Pitchfork

Dan Snaith is a badass. He has a Ph.D. in mathematics, he continues to snarkily refer to Handsome Dick Manitoba (aka the man who made him change his recording/performing name from Manitoba to Caribou) as an “ageing punk rocker” on his MySpace page, and he was the talk of the blogosphere with the skewering he gave President Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner last week.

Okay, that last one is Stephen Colbert, but those two probably hang out as members of some sort of club for maverick entertainers with enormous internet fanbases, so it's an honest mistake.

The psychedelic/electronic/krautrock mastermind is such a badass, in fact, that the only thing he'll tell us about the new album he's recording is that he's "returned to the studio" and that he is so "busy recording" that his already-passed live shows in France last month would be two of the "few chances to see [him] play this year" (from his MySpace page and official website, respectively). Looks like there won't be any Snaiths on a plane this summer after all.

Dr. Snaith is more forthcoming, however, about the reissue treatment his first two records (as Manitoba) are getting. On June 20, Domino Records will re-release both 2001's Start Breaking My Heart and 2003's Up in Flames, Pitchfork's fifth favorite album of 2003, with bonus discs devoted to singles, remixes, and videos. These deluxe reissue packages will put the Caribou name where Manitoba once was, so we can all just forget about this whole business and focus on what's really important: Canada.

Start Breaking My Heart:

Disc One:

01 Dundas, Ontario
02 People Eating Fruit
03 Mammals Vs. Reptiles
04 Brandon
05 Children Play Well Together
06 Lemon Yoghourt
07 James' Second Haircut
08 Schedules and Fares
09 Paul's Birthday
10 Happy Ending

Disc Two:

01 Victor and Carolyn
02 218 Beverly
03 Evan Likes Driving
04 Anna & Nina
05 Dundas, Ontario (remix)
06 Tits & Ass - The Great Canadian Weekend
07 Webers
08 If Assholes Could Fly, This Place Would Be an Airport
09 Air Doom
10 Ach Who
11 Dundas, Ontario (video)

Up in Flames:

Disc One:

01 I've Lived on a Dirt Road All My Life
02 Skunks
03 Hendrix With Ko
04 Jacknuggeted
05 Why the Long Face
06 Bijoux
07 Twins
08 Kid You'll Move Mountains
09 Crayon
10 Every Time She Turns Round It's Her Birthday

Disc Two:

01 Olé
02 Thistles and Felt
03 Seaweed
04 Cherrybomb
05 Silver Splinters
06 Cherrybomb Part II
07 Jacknuggeted (video)
08 Skunks (video)