Caribou - Andorra

Caribou, formerly Manitoba (more on that later) is one Dr. Daniel Snaith originally of Dundas, Ontario, Canada, and now of London, England. His album Andorra is the fifth in our series featuring shortlisted Polaris Music Prize nominees. It is a beautiful journey of psychedelic electronic rock-noise, and deserves a devoted listening.

Now the hilarious part of the story. In late 2004, Caribou was born out of the ashes of a lawsuit enacted by aging punk rocker turned wrestler Richard 'Handsome Dick' Manitoba. In surely one of the most bizarre trademark lawsuits in recent years 'Handsome Dick' sued Snaith for unlawfully using the name Manitoba – a name incidentally shared by one of Canada’s ten provinces. Finding himself limited by the high-priced realities of trademark law, and ultimately uninterested in pursuing the contest, Snaith opted to take the high road and change his nom de rock to Caribou.

From 2007's Andorra, Melody Day...

The shortlisters:
Black Mountain - In The Future, Plants And Animals - Parc Avenue, Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling, Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War, Caribou - Andorra, Shad - The Old Prince, Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers, Two Hours Traffic - Little Jabs, Holy Fuck - LP, The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour