers for tip about table. No John Lewis here but I'm sure they deliver.

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:30 (5 years ago) Permalink

They do indeed. The amount of John Lewis stuff in our house is unbelievable. (My girlfriend worked for their outsourced online ordering system for ages, so when we bought a house she was all like "we NEED this table and these placemats, I've sold loads of them".)

Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:33 (5 years ago) Permalink

Happy days! I unfortunately seem to have missed the sales. Also broke from builders. Still, it'll all be a distant memory in a year or two. Hopefully. Must get a Bob :)

kv_nol, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:52 (5 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

Exciting new album news! Pfork's take:

Monday, January 25
Caribou Reveals New Album
Hear the first track now Caribou Reveals New Album

2007's Andorra, the last album from Dan Snaith's ever-mutating psych-pop project Caribou, appeared on our year-end list and won Canada's Polaris Music Prize, so hopes are high for the follow-up. That follow-up will arrive April 20, when Merge (in North America) and City Slang (in the UK and Europe) releases his new album, Swim. The 4/20 release date feels oddly appropriate.

Snaith recorded the album in Wales and in Junior Boy Jeremy Greenspan's Hamilton, Ontario studio. Guest stars include a quartet of Toronto free-jazz horn players and Born Ruffians' Luke Lalonde, who sings closer "Jamelia". At this site, anyone who gives an email address can download opener "Odessa".

In a statement, Snaith described the album's sound thusly: "I got excited by the idea of making dance music that's liquid in the way it flows back and forth, the sounds slosh around in pitch, timbre, pan... Dance music that sounds like it's made out of water, rather than made out of metallic stuff like most dance music does."

Swim:

01 Odessa
02 Sun
03 Kaili
04 Found Out
05 Bowls
06 Leave House
07 Hannibal
08 Lalibela
09 Jamelia

I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Monday, 25 January 2010 15:08 (3 years ago) Permalink

EXCITING

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 25 January 2010 15:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

Between this, Four Tet and Spoon, I'm really looking forward to the first 3-4 months of 2010.

I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Monday, 25 January 2010 15:20 (3 years ago) Permalink

Stop being me.

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 25 January 2010 15:21 (3 years ago) Permalink

Liking Odessa.

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 25 January 2010 15:28 (3 years ago) Permalink

glad for this thread, 'cause i always get caribou/manitoba and four tet confused. two new threads for two new discs will help keep it all straight in my head.

Daniel, Esq., Monday, 25 January 2010 15:36 (3 years ago) Permalink

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 25 January 2010 16:45 (3 years ago) Permalink

one of my fav dudes in the game 2day

thank u 4 being a fiend (m bison), Monday, 25 January 2010 16:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

anyone know of any Four Tet and Manitoba/Caribou collaborations? i have one remix they did together of the Notwist song "This Room" that is ridiculously good.

Moreno, Monday, 25 January 2010 16:56 (3 years ago) Permalink

There used to be a Manitoba remix of Hilarious Movie Of The 90s floating around.

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 25 January 2010 19:53 (3 years ago) Permalink

xp the Four Tet remix of Melody Day is beautiful

Salvador Dali Parton (Turangalila), Monday, 25 January 2010 20:48 (3 years ago) Permalink

Odessa sounds quite good. The late April release date has me pretty excited too. I'm could definitely go for some early springtime cruisin' to the new Caribou!

dynamicinterface, Monday, 25 January 2010 21:49 (3 years ago) Permalink

vocal sounds very erlend oye

out comes stanley, Monday, 25 January 2010 22:59 (3 years ago) Permalink

Four Tet mix of Melody Day seconded, it really is something special:

a black white asian pine ghost who is fake (Telephone thing), Tuesday, 26 January 2010 02:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

So I went back and listened to Milk of Human Kindness after dismissing it long ago for not sounding more like Andorra. Everyone up thread who were championed this were totally right. I don't know that I'd say I'd prefer it over Andorra, or even Up in Flames (easily two of my favorite albums of the past 10 to 15 years) but this ranks right up there.

