Merge Records

Caribou

Caribou
About a year ago, Caribou mastermind Dan Snaith couldnt swim. On a good day, he might get a decent doggy paddle going but, really, he could barely stay afloat. All that changed when his wife got him swimming lessons for Christmas. Then I became completely obsessed with it and now I swim constantly, he says. The only times I really left the house in the past year were either to go out to a club late at night or, in the middle of making music during the day, Id go to swim every day. It was important to get some distance, and ideas would percolate around in my head as I was swimming away. So it seemed like a theme that was appropriate.

With its absorption of club culture sounds weaved within subtle pop frameworks, Swim is Caribous masterpiecethe record hes wanted to bring to fruition for as long as hes been making music. A Canadian from small-town Ontario now based in England, Snaith has been a leading figure in electronic music over the past decade. A mathematics scholar and an ingenious multi-instrumentalist/composer, he surprised critics and fans with 2007s Andorra, a brilliant, electro-tinged pop breakthrough with a timeless grace that made most year-end Best of lists and won Canadas prestigious Polaris Music Prize. After the startling infectiousness of Andorra, Swim is a more complex, multi-layered affairripe with fascinating rhythms, instrumentation, and vocals (including those of Born Ruffians Luke Lalonde, who appears on Jamelia)that becomes more alluring with each listen. And its got Caribou floating.

The real substance of the sound of the record for me is this idea of making dance music that consists of liquid elements, Snaith explains. Rather than sounding metallic and rigid, everything is washing around you while youre listening to itfrom one ear to another but also the pitch is oscillating up and down, and each instrument is going in and out of tune with everything else. Sounds are emerging and disappearing, like everything is made out of water. Dance music is very much associated with very crisp, metallic, clean sounds. I like this idea of dance music that just washes around with fluidity. I feel like its the most me album that Ive made, Snaith continues. In the past, oftentimes part of the excitement of making music for me was hearing someone elses musicsome long-forgotten record from the pastand deciphering how to make those sounds and incorporate those ideas into something of my own. This record is much less a product of its influences. I think this is the record that Im most proud of because its the most me in the way things sound; I feel like I have my own vocabulary now. So much of contemporary music is soaked in referencing this or that. I wanted people to put the record on and not be able to say, This sounds like so- and- so. I want people to say, This sounds like Dan! Its what everybody wantsto have their fingerprint on the music theyre making. I feel like Ive achieved that to a greater extent than I have in the past, and thats exciting.

caribou.fm
myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
03/05/10
Caribou has announced their world tour that begins in Manchester, England on April 19th. The North American leg of the tour will begin on May 3rd in Toronto. Caribou’s new album, Swim will be released on April 20 and is available for pre-order now in the Merge store on CD and double-LP.

On this tour, you will also see a dramatic difference in the Caribou live performance. Now that technology has finally caught up to Dan’s ambitions for the band’s show, while it will still be four musicians on stage, the dynamic interplay between visuals, electronics and the live sound is totally pliable.

“Now we can play the mix onstage like a dub mixer would – but even moreso than a Lee Perry because almost everything can be manipulated – not just the things that are controlled on a recording studio mixing desk. We can get that washing-around feeling and the unpredictability of sounds undergoing changes all the time.”

CARIBOU TOUR DATES

Apr 19 MANCHESTER – Deaf Institute
Apr 20 LONDON – Corsica Studios
Apr 21 AMSTERDAM – Paradiso
Apr 22 BRUSSELS – Beursschouwburg
Apr 23 PARIS – Le Point Ephemere
Apr 24 LAUSANNE – Le Romandie
Apr 25 ST. GALLEN – Palace
Apr 26 MILAN – Magnolia
Apr 27 MUNICH – Feierwerk
Apr 28 BERLIN – Berghain
Apr 29 HAMBURG – Prinzenbar
Apr 30 AARHUS – Pop Revo Festival
May 01 STOCKHOLM – Strand
May 03 TORONTO, ON – Phoenix
May 04 OTTAWA, ON – Babylon
May 05 MONTREAL, PQ – Tulipe
May 06 BOSTON, MA – Middle East Downstairs
May 07 BROOKLYN, NY – Music Hall
May 08 NEW YORK, NY – Bowery Ballroom
May 09 PHILADELPHIA, PA – First Unitarian
May 10 WASHINGTON, DC – RNR Hotel
May 11 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Jefferson
May 12 CHAPEL HILL, NC – Cat’s Cradle
May 13 ATLANTA, GA – Earl
May 14 BATON ROUGE, LA – Spanish Moon
May 15 HOUSTON, TX – Warehouse Live Studio
May 16 AUSTIN, TX – Emo’s
May 18 PHOENIX, AZ – Clubhouse
May 19 LOS ANGELES, CA – El Rey
May 20 SAN DIEGO, CA – Casbah
May 21 MEXICO CITY, MX – Teatro Fru Fru
May 24 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Independent
May 26 PORTLAND, OR – Hawthorne
May 28 VICTORIA, BC – Sugar
May 29 VANCOUVER, BC – Rickshaw
May 30 GEORGE, WA – Sasquatch
May 31 CALGARY, AB – Republik
Jun 01 EDMONTON, AB – Starlite
Jun 02 SASKATOON, SK – Amigo’s
Jun 03 WINNIPEG, MB – Royal Albert Arms
Jun 04 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – 7th St Entry
Jun 05 DAVENPORT, IA – Rock Island Brewing Co.
Jun 07 ST. LOUIS, MO – Firebird
Jun 08 LOUISVILLE, KY – Zanzabar
Jun 09 CLEVELAND, OH – Grog Shop
Jun 10 HAMILTON, ON – Casbah
Jun 11 HALIFAX, NS – Paragon

