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Caribou

The Milk of Human Kindness

Leaf / Domino | 2005 | Album

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In case you didn’t know (sing it to the tune of the They Might Be Giants song
“Istanbul (not Constantinople)”) . . .

Caribou was Manitoba
Now it’s Caribou not Manitoba
Why did Manitoba get the works?

That involves a frustrating law suit in the U.S. that forced Dan Snaith (late of Manitoba) to change his recording moniker to Caribou. Handsome Dick Manitoba, the frontman for punk rockers The Dictators actually sued Snaith for trademark infringement over the name. Dick (fitting name - I must say) may get to be known as the only Manitoba on his puny block, but Snaith can have the satisfaction of knowing that he has recorded another great record - no matter what name is emblazoned on the liner notes.

On his third album The Milk of Human Kindness Caribou creates a symphonic sort of electronic folk opera. Mixing the sounds of a rural natural landscape with the buzzing of an urban society, Snaith works in numerous musical genres to create his mini masterpiece. “Bees” begins as a moody take on the beats and grooves of FM music before slipping into lilting pipes backed by pumping bass line. Tune then crescendos into wave upon wave of urban jungle sounds. Think of roaring wild cats and exotic cawing birds mixing with the hum of rush hour traffic.

Other tracks such as “Hands First ” and “Brahminy Kite” are more straightforward takes on electronica but they are still easily distinguished by their energetic rolling drum beats. “Brahminy Kite” even adds a dash of cymbals and lulling muted vocals.

The ablum reaches its most sublime heights on the folky numbers “Pelican Narrows” and “Barnowl”. “Pelican” is a light bouncy number that encourages you to clap along and imagine birds in flight while “Barnowl” has an almost menacing tone and recalls the darker parts of the forest.

Viewed as a whole, The Milk of Human Kindness is a fascinating take on the way music can be mixed and melded to create a whole new entity. Snaith’s Caribou is even more of a winner than Manitoba!

Amy Wagner