Dan Snaith is dream a boat I tell ya.

dynamicinterface, Tuesday, 26 January 2010 04:43 (3 years ago) Permalink

Just realised that Swim comes out just before I get married. Nice.

brain thoughts (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 26 January 2010 07:40 (3 years ago) Permalink

cover connection

mdskltr (blueski), Thursday, 28 January 2010 20:20 (3 years ago) Permalink

Odessa sounds quite good. The late April release date has me pretty excited too. I'm could definitely go for some early springtime cruisin' to the new Caribou!

― dynamicinterface, Monday, January 25, 2010 9:49 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

is that song streaming somewhere online?

Dr. Goon Medicine Woman (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 28 January 2010 20:36 (3 years ago) Permalink

Never mind streaming; download the damn thing here - http://www.caribou.fm/swim_download/

No, YOU'RE a disgusting savage (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 28 January 2010 21:16 (3 years ago) Permalink

sweet thx nick

Dr. Goon Medicine Woman (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 28 January 2010 21:54 (3 years ago) Permalink

odessa is funky and kind of gangster

cholula bankhead (m bison), Saturday, 30 January 2010 17:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Dan did this grrrrreat mix for his Nightmare Before Christmas day, well worth checking out: http://www.atpfestival.com/assets/cariboumix/index.html

Jamie_ATP, Tuesday, 15 November 2011 18:19 (1 year ago) Permalink

Jamie will you be at NBC?

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 15 November 2011 19:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

yes indeed, might even be djing if there's a free slot somewhere

Jamie_ATP, Tuesday, 15 November 2011 19:17 (1 year ago) Permalink

Bonza, see you there.

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 15 November 2011 19:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

Has anyone been peeping Dan's dance edits on the Resista label under his "Daphni" alias? They've been pretty killer so far and i like that his love for African music translates into some very dancefloor friendly edits of songs by Balla et ses Balladins and the like. and then the track he just dropped on Jiaolong, which uses an Analog Africa track for some heavier techno business, is easily one of my favorites for the year.

beta blog, Tuesday, 15 November 2011 20:56 (1 year ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

This Daphni remix of an old Malian disco track is all percussivey and great:
http://soundcloud.com/sofrito/niama-makalou-et-african-soul

Doch! (seandalai), Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

Need to check that out. I see that they are doing some dates as Radiohead's opening act, and previously remixed Radiohead.

curmudgeon, Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

Didn't really know this guy until Swim, but have since been checking out the back catalog which I like even more.

the prurient pinterest (Hurting 2), Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:40 (1 year ago) Permalink

Up In Flames is still one my favourite things ever

Number None, Thursday, 15 March 2012 17:22 (1 year ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

^^ cosign! love this one forever.

ilxor, Sunday, 8 April 2012 19:20 (1 year ago) Permalink

I gather Dan was recording Caribou material early his year. I love this dude.

Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Sunday, 8 April 2012 20:31 (1 year ago) Permalink

I'm not on this thread making Chapterhouse jokes? How? Or was that another thread?

Heard "Sun (sunsunsunsunsunsunsunsun)" in the pub the other night, which was a bit of a headphuck. Someone in my local boozer is determined to make sure I spend more time in there.

Popcorn Supergay Receiver (Masonic Boom), Sunday, 8 April 2012 20:58 (1 year ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

daphni album yeah awright damn

http://www.factmag.com/2012/07/24/caribou-side-project-daphni-announces-full-album/

mod night at the oasis (NickB), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:17 (9 months ago) Permalink

that daphni emeralds remix is still one of my favourite things this year. WCC you def need to hear that!

mod night at the oasis (NickB), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:19 (9 months ago) Permalink

Yes? What? Hello? Did someone call my name? I've only heard one Daphni track but this is relevant to my interests.

Also, Dan Snaith needs to stop raiding my cupboard because he is wearing my shirt in that photo.

