Caribou
Caribou is Canadian Dan Snaith (b. 1978), who formerly recorded under the moniker Manitoba. Known for altering his sound with each subsequent release, he incorporates electronic psychedelia, krautrock rhythms, and breakbeat drums and creates a swirling, lush, musical panorama.
Snaith grew up in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, which gave its name to a song from his debut album Start Breaking My Heart. He studied at the University of Toronto as an undergrad, but was based in the UK for several years until he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Imperial College, London in 2005.
Snaith previously recorded under the stage name “Manitoba”, but changed it under threat of a lawsuit by Handsome “Dick” Manitoba, frontman for The Dictators, a punk-rocker with an appetite for litigation. Uninterested in the legal stoush, Snaith is quoted saying that he chose the new moniker “Caribou” while on an LSD trip with friends in the Canadian wilderness.
He has recorded four full lengths: Start Breaking My Heart, a jazzy, “folktronica” idm album, Up In Flames, the critically acclaimed shoegazer with analog synths and sometimes live, sometimes sampled drums, The Milk of Human Kindness, his krautrock-inspired album that bleeds 70’s prog and 70’s drugscapes, and the psychaedelic pop record, Andorra which landed him the prestigious 2008 Polaris Music Prize on September 29th, 2008.
His eclectic live performances are renowned, in part for their use of simultaneous drummers and synchronised visuals. The live band currently consists of Dan Snaith (guitar, keyboards, vocals, drums, flutophone), Ryan Smith (guitar, keyboards), Brad Weber (drums) and John Schmersal (bass, vocals).
Discography / Main albums
2001. „Start Breaking My Heart“
2003. „Up In Flames“
2005. „The Milk of Human Kindness“
2007. „Andorra“
2010. „Swim“
