> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

60 31Knots
71 The Academy Is...
75 The Accidental
68 Adele
70 Adem
67 The Airborne Toxic Event
70 Alkaline Trio
77 Theresa Andersson
74 Apollo Sunshine
52 Ashanti
84 Bajofondo
56 David Banner
76 The Baseball Project
77 Beck
77 Black Affair
59 Black Ghosts
76 Black Kids
73 Brazilian Girls
90 The Bug
58 Caesars
70 Glen Campbell
75 Brendan Canning
69 The Charlatans
72 Coldplay
78 The Cool Kids
65 Alice Cooper
77 Rodney Crowell
65 CSS
67 Miley Cyrus
45 Dandy Warhols
81 Danny!
74 Death Vessel
75 Delta Spirit
79 Damien Dempsey
58 Dirty Pretty Things
57 Disturbed
72 Dr. Dog
80 DragonForce
78 The Duhks
75 Jakob Dylan
77 Earlimart
77 Brian Eno + David Byrne
83 Alejandro Escovedo
62 The Faint
56 Feeder
65 The Fiery Furnaces
87 Fleet Foxes
64 iForward, Russia!
61 The Fratellis
73 The Futureheads
59 G Love & Special Sauce
65 The Game
74 Inara George With Van Dyke Parks
74 Giant Sand
80 Girl Talk
61 Golden Animals
64 Mike Gordon
42 G-Unit
79 GZA
64 Albert Hammond, Jr.
67 Ed Harcourt
78 Emmylou Harris
86 Harvey Milk
73 Juliana Hatfield
61 Hawthorne Heights
86 Hercules And Love Affair
82 High Places
76 Zach Hill
85 The Hold Steady
63 Vanessa Hudgens
70 Human Highway
77 James Hunter
68 Ice Cube
66 Ida Maria
69 Jaguar Love
69 Jewel
76 Joan As Police Woman
81 Jamey Johnson
70 Jonas Brothers
59 Judas Priest
57 Kerli
73 Ladytron
72 Leila
76 Lykke Li
82 Lil Wayne
82 Lindstrom
72 Little Jackie
60 Lloyd
55 Los Lonely Boys
74 Love As Laughter
79 Aimee Mann
80 Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
76 John Mellencamp
71 The Melvins
71 Men Without Pants
74 Mirah
63 Alanis Morissette
56 Motley Crue
74 The M's
84 The Music Tapes
54 The Music
71 My Brightest Diamond
70 My Morning Jacket
63 N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]
71 Nas
79 Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
51 New Kids On The Block
84 Randy Newman
78 Nine Inch Nails
75 The Notwist
75 Conor Oberst
52 The Offspring
80 One Day As A Lion
75 Oneida
82 Opeth
62 The Orb
75 Oxford Collapse
89 Aaron Parks
43 Katy Perry
74 Lee "Scratch" Perry
84 Sam Phillips
72 Plies
73 Robert Pollard
81 Ponytail
64 Primal Scream
78 Ra Ra Riot
48 The Rascals
71 Ratatat
63 Re-Up Gang
48 Gavin Rossdale
71 The Rumble Strips
65 RZA
74 Scars On Broadway
70 Ron Sexsmith
85 Shearwater
39 Shwayze
81 Sigur Rós
78 Silver Jews
70 Slipknot
74 Sloan
79 Patti Smith and Kevin Shields
72 Solange
69 Son, Ambulance
63 Sam Sparro
65 Rick Springfield
65 Staind
47 Stereo MC's
72 Stereolab
71 The Stills
75 Subtle
83 Sugarland
67 Supergrass
67 Matthew Sweet
77 Irma Thomas
84 Teddy Thompson
57 Three 6 Mafia
73 Tilly And The Wall
64 The Ting Tings
72 Tittsworth
63 James Jackson Toth
72 Randy Travis
92 Underoath
58 UNKLE
58 David Vandervelde
71 The Verve
69 The Virgins
69 Loudon Wainwright III
77 Martha Wainwright
81 The Walkmen
67 The Watson Twins
67 Ben Weaver
81 The Week That Was
64 Weezer
77 Paul Weller
76 White Denim
71 Brian Wilson
79 Cassandra Wilson
87 Dennis Wilson
76 Wire
78 Wolf Parade
61 XX Teens
65 Young Jeezy
55 Yung Berg

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Up In Flames
by Manitoba


8.6

based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Start Breaking My Heart

MUSIC:

Caribou: The Milk Of Human Kindness

The second LP from Canadian electronic artist Dan Snaith is more song-oriented (and quite a bit more psychedelic) than efforts from similar artists, with Snaith even providing vocals on some tracks.

