Start Breaking My Heart, the debut album from Canada's Manitoba (Dan Snaith) for The Leaf Label, underlined his status amongst the chattering electronic classes as one of the brightest talents to emerge over the course of 2001. Having already proved himself master of the sublime with his debut EP, People Eating Fruit, the year before, Snaith's subsequent Paul's Birthday opened him out even further. After moving to London, he booted his connections to the post-folk and jazz scenes back to Canada with the Give'r EP, which locked thumping beats to an almost-garage subplot. His excellent second album, Up in Flames, became a darling of critics soon after its release in 2003. One year later, however, Snaith was forced to give up the name Manitoba after Dictators frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba sued for trademark infringement (despite the passing of 15 years since the only material under his name, a 1990 LP as by Manitoba's Wild Kingdom). Snaith renamed his project Caribou, his two previous full-lengths were reissued under the new moniker, and he released his first new Caribou record, The Milk of Human Kindness, in May 2005 for Domino. ~ Kingsley Marshall, All Music Guide