I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 08:26 (9 months ago) Permalink

Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here? (Daphni Mix)

mod night at the oasis (NickB), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 09:07 (9 months ago) Permalink

Yeah, I found it. It's nice, but it's too... too clean? I don't know. I might come back to it when I'm in a different mood because it seems like the sort of thing I would like if I were feeling more pristine.

I want to smother him in electronic butter. (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 09:08 (9 months ago) Permalink

The tracks I've heard are suuuuper minimal, like, hilarious. I love it

Ówen P., Wednesday, 25 July 2012 14:59 (9 months ago) Permalink

Sinkane - Runnin' (Daphni mix)

...builds up something awesome.

misty sensorium (Plasmon), Monday, 6 August 2012 02:36 (9 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Daphni album streaming here: http://www.residentadvisor.net/feed-item.aspx?id=53133

fish frosch (seandalai), Monday, 1 October 2012 15:37 (7 months ago) Permalink

can't find the streaming link - do I need to "join" to be able to see it or am I just dumb?

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 15:40 (7 months ago) Permalink

lol, there is a REALLY shitty metal band on Spotify with the same name

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 15:41 (7 months ago) Permalink

There should also be a link from the RA front page? I'm not signed in or anything.

fish frosch (seandalai), Monday, 1 October 2012 15:44 (7 months ago) Permalink

I think I might just be missing plugins on my work browser.

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 15:46 (7 months ago) Permalink

really like jiaolong on first listen

heiswagger (rennavate), Monday, 1 October 2012 16:01 (7 months ago) Permalink

what I mean, fwiw, is that I get the page that says "RA Exclusive: Stream Daphni..." but there's nothing on the page to actually stream, that I can find. Is it some kind of player?

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 16:05 (7 months ago) Permalink

Looks like a Flash plugin, I think.

fish frosch (seandalai), Monday, 1 October 2012 16:11 (7 months ago) Permalink

ah, flashpwned again

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 16:12 (7 months ago) Permalink

So it's basically a more griddy and less interesting Four Tet. That makes me sad. I wanted to like this more.

Sexy Data Scientist (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Monday, 1 October 2012 16:25 (7 months ago) Permalink

Yeah I'm enjoying this but I'm not in love with it by any means.

comedy is unnatural and abhorrent (Scik Mouthy), Monday, 1 October 2012 19:04 (7 months ago) Permalink

aw, i had my hopes up for this after loving yeye and the emeralds remixes

DJ Mooncup (NickB), Monday, 1 October 2012 19:05 (7 months ago) Permalink

I often find this with Manitoba, though. That if I hear just one track, I'm all "yeah, this is the best thing evah!" but it doesn't really hold my attention for a whole album's length. So I'd probably like them in other contexts, i.e. if they were in a DJ set or something.

Sexy Data Scientist (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Monday, 1 October 2012 19:07 (7 months ago) Permalink

TMI: manitoba is good sex music

has important things to say about gangnam style (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 October 2012 19:10 (7 months ago) Permalink

Really liked the Daphni record, reviewed it here, was clearly battered the night before judging by the sentence length lol:
http://crackmagazine.net/music/daphni/

Blue Collar Retail Assistant (Dwight Yorke), Tuesday, 2 October 2012 09:56 (7 months ago) Permalink

Bows is the best sex music. But that's probably for another thread.

comedy is unnatural and abhorrent (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 2 October 2012 09:58 (7 months ago) Permalink

What is this sex you speak of?

Sexy Data Scientist (White Chocolate Cheesecake), Tuesday, 2 October 2012 17:00 (7 months ago) Permalink

It's like wanking but more socially awkward.

comedy is unnatural and abhorrent (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 2 October 2012 17:04 (7 months ago) Permalink

so outside of the singles "ye ye" and "yes i know" i find this daphni pretty disappointing...

heiswagger (rennavate), Tuesday, 2 October 2012 17:05 (7 months ago) Permalink


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