01/25/10
Today, Caribou announced the release of their new album, Swim on April 20th.

Caribou mastermind Dan Snaith’s latest recording sees him getting busy in the basement with some expertly constructed, rave-tinged sounds that sing with soul. But that’s not all. As a songwriter of considerable standing, Snaith has not subsumed his uniquely recognizable touch in an orgy of technical bliss – although, there is plenty of euphoria in the musical alchemy on offer. From Snaith’s perspective, he says, “The most important thing for me with this record was finding my own sonic vocabulary. That’s why I’m proud of this record.”

Visit Caribou.fm to download, “Odessa” the first MP3 from Swim!

Tracklisting:
1. Odessa
2. Sun
3. Kaili
4. Found Out
5. Bowls
6. Leave House
7. Hannibal
8. Lalibela
9. Jamelia

05/12/09
Caribou mastermind, Dan Snaith took a break from recording the new Caribou album to update us on a few happenings this summer:


I’ve just added some summer festivals and DJ sets to our Live Dates. Hope to see you there!


In particular, the Flaming Lips have invited us to play at their ATP New York festival on September 13th. We’ve put together a special 14-piece band, named Caribou Vibration Ensemble, to play this show and a show at the Opera House in Toronto on Sept 10th.

Caribou Vibration Ensemble features Kieran Hebden (Four Tet, Fridge, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid), Koushik (Stones Throw Records), John Schmersal (Enon, Brainiac), Kathryn Bint (One Little Plane), Ahmed Gallab (Sinkane), a four piece horn section, choir, four drummers, etc.

In addition, for the ATP show only, we will be joined by MARSHALL ALLEN, Sun Ra Arkestra leader and Arkestra member for over 50 years!

At both shows we will be playing new and old Caribou songs reworked to make the most of this special line-up.


Also I’ve just done a remix of Cortney Tidwell’s track ‘Watusii’ under the name Daphni. It’s out on City Slang shortly.

Finally, Andy Lloyd who has played bass with us these last couple years is unfortunately not going to be playing with us in the future (apart from the Caribou Vibration Ensemble shows) as he’s now touring with our friends Born Ruffians. Andy is a dear friend and a great musician and will be sorely missed but we are very lucky that John Schmersal (Enon, Brainiac) will be joining Caribou and playing bass and singing with us from now on – starting with the upcoming shows this summer.

