Dan Snaith (the artist formerly known as Manitoba, now know as Caribou) is making some serious waves with Andorra, his newest release on City Slang/Merge. I’ve seen rave reviews everywhere, and for good reason. He’s got a really solid record here.

I started today by watching this BBC Collective doc. A very good insight into the whole process of making his music. Another thing I noticed…. the new glasses are making Dan look like a math professor (he does have a PHd).

Andorra is a psychedlic and extremely melodic, some parts Pet Sounds, some parts Floyd, some parts Beta Band, and some parts I sure something we’ll never really understand. Continued in his new songs are floating vocal melodies backed by Snaith’s signature chaotic spurts of drums and noise during building moments in the songs.

Check out Melody Day by Caribou (and watch the video here). A product of Snaith becoming ‘obsessed with writing a melody that was both distinctive, ecstatic yet cannily familiar‘.

He’s going to be busy as hell for the next couple months touring. Previously, or to support The Milk Of Human Kindness, Caribou toured as a three-some. The live show was set around two drums kits and a slew of other instruments thrown overtop of samples off a click-track, all synced to a series of short films/videos projected on to the band and or screen. **From a record label perspective, I was always impressed how the going out part of the tour was to support and sell the record, while the coming back part was to support a DVD (Marino) of all the videos synced to the songs they fit with (along with a couple new tracks). The new live incarnation is now a four piece including Dan, long time friend and bandmate Ryan Smith and newcomers Andy Lloyd and Brad Weber. From what I gather, Snaith is going to be up on the mic more than he ever has before.

While he’s on the road, look for his tour EP. You’ll find the track Yo-Yo on there, head to Gorilla vs. Bear to hear that one.

Final note, head to Crushd Tin Box to hear Four Tet’s remix of Melody Day (featuring Luke Lalonde (Born Ruffians), Adem and One Little Plane).