Dan Snaith aka Caribou is one of the most highly regarded artists working in contemporary music. He made an indelible mark with his gorgeously evocative debut album Start Breaking My Heart, the success of which he has continually built upon, culminating in the melodic masterclass of 2007’s lavish poptronia masterclass Andorra. With a full band, including two drummers, his live shows propelled the music of Caribou into an entirely different dimensionality. AU spoke to Dan before his recent Irish shows.

You’ve played in Ireland a number of times over the last few years, how have you found those experiences?

In some ways we dread touring the UK. When you think of a UK and Ireland tour you know that there are some places you’re gonna play which aren’t going to be good. Where was that place we played in the middle of Wales? Hmmm, oh Wrexham. We were just like ‘what the fuck are we even doing here?’ The respite from those kinds of shows is the performances in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Belfast. Those gigs brighten up the tour and counteract the weirder shows we end up playing in parts of England. However, one thing I really like about all our UK and Ireland shows is that after the performances people are happy to come up and talk to you, they don’t feel that there is some kind of barrier. I’m more than happy meeting people who come out to Caribou shows, finding out what they’ve thought of it and just chatting about music.

On record Caribou is generally just about you, but live it’s a whole different experience. For those unfamiliar with Caribou as a live proposition how would you describe it?

It’s much more percussive and physical. More involving and overwhelming than people will perhaps expect it to be, I think sometimes there is a notion that it will be somewhat laid back and certainly the records are more tranquil. We want to enjoy playing the shows and we make it as physically exciting as possible, making it louder and crazier by some stretch than it is on the albums.

Do you find the physicality of playing live provides a sense of release for you?

Definitely, that is the main attraction to playing live. Right from the start there needed to be two live drummers, there are so many drum parts on the records. I wanted to be one of those drummers, not only because it’s the easiest instrument to play but because I wanted to be as physically involved as possible.

You are often referred to as an electronic artist and yet it’s clear from your various albums that you don’t in any way limit yourself when it comes to the type of music you make, do you find such tags irritating or limiting in any respect?

I’m not really bothered. I only ever get irritated in the sense that it might turn somebody off listening to us if they hear us described as certain way. I understand that people want to categorise music, to be able to say that ‘this goes with this’, that’s absolutely fine. It’s a non-issue for me, I don’t ask myself ‘am I making electronic music?’ I just do whatever I feel. I tend to always be listening to so many types of music, dance music, bands, solo artists, new music, old music, whatever. I just follow my nose and make whatever is exciting.

Do you see a clear line of progression from what you were doing when say you made Start Breaking My Heart up to the more recent work? Played one after the other they seem so different.

The first few albums were kind of production albums, they were about the aesthetic of the production and how the record sounded as opposed to the composition of the songs. That’s definitely something that’s been added with the last record, it has more in it in that sense. However, I don’t think that negatively reflects on the older records. I think I’ll want to keep that compositional thing with the next record. I enjoyed it, still that could change, I don’t feel I must work that way again and, who knows, maybe I’ll get excited by some minimal drone music and decide that I want to make an album with no rhythm and no melody. If that’s what excited me then that’s what I’d do.

Andorra was emotionally a very warm album, perhaps your most purely melodic to date, is that the direction that you’ll pursue with the next record?

It’s funny because for me the thing that stood out most about the record was the composition and the writing underneath the production. Yet it seemed that what stood out most for the casual listener was that we sounded like a Sixties band. I want to maintain the songwriting aspect but maybe change the production quite significantly, I feel in a way with Andorra I’ve done that particular sound so I’d like to do something different with the aesthetic of the production.

Continue to part 2

How far advanced are you in terms of recording new material, is it something you’ve started or are even thinking about?

I like to alternate years, one year recording and one year touring when I literally don’t record any music. I guess I could be sitting in the van trying to write songs but I like the idea of coming back after a year and it being a totally fresh start. It seems exciting because it’s new and it can be discontinuous from the last record. This tour around the UK and Ireland is the last tour before we take the time off and just play a couple of festivals. It’s almost like there are two separate batteries to recharge. Recording can be frustrating, spending a year to make 40 minutes of music that I’m happy with. You’re working in a very hermetic way, it’s very isolating and it is frustrating the amount of time you have to put in to create nine songs. At the end of that you’re ready to get out on tour and just have some fun, party after the shows, play music and enjoy the spontaneity of playing live. Then after a year of that, of over 200 shows in the calendar year, almost a gig every night whilst you’re on tour – in America it was 48 shows in 48 days – at the end of that no matter how much you love it, you’re ready for a break. It’s good to have the one thing then the other, live and recording, the balance between the two.

In terms of making music you’ve tended to work on your own, do you prefer that or is greater collaborative working something you’d like to explore in the future?