LABEL:	Domino
RELEASE DATE:	08 April 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Electronic

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...

100

Alternative Press

There hasn't been a song-oriented psychedelic album that's had this sort of life-affirming, full-bodied roar since Mercury Rev's 1993 classic, Boces. [June 2003, p.110]

100

PopMatters

Some of the most euphoric, mind-blowingly beautiful music we have heard in years.

Stylus Magazine

Up In Flames is a record in love with music made by a music lover, futurepsychenoisebeatpop that reaffirms how much fun music can and ought to be.

ShakingThrough.net

With Up in Flames, the sound of post-electronica has arrived.

Entertainment Weekly

These laptop-pop fractals... deliver spectacular hip-hop drum breaks and the sort of mile-deep multi-tracking that makes digital technology so much fun. [Listen 2 This supplement, Apr 2003, p.12]

The Wire

Approaches the psychedelic grandeur of Spiritualized or Mercury Rev at their finest while still offering a wealth of carefully placed sonic detail. [#229, p.71]

Uncut

Both adventurous and accessible, a record in love with the obliterating power of sound. [Apr 2003, p.120]

All Music Guide

His tracks are vibrant and imaginative, calling on fuzzed-out guitar solos and summer-day vocals that recall a raft of solid shoegazers.

Flak Magazine

The fusion of rhythm with textural washes of sound is near perfect in its seamless euphoria.

Pitchfork

Because Up in Flames is so focused on big moments and aural candy, it's wise that Snaith decided to keep the record under 40 minutes. He blows you out and then packs it up.

Almost Cool

Once again, Snaith has surprised just about everyone, and Up In Flames will likely go down as one of my favorite albums of the year.

Dot Music

Though Manitoba's constructions are joyously slap-dash and defiantly experimental, he still manages to lure the listener in with woozy melodies and strangely beguiling textures.

Mojo

A claustrophobic, mesmeric soundscape akin to My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3's early work. [Apr 2003, p.114]

Neumu.net

A dizzyingly crafted explosion.

Dusted Magazine

The result of this multi-layered synergy, and what helps separate it from its soulless similars, is a record that is all at once satisfyingly complex, but also invitingly warm.

Urb

Laptop pop that shimmers, shakes and twists like the precocious child of Aphex Twin, Spiritualized and the Beatles. [Aug 2003, p.89]

Ink 19

Up in Flames isn't the next revolution of electro-pop, but it's a damn good try.

Under The Radar

Up In Flames begs repeated listens and rewards those listens with depth and artistry. [#5, p.110]

Playlouder

Manitoba is a lunatic and a fool, and his strange music, crafted from nature and machine and birdsong and the wind and the air and the seas and THE GODS... it is a fine, fine thing indeed.

Q Magazine

Most tracks follow a simple formula: the vocal from Don't Stop by the Stone Roses + layers of chimes + dog barks + crashing drums = mess. [Jun 2003, p.100]

The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Simon G gave it a10:
This is music that makes me feel 25 years younger. An ambient masterpiece, every time I listen to this I hear something new. Made by someone who loves making music, (especially the drummer who is a constant source of musical fun). Probably my best accidental find (of anything) ever. I'm obliged to vote to cancel out Ronnie C's vote of 3.

Matt gave it a10:
anyone who calls this overrated, horrible, etc, is surely a soulless golem sent to destroy us all. Rarely is music so utterly transcendant that it's no longer just sound waves coming through electronic devices into your ears, it's pure beauty and feeling that nourishes your soul. Or, get this album right now.

Pete gave it a10:
Absolutely perfect. I bought have this album for almost nearly two years now and it's still on rotation. 'Loveless' for the 00's

nick r gave it a10:
Best album of 2003 by a mile. Fantastic music that you just don't hear enough of.

w o gave it a 9:
I've had this album for about a year now and I finally got to see Manitoba live tonight. The show was amazing and proved that the complexity of the album could be translated into an energetic live performance.

[Anonymous] gave it a 9:
A fantastic album - it possesses an incredibly layered construction but never sounds anything but melodic. Snaith's ability to draw from so many different influences, yet still bind all the tracks into one cohesive 40 minute disc with so much, well the only word that comes to mind is "groove," is just amazing.

robert gave it a 9:
i only wish it was longer. does anyone hear flying saucer attack in this? saint etienne?

Up In Flames by Manitoba

Up In Flames
by Manitoba