If it wasn't true, it would beggar belief... Young, talented independent songwriter/producer (Canadian-born, London-based Dan ‘Manitoba’ Snaith), gets subpoenaed by one of the original New York punks (Handsome Dick Manitoba, of The Dictators) for… trademark infringement. Sounds crazy, right?

Despite Handsome Dick never having released an album under the actual Manitoba name, he showed no signs of backing off, and Snaith was forced to make a decision. Rather than face a US court case he couldn’t afford to lose, Dan Snaith reluctantly bowed to the veteran punk’s legal demands, and changed his nom de rock to Caribou. No news yet on whether the remote Canadian province of Manitoba (whence Snaith took his moniker) is planning on changing its name…

Disillusioned, but resolute, Snaith took the blows in his stride. After four years of making music part-time, touring on college breaks while completing his PhD in Mathematics, his studies were coming to an end. From looking forward to concentrating full-time on music, he was suddenly back at square one, having to re-write his artistic history and start afresh. Working on his third album, the stakes suddenly seemed a lot higher. The music mattered more than ever.

Each of the three Manitoba/Caribou albums is highly distinctive. Start Breaking My Heart (2001) rivaled the likes of Boards of Canada for exquisite melodies and a yearning sense of nostalgia, while the critical and commercial leap forward of Up In Flames (2003) was like being unleashed in an unparalleled, magical fairyland of riotous, ecstatic sound. The band toured the world for a year (in bear masks) to captivated audiences, performing with peers and heroes like Stereolab, Prefuse 73, Four Tet and Broadcast. The live touring trio for Up In Flames involved two drummers, alongside the blinding day-glo shimmer of electronics, guitar, glockenspiel and keyboards. It was all about expressing a.......
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Caribou to nie jest wcale żaden atol zajęty przez rebeliantów na Pacyfiku ani nazwa najnowszych perfum. Za nazwą Caribou kryje się kanadyjski matematyk (!) Dan Snaith, znany wcześniej wielu jako Manitoba. Niestety Handsome Dick Manitoba to nazwa innego, starego projektu punkowego, który zawłaszczył sobie tą nazwę i zaczął z tego powodu stwarzać problemy także Snaithowi, który w końcu zrezygnował z tej nazwy i przemianował swój muzyczny projekt właśnie na Caribou.

Manitoba jest więc teraz Caribou, a Caribou zaczyna dokładnie tam, gdzie skończył Manitoba, mianowicie w komponowaniu chyba najbardziej interesującej elektronicznej muzyki ostatnich kilku lat. Caribou brzmi, jakby dzisiaj mogli brzmieć Chemical Brothers, gdyby po "Surrender" nie obrali złego kierunku - drogi szybkiego ruchu. Albo jak radosne spotkanie NEU!, Prefuse 73, Briana Wilsona i Simona & Garfunkela pod wpływem nieodkrytego jeszcze zioła. Ale także to porównanie nie wystarcza.

Elektronika na "The Milk of Human Kindness" jest zręcznie i bardzo pomysłowa wpleciona w strukturę piosenek. Caribou nie jest też artystą laptopowym lecz w zasadzie żywym zespołem z dwoma zestawami perkusyjnymi. Ten album jest jak psychodeliczna cisza przed burzą, spokojny i zredukowany, jednak trzymający w napięciu i wzmagający ciekawość słuchacza...





If it wasn't true, it would beggar belief... Young, talented independent songwriter/producer (Canadian-born, London-based Dan ‘Manitoba’ Snaith), gets subpoenaed by one of the original New York punks (Handsome Dick Manitoba, of The Dictators) for… trademark infringement. Sounds crazy, right?



Despite Handsome Dick never having released an album under the actual Manitoba name, he showed no signs of backing off, and Snaith was forced to make a decision. Rather than face a US court case he couldn’t afford to lose, Dan Snaith reluctantly bowed to the veteran punk’.......
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