Spent some time listening to the first two Caribou albums, released under the name “Manitoba.” The first, Start Breaking My Heart (2001) is just a rather generic electronica album. It’s just sort of a collection of different types of beats. There are some nice atmospheric textures, but nothing as immaculately beautiful as some of the other bands I listen to for “texture” (Sigur Ros, Four Tet). Nor is there anything that moves from point A to point B in such an interesting or dynamic way as bands like Explosions in the Sky or Holy Fuck.
The second album, Up in Flames (2003) hints at the direction he would follow on his later, more acclaimed albums. This is a poppier album, not least of all because he uses vocals in a more melodic way. It isn’t necessarily a verse-chorus-verse thing, but many of these songs seem like they were constructed in such a way that a pop song could be written around them. I hear spaces for verses and spaces for choruses. “Bijoux” does this in kind of a roundabout way. I hear a clear chorus that repeats, although the song sort of detours into various instrumental breaks. I get the sense that I’m hearing a more structured body of work, on this album.
I would recommend both albums to electronic music fans, but Up in Flames is the place to go if you were seduced by Andorra (2007) and are looking to get into his earlier albums.
Walking is Still Honest 