I think that’s it for now. Hope to see you at a show,

Dan

04.19.2010 Manchester, England Deaf Institute
04.20.2010 London, England Corsica Studios
04.21.2010 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Paradiso
04.22.2010 Brussels, Belgium Beursschouwburg
04.23.2010 Paris, France Le Point Ephemere
04.24.2010 Lausanne, Switzerland Le Romandie
04.25.2010 St. Gallen, Switzerland Palace
04.26.2010 Milan, Italy Magnolia
04.27.2010 Munich, Germany Feierwerk
04.28.2010 Berlin, Germany Berghain
04.29.2010 Hamburg, Germany Prinzenbar
04.30.2010 Aarhus, Denmark Pop Revo Festival
05.01.2010 Stockholm, Sweden Strand
05.03.2010 Toronto, Canada Phoenix
05.04.2010 Ottowa, Canada Babylon
05.05.2010 Montreal, Canada Tulipe
05.06.2010 Boston / Cambridge, MA United States Middle East Downstairs
05.07.2010 Brooklyn, NY United States Music Hall
05.08.2010 New York, NY United States Bowery Ballroom
05.09.2010 Philadelphia, PA United States First Unitarian
05.10.2010 Washington, DC United States RNR Hotel
05.11.2010 Charlottesville, VA United States Jefferson
05.12.2010 Chapel Hill, NC United States Cat's Cradle
05.13.2010 Atlanta, GA United States Earl
05.14.2010 Baton Rouge, LA United States Spanish Moon
05.15.2010 Houston, TX United States Warehouse Live Studio
05.16.2010 Austin, TX United States Emo's
05.18.2010 Phoenix, AZ United States Clubhouse
05.19.2010 Los Angeles, CA United States El Rey
05.20.2010 San Diego, CA United States Casbah
05.21.2010 Mexico City, Mexico Teatro Fru Fru
05.24.2010 San Francisco, CA United States Independent
05.26.2010 Portland, OR United States Hawthorne
05.28.2010 Victoria, BC, Canada Sugar
05.29.2010 Vancouver, BC, Canada Rickshaw
05.30.2010 George, WA United States Sasquatch
05.31.2010 Calgary, AB Canada Republik
06.01.2010 Edmonton, AB Canada Starlite
06.02.2010 Saskatoon, SK Canada Amigo's
06.03.2010 Winnipeg, MB Canada Royal Albert Arms
06.04.2010 Minneapolis, MN United States 7th St. Entry
06.05.2010 Davenport, IA United States Rock Island Brewing Co.
06.06.2010 Lawrence, KS Granada
06.07.2010 St. Louis, MO United States Firebird
06.08.2010 Louisville, KY United States Zanzabar
06.09.2010 Cleveland, OH United States Grog Shop
06.10.2010 Hamilton, Canada Casbah
06.11.2010 Halifax, NS Canada Paragon
07.12.2010 Chicago, IL Millennium Park
People Eating Fruit single - Leaf 2004
Paul's Birthday single - Leaf 2001
Start Breaking My Heart CD/LP - Leaf 2001
Give'r single - Leaf 2001
If Assholes Could Fly This Would be an Airport single - Leaf 2003
Jacknuggeted single - Leaf 2003
Up in Flames CD/LP - Leaf 2003
Hendrix with KO single - Leaf 2003
Special Edition EP CD single - Leaf 2003
Up in Flames Special Edition double CD - Leaf 2003
Barnowl 12" single - Leaf 2005
Yeti 12" single/CD single - Leaf 2005
Tour CD CD - 2005
The Milk of Human Kindness CD/LP - Leaf 2005
Marino. The Videos DVD/Video - Leaf 2005
Andorra CD/LP - Merge Records 2007
Swim CD/DBL-LP - Merge Records 2010
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On Tour

Caribou [+]

April
19 Manchester Deaf Institute
20 London Corsica Studios
21 Amsterdam Paradiso
22 Brussels Beursschouwburg
23 Paris Le Point Ephemere
[see all]

The Clientele [+]

March
15 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
16 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
17 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
18 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
19 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
[see all]

The Ladybug Transistor [+]

March
19 New York, NY Bowery Electric

Let's Wrestle [+]

March
15 New York, NY The Knitting Factory
18 Austin , TX Cedar Street
21 El Paso, TX Black Market
22 Scottsdale, AZ Chyro Arts
23 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
[see all]

The Love Language [+]

March
13 Wilmington, NC Soapbox Laundro Lounge
15 Atlanta, GA The Earl
16 Baton Rouge, LA Red Star Bar
18 Austin, TX Home Slice Pizza
18 Austin, TX Cedar Street Courtyard
[see all]

Oakley Hall [+]

April
02 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory

Radar Bros. [+]

March
26 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland

The Rosebuds [+]

March
19 Asheville, NC UNCA Alumni Hall in Highsmith
20 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
May
08 Beaufort, NC Beaufort Music Festival

She & Him [+]

March
15 Los Angeles, CA Largo at the Coronet
25 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
27 Savannah, GA Trustees Theatre (Savannah Music Festival)
29 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
30 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]

Shout Out Louds [+]

March
23 Rostock MAU
24 Hamburg Uebel & Gefahrlich
25 Berlin Astra
26 Dresden Reithalle
27 Munchen Backstage Werk
[see all]

Spoon [+]

March
18 New Orleans, LA Republic New Orleans
19 Birmingham, AL Workplay Soundstage
20 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
22 Washington 9:30 Club
23 Washington 9:30 Club
[see all]

Superchunk [+]

March
19 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
April
07 Toronto, ON Royal Cinema
June
19 Denver, CO Westword Music Festival

Telekinesis [+]

May
21 Eugene, OR Sam Bond's Garage
24 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
27 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
29 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
[see all]

Wye Oak [+]

March
13 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox
14 Indianapolis, IN Vollrath Tavern
15 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe
24 Atlanta, GA The Earl
25 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
[see all]
see all tour dates

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