While the difference between Manitoba's first two albums is big, going from laptops to analog synths and a farfisa, perhaps the biggest difference between his second and third album is the name, now going by Caribou thanks to a lawsuit from Handsome Dick Manitoba of punk band The Dictators. That said, The Milk of Human Kindness is a bit more understated, perhaps moving laterally from a 60s pop influence to a 60s folk influence.
The album opens gloriously with the "Yeti," driven by a chugging organ with fractured sitars echoing across the background. A triumphant downward electric piano progression interjects, trading jabs with a vigorous drum fill, creating joyful, headphone-filling music.
While "Yeti" is great in how it fills you with energy, some of my favorite moments on the album create a more mellow tone. In "Brahminy Kite," Snaith makes use of frantic drum loops much in the same way Aphex Twin does, but by mixing them with the right components - lazy vocals and bursts of melody from flutes - he is able to turn the fast-paced beats into something lulling and relaxing. His turn at more pure Donovan- or Drake-like folk ("Hello Hammerheads") is equally as pleasant. The lack of melody from the droning, repetitive acoustic guitar is supplanted by meditative humming in the bridge and a very memorable vocal hook.
Snaith's shoegaze influence is not as heavy on this album. However, the album's longest song, "A Final Warning" (7+ minutes), embraces it fully. It's built on a twitchy, presistent beat with cut-up samples. The second the beat seems to have gone on too long, waves of feedback rush in to wash over the bare music. The 60s pop influence is not as heavy, as well. There's no "ba-ba-bah" vocal hooks, and the 60s inspired songs like "Bees" and "Barnowl" are decidedly less brassy, both relying on their driving rhythm section instead of in your face melody and warm colors.
The move from a pop sheen to one that's more folk is oddly coupled with more turntablism-inspired moments. Both "Pelican Narrows" and "Lord Leopard" could be Endtroducing outtakes (and I mean that as a big compliment). With these more mellow hues, Snaith has created a good compliment to Up In Flames. First overwhelm your senses with that album, then cool down with this one.
