yccmb: Remix Me. I'm Going In...#2: Manitoba

Stupid computers. I just finished typing this wonderful long post and boom, Internet Explorer goes and closes itself. I know, I know, get a Mac, shut up. Don't wanna.

Anyhoo, today's post was themed upon the theme of Manitoba. This is nothing to do with the state (indeed our heroes emerged from Ontario), nothing to do with the Frank Black song (lovely thought it be), nor, contrary to opinion in some quarters, Handsome Dick Manitoba. I say in some quarters, I mean in Handsome Dick's quarters, as he sued our protagonist for infringing upon his surname. Yes, really. We are of course referring to Mr Dan Snaith, formerly Manitoba, now recording as Caribou. No word on whether the species is preparing a class action.

Why am I talking about Manitoba today then? Well, I thought I'd rashly plunge headlong into a new feature based on Saturday's Four Tet post. For contained within the shiny, white double-sleeve of Remixes/Remixed are the works of a veritable multitude of fine artists - some with whom I'm familiar, some not. I'm going to take a look at each and let you know the down low, and hopefully teach myself a thing or too also. True. I'm not going to post every track from the album though, sorry.

So Manitoba eh? They remix Hilarious Movie Of The 90's here - dream ticket, two of my favourite acts together at last. I tend to lump the two in together sometimes, but in reality they have their similarities, but also some significant differences. Where Four Tet is quite organic, Manitoba/Caribou is maybe the most natural sounding electronica you could hope for, with actual, traditional song structures, vocals, (almost) discernable lyrics, harmonies, everything.

In fact, there are some beautiful songs right here. Across Snaith's last two albums (2003's Manitoba offering Up In Flames, probably the best work he's done, and 2005's The Milk Of Human Kindness (as Caribou)), he's produced some wonderfully-warped pop music spilling out of the cracks between some huge beats and some dazed, muggy-sounding, dreamy vocals. It's all pretty accessible - for me a good thing, much as I normally tout a the-difficulter-the-betterer toeline. I like my out-there music to work a little bit in here as well *points to both head and heart*. M/C has something for the mind to get to grips with, the freewheeling trumpets, the complex beats, the delicious overall haziness. But it also touches the heart like a proper songster would, and like few beat-artists do, with actual, beautiful, often aching vocal touches. It doesn't matter that the words are indistinct, not in the slightest.

I'm going to post the tracks I put on my first podcast: from Up In Flames, maybe my favourite drum track in the world (Cherry Bomb), and from Caribou, maybe an archetypal Snaith moment on Pelican Narrows.

The Music

Manitoba - Cherry Bomb
Caribou - Pelican Narrows

The 'fo

Artist: Manitoba/Caribou

Website: caribou.fm

Recommended: Manitoba - Up In Flames

Label: Leaf

Buy: Amazon; Posteverything

More: Hype Machine M/C; elbo.ws M/C

If you like this you might like: Clue To Kalo - One Way, It's Every Way

Tags: Four Tet; electronica; remix; Manitoba; Caribou; Dan Snaith