I spend a lot of time just tinkering about on my own, sketching out ideas and getting them to the point where they could possibly be played by a band. That process would be incredibly frustrating for anybody who might want to work with me. I spend all my time doing it, I can wake up at 4am and want to start on something, or finish something and go to bed at 6am. It would be difficult getting a band together every time I wanted to work on something, I like working on my own schedule. But who knows, maybe on the next record there might be tracks that benefit from having other musicians play on them. If that were the case then I would certainly get other musicians together, rent a studio space for a few days and re-record those tracks. Or maybe I’ll want a string section or to write a song with somebody else. In those circumstances I’ll do what’s required for the song.

Beyond other forms of music, what are the big creative influences on your work?

Notably last year when I was making Andorra I was obsessed with Werner Herzog, I watched all his movies, read Herzog On Herzog and Klaus Kinski’s autobiography [Kinski Uncut: The Aotobiography Of Klaus Kinski] and just became obsessed with all that. My music is definitely influenced by sonic things, by me being excited by other music and the way music conveys emotion rather than documenting my life and where I live. I have an interest in literature, movies and fine art to a certain extent but I don’t find those interests ending up in my music to any great extent.

The Kinski autobiography is a pretty crazy read.

It sure is crazy alright. He seems to have put everything in there, regardless of whether or not it really happened. Who knows what was real.

It’s clear from what you said that you put so much into Caribou, be it in recording or being on the road, what makes that effort all worthwhile, what’s the most rewarding aspect of Caribou?

I’ve made music, almost in the same way that I do now, since I was 14, using a synthesizer and a four-track. I can’t imagine ever not making music, the excitement and having that emotional connection to music, it making me excited or melancholy, whatever emotion it elicits, I find that endlessly fascinating. It’s such a personal thing, such a selfish thing in a way, I enjoy the process of making these records. That’s why I’m so particular with them, making myself happy is the only real criteria. Then playing live, playing sold out shows be it in San Francisco or a show we played in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where people went absolutely fucking crazy, invited us back to parties, wanted to hang out and talk about music. I love that, the social aspect of it. It’s amazing to see how the music is appreciated by other people and meeting people with similar interests. So it’s that coupled to the individual aspect of actually making the music that is the reward for me.

You’ve talked previously about maths and music both being obsessive pursuits, would you say that you have a strong obsessive streak to your character?

Definitely. People are always trying to link up why I like mathematics and music. There is no mathematical aspect to the music but, what there is in common, is that at the level of mathematical research I was doing and in making music you’re being creative. Both things, the way I do them anyway, are very individual, obsessive, getting lost in them type of pursuits. Those traits are to be found in almost every mathematician I’ve met, the stereotype of them being lost in their own world is pretty true and true for me in much of what I do too.

You have a devoted following who cherish your work, is that more important to you to have that strong connection than any preoccupation with the commercial aspect of music making?

I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t really had to think too much about the fact of selling records. I know it’s happening, but I’ve never had to make a decision in terms of music making which is influenced by the need to sell records. I would never think ‘oh man, I should make this sound more palatable for people who buy records.’ I started when I was a student, music filled up the spare time I had or else I made time for it. When I finished I had reached the point where my music would cover my rent and allow me to record for a year. That’s an incredible luxury. Now the recording and the touring allow me to do music full-time. That’s great. I want people if they like the music to be able to hear it and I’ve never been in a position where I’ve had to make a music decision based on a commercial consideration. That’s of no interest to me.

Caribou Website

With the crowd gasping in anticipation, Elliot Minor – Fisher Price Punks of the pop-classical persuasion – finally giggle their way onto stage, thereby putting to an end to 45 minutes of MCR sing-a-longs and life and death battles for mirror-space.

A starlight of camera phones is raised aloft and the crowd begins to clap in time to music that can most generously be described as impossibly congenial. Really, tonight is every bit as confounding an experience as you would expect from five ex-choir-boys eager to assert their solemn debt to rock-trailblazers Busted. We shit you not.

Between songs, all manner of zany tomfoolery is afoot. On one occasion the blonde one even pours water on the other one’s shoe, the git! Admittedly, the music is accomplished, enough almost to make you forget that, ultimately, you are watching five airbrushed mannequins attempting to cultivate the same icky, co-dependent relationship a boy band has with its fan base. John Calvert

With the crowd gasping in anticipation, Elliot Minor – Fisher Price Punks of the pop-classical persuasion – finally giggle their way onto stage, thereby putting to an end to 45 minutes of MCR sing-a-longs and life and death battles for mirror-space.

A starlight of camera phones is raised aloft and the crowd begins to clap in time to music that can most generously be described as impossibly congenial. Really, tonight is every bit as confounding an experience as you would expect from five ex-choir-boys eager to assert their solemn debt to rock-trailblazers Busted. We shit you not.

Between songs, all manner of zany tomfoolery is afoot. On one occasion the blonde one even pours water on the other one’s shoe, the git! Admittedly, the music is accomplished, enough almost to make you forget that, ultimately, you are watching five airbrushed mannequins attempting to cultivate the same icky, co-dependent relationship a boy band has with its fan base. John Calvert

In 1985, the B-side on HFHB’s first ever single was called ‘All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit’- brilliant title, funny song. They seemed to be everyone’s favourite indie comedy band. However, 23 years later, the format hasn’t changed a jot and even the best jokes wear thin eventually. CSI: Ambleside (they’ve changed Miami to Ambleside, how brilliant is that?) is their 11th album and the joke is now so thin that you’d need a nuclear-powered electron microscope to see it. Sub-standard indie guitar jangle backs 13 attempts to tickle your fancy. Only ‘Blue Badge Abuser’ manages to raise a wry, but weary, smile, while ‘Lord Hereford’s Knob’ is just plain embarrassing. For committed fans only. John Freeman

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘BLUE BADGE ABUSER’.
FOR FANS OF: HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT, CHAS ‘N’ DAVE.

In 1985, the B-side on HFHB’s first ever single was called ‘All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit’- brilliant title, funny song. They seemed to be everyone’s favourite indie comedy band. However, 23 years later, the format hasn’t changed a jot and even the best jokes wear thin eventually. CSI: Ambleside (they’ve changed Miami to Ambleside, how brilliant is that?) is their 11th album and the joke is now so thin that you’d need a nuclear-powered electron microscope to see it. Sub-standard indie guitar jangle backs 13 attempts to tickle your fancy. Only ‘Blue Badge Abuser’ manages to raise a wry, but weary, smile, while ‘Lord Hereford’s Knob’ is just plain embarrassing. For committed fans only. John Freeman

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DOWNLOAD: ‘BLUE BADGE ABUSER’.
FOR FANS OF: HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT, CHAS ‘N’ DAVE.

Having stated that they have already written their third album (ambitious, eh?), The Pigeon Detectives are back to serenade us with more indie goodness. ‘This Is An Emergency’ chugs away leaving you eager to hear what’s next. You want to know. You’re desperate to know. Pity that once you do know, it’s not the mammoth of a song you’d pictured. In fact, it’s almost reminiscent of the Do-Re-Mi scale from The Sound Of Music. The chorus wants to gain momentum and grip you. It would, but it just lacks that special something. That one thing you require. You’re not quite sure what it is, but it’s definitely missing. It could be edgier, or rougher, or whatever, but it lacks something. You just can’t escape the nagging feeling that you’ve heard this song before. Close, but no stogie. Aaron Stoops

Having stated that they have already written their third album (ambitious, eh?), The Pigeon Detectives are back to serenade us with more indie goodness. ‘This Is An Emergency’ chugs away leaving you eager to hear what’s next. You want to know. You’re desperate to know. Pity that once you do know, it’s not the mammoth of a song you’d pictured. In fact, it’s almost reminiscent of the Do-Re-Mi scale from The Sound Of Music. The chorus wants to gain momentum and grip you. It would, but it just lacks that special something. That one thing you require. You’re not quite sure what it is, but it’s definitely missing. It could be edgier, or rougher, or whatever, but it lacks something. You just can’t escape the nagging feeling that you’ve heard this song before. Close, but no stogie. Aaron Stoops

Three of Northern Ireland’s finest rock bands, Downpatrick’s Ash, Derry three-piece Fighting With Wire and Portadown’s In Case Of Fire will be representing at this year’s Download Festival. Commonly considered the most prestigious rock and metal festival in Europe, the three day event runs from June 13 to 15 in Donington Park. The invitation to perform at the raucous extravaganza is quite a coup for the bands, and for ICOF and FWW just the latest remarkable development in an already incredible 2008. The two acts secured record deals earlier in the year with FWW being picked up by Atlantic.

Three of Northern Ireland’s finest rock bands, Downpatrick’s Ash, Derry three-piece Fighting With Wire and Portadown’s In Case Of Fire will be representing at this year’s Download Festival. Commonly considered the most prestigious rock and metal festival in Europe, the three day event runs from June 13 to 15 in Donington Park. The invitation to perform at the raucous extravaganza is quite a coup for the bands, and for ICOF and FWW just the latest remarkable development in an already incredible 2008. The two acts secured record deals earlier in the year with FWW being picked up by Atlantic.

Emily Maguire’s life story is a classic of the triumph over adversity genre. In her early years she was the archetypal child prodigy, given a recorder aged three, taking piano lessons at four years old, beginning to play the cello at seven and the flute at 11 years. However, Maguire’s amazing progress was brought to an abrupt halt when as a teenager she was involved in a horrific car crash that left her afflicted with a chronic nervous system disorder and in constant pain.