Dan Snaith, the man responsible for the one man electronic experiment Manitoba (he was forced to change the name to Caribou thanks to a lawsuit brought "aboot" by one 'Handsome Dick' Manitoba), was born in Dundas, Ontario Canada to two mathematics professors.
After some critically acclaimed EP's and two albums as Manitoba, he released the Milk Of Human Kindness as Caribou, and to tell you the truth I was a little underwhelmed. Although sonically impressive, I felt it lacked cohesive tunes and focused a little too much on the production, which overwhelmed the entire album.
So needless to say I was a little reticent to give this one a listen. With little to no expectations, I put it on the other day while driving and from the first track, Melody Day, I knew this was going to be different.
The songs (and it needs to be stated that these are indeed SONGS, first and foremost), are brilliant, with definIte echoes of mid to late 1960's first rate psychedelia complimented by modern sounds and crisp, state of the art production techniques. The whole album has a much more organic sound quality to it which makes this his most accessible (although I highly doubt you'll be hearing this one on commercial radio) disk to date.
It is rich with gorgeous harmonies (even some 'la la la la's' thrown in for good measure!), creative drumming (Dan IS a very accomplished drummer, after all), and boundless energy.
I have listened to this album 5 times so far, trying to find a track that is not a stadout, and I come up empty every time! This, in my humble opinion, is one hell of a great record and possibly the best release in 2007.
But be warned that this is not an album you can preview in 30 second snippits on itunes. It needs to be consumed whole, in one sitting preferably, to really get it.
So, if you still have family members asking you what you want for Christmas, tell them Andorra by Caribou.
You will not be disappointed.
(Stand out tracks include, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, the following: Melody Day, After Hours, Eli, Sandy)
1 hour ago
2 comments:
Sounds like I need a copy!
You do, Phil. I absolutely concur with everything Uncle E has stated in his review.
I've always felt that "electronic" music is inherently psychedelic... and this album is one of the finest examples of the possibilities of using loops and samples and machines to update a sound that has remained relatively unchanged since 1967.
Can't recommend this enough!
Post a Comment