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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Milk Of Human Kindness
Universal acclaim
Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Domino / Leaf
Release Date: 03 May 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic
Summary
'Human Kindness' is the latest disc of psychedelic electronica from Dan Snaith, who formerly recorded under the name Manitoba (before a threatened lawsuit from a similarly-named artist caused the switch to the similarly-Canadian Caribou).
Also By This Artist: Andorra
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Manitoba: Start Breaking My Heart Manitoba: Up In Flames
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Stylus Magazine
Perhaps less transcendent, The Milk of Human Kindness may ultimately prove more enjoyable.
Read Full Review >Urb
Kindness sounds like the work of someone given one month to live, as Snaith lays down dozens of musical ideas into an album that will constantly keep you guessing what's next. [May 2005, p.84]
Delusions of Adequacy
I bet that The Milk of Human Kindness will appear on my and others’ “best of 2005” lists.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
With this majestic and multifarious new album, he has surely struck sonic gold once again.
Read Full Review >Magnet
Snaith lets his wanderlust steer, and the album is better for it. [#68, p.91]
No Ripcord
Rather than a credible follow-up, it’s another great album in its own right.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
The range of styles is impressive, which trumps the lack of logical or elegant transitioning. Snaith may be showing off, but at least he’s backing it up with strong and memorable arrangements.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
It’s similar enough to past efforts that one can trace his artistic trajectory with a steady arc, but it’s the point in the arc where the slope takes a radical increase, making the name change seem like an appropriate signifier.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
The album ups the ante on everything that made Up in Flames so astounding, and adds more pop structure to the chaotic bliss-outs, resulting in what is probably his biggest achievement to date.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
It displays the kind of emotion and movement that Four Tet, Boom Bip and Stereolab would all appreciate.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
Snaith... continues his legacy of making constantly challenging, changing music that never gets beyond itself, that always remains immensely human.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Snaith rips the rarefied sounds of modern pop from their established context and forms nonlinear compositions constantly in flux.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
Snaith covers a lot of bases on The Milk of Human Kindness and somehow it all works.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Snaith employs a slightly more muscular variation of the approach that worked so well for him last time around. [#9]
PopMatters
Although The Milk of Human Kindness sounds more stripped down, its simplicity is deceiving, as Snaith has drawn from a much wider musical palette that he ever has in the past.
Read Full Review >Mojo
[Snaith] continues to explore a digital/analogue interface to mind-bending effect, balancing riotous abstraction with day-glo pop. [Jun 2005, p.97]
New Musical Express
A perfect slice of bedroom psychedelia. [9 Apr 2005, p.58]
The Wire
The only drawback to this semi-collage approach is that many tracks are too brief. [#256, p.51]
Junkmedia
Snaith simply dictates the flow of emotions and events on this record, with the kind of command presence rarely seen.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
On first listen, it's not as immediately accessible as Up In Flames... [but it] reveals itself in several listens and contains yet another batch of fearless tracks from an artist who simply refuses to sit still.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
A familiarly kaleidoscopic whirl of retro-futuristic sounds. [May 2005, p.111]
All Music Guide
Unfortunately, although Snaith may sound novel expanding upon his indie forebears of ten years ago, when he begins conjuring the ghosts of Krautrock ("A Final Warning," "Bees") or trip-hop ("Lord Leopard"), as he does here, he's entering the company of talented producers who have ploughed the same ground.
Read Full Review >Uncut
It's only the Can-meets-Canned-Heat avant-boogie of "Bees" and "Barnowl" that escape a sense of academic contrivance. [May 2005, p.95]
Blender
Too bad most of his songs come to an end just as they're heating up. [Jun 2005, p.108]
Splendid
The Milk Of Human Kindness grabs at elements of its predecessors, but they're often the wrong ones.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
matt a gave it a6:
This album is very much a mixed bag. The songs that work are incredible, but the songs that don't are, well, utter shite.
zeg r gave it a6:
First track fantastic, but like "Up in Flames" it's all downhill from there. With four tracks at under a minute and a half, and others that run on too long and then stop suddenly, it seems as if Caribou can't really be bothered... Better to buy the releases from artists who actually fully-realize the multiple ideas behind their songs, like K.I.A., or DJ Shadow, or Aphex Twin, etc.
crumbtrail gave it a9:
Snaith keeps hammering away at his craft, refining and perfecting as he goes. Where tracks on his previous efforts seem to blend together, The Milk of Human Kindness is a series of related yet separate tracks, each a snapshot of a different beautiful world.
jimmy d gave it a6:
I'm a bit surprised by the enthusiasm about this album. Mostly this seems tepid and unispired. Similar influences to Up in Flames, but without the raucous innovation, without the surpises. Its not a terrible album but one that fades into the background, with hardly one stand-out tune.
Gman gave it a10:
Stunning. Snaith has added new influences to the psychedelic stew he started cooking on Up In Flames. These range from Can and Neu to the Animal Collective and Hip Hop but he always manages to keep things sounding unique. The result is not only massively innovative but an album that is also hugely enjoyable.
adam gave it an8:
The Milk of Human Kindness is as lovely and uplifting as you would expect from the maker of Up In Flames, even if it lacks that album's crazy exuberance. A couple of the tunes sound pretty unexeptional to my ears (Lord Leopard; Pelican Narrows) but the rest is excellent.
ag gave it a10:
snaith does it again. in fact, i think this may be his best effort yet, under any name. it's top ten-er for sure.
