2: Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness [re-visit]

There is still something that keeps me at a distance from this album, and I think it's because the album doesn't have a very satisfying flow. Those short tracks littered throughout the album are annoying, too abrasive, too short and the fact that a lot of the other tracks are quite long at 5 mins plus, coupled with the drowsy nature of the music, makes this a difficult album to get on with sometimes. Which isn't at all to say that I don't like it still, it does nail a tone, or vein, consistently, it's just a bit too disjointed for me.

If you're looking for an ultimate summertimes experience, play Black Moth Super Rainbow's Dandelion Gum, then Milk Of Human Kindness and the then The Bees (or Band Of Bees, for the US) Octopus, all three albums have the same spectacularly chilled summer-time analog charm about them. A nice way to spend the first few hours of my 22nd birthday!

2: Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness

So, The Milk Of Human Kindness has that trademark technicolour wonderland sound to it that Up In Flames had, a warm rush of current pulling you out to sea. Using (perfectly) imperfect warm production and recording, everything has a slightly fuzzy edge, from the keyboard notes to the drumming to Snaith’s voice, and we have another summer album on our hands. There is a slight scaling back of the elation that is found on Up In Flames, but an almost as enjoyable calmness threads through The Milk Of Human Kindness. There are deviations, or rather expansions, that are followed. Sometimes structure takes a back seat, a melody that you can’t quite neatly describe flows outwards towards the horizon, with the underpinning pops, percussion taps and note tinkles almost becoming inconsequential in scale as the track stretches on. I would be lying if I said my attention didn’t sometimes waver during these parts, but I found it was as much a matter of finding the right situation and time to experience the album and connect with it’s style as anything. We find shorter tracks here as well that act as tension releasers, hip-hop informed percussion pulling you through by your t-shirt to the next part of the album, or clearly focused under a minute tonal songs which also have a similar effect. I suppose it’s unsurprising that Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) is good friends with Snaith, there are definite similarities in style, and I was definitely struck during one of those instrumental hip-hop styled tracks by that similarity, it sounded kinda like ‘As Serious As Your Life’ off of Four Tet’s Rounds. I will really enjoy spinning this album during the summer, and maybe I’ll be adding Caribou’s next album, 2007’s Andorra, to The Album-A-Week Project before the summer’s out.