CITY SLANG’S CARIBOU POCKETS IMPALA EUROPEAN ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brussels, 12th February 2015

“Our Love”, by Canadian artist Daniel Victor « Dan » Snaith, also known as CARIBOU, has won the annual European music prize organised by IMPALA for the best independent album in Europe.

This album is Caribou’s sixth studio album. It was released in June 2014 by City Slang in Europe and by Merge Records in North America.

Caribou succeeds last year’s winner Guadalupe Plata (Everlasting Records). 

“Our Love” was shortlisted together with 22 other artists whose albums were released in 2014 by European independent record labels. The shortlist included The Dø, Young Fathers, Tremenda Trementina, Fai Baba, Batida, Broken Twin, Sleaford Mods and Aphex Twin among others, as well as previous IMPALA Album of the Year award nominees Alt-J and IceAge.

 The full list of nominees is included below and available on the IMPALA website.

 Quotes

With the artist currently touring Australia, City Slang founder Christof Ellinghaus commented: “Wow, this is a huge honor for the artist and my label! Thanks. Caribou deserve this award for his outstanding talent and hard work. We´re happy to support Caribou´s career.” 

Jörg Heidemann, Secretary General of VUT, the German association of independent record labels, added: “We are thrilled that Caribou is this year´s winner of the IMPALA Album of the Year Award, and also very proud to see this award honour a German independent label for the very first time. Caribou and City Slang are a great example of a strong and fair relationship between artists and independent labels.”

Helen Smith, Executive Chair of IMPALA also declared: “Caribou emerged a worthy winner in a vote which pitched “Our Love” against Europe’s very best releases of 2014. This year’s award winner also underlines the work by European independent labels, not only with European artists but with acts from all over the world.”

More about Caribou

Daniel Victor “Dan” Snaith (born 1978) is a Canadian composer, musician and recording artist. Having followed up his Polaris Prize winning 2007 record “Andorra” with the universally acclaimed “Swim” in 2010 (selling nearly 175,000 copies worldwide and being named ‘Album of the Year’ by Rough Trade, Mixmag and Resident Advisor whilst also hitting The Guardian, Pitchfork, Spin and Mojo’s Top 20), Dan has spent time not only touring the world, but also proving his worth as a DJ with epic 7.5 hour long sets.

“Our Love” is the sixth studio album from Caribou. The album features collaborations with Jessy Lanza and Owen Pallett. It was mixed by David Wrench and features artwork by Jason Evans/ Matthew Cooper. 

As described on the City Slang website, “Our Love” is formed around a mixture of digital pop production, hip hop inspired beats, muted house basslines and a love of shuffling garage. ‘Our Love’ is probably Caribou’s most soulful record to date, chock-full of heartfelt lyrics and organic nature which cuts through bubbling synths and blissful euphoria of their synthetic constructions.

More about City Slang

City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. Founded by former tour agent Christof Ellinghaus exclusively to put out the Flaming Lips’ 1990 album In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine Stares), it quickly became a home for U.S. bands such as The Lemonheads, Das Damen and Yo La Tengo looking to bring their music to Europe. More than 20 years later, the label is going from strength to strength. City Slang’s catalogue has grown to encompass a broad and colourful spectrum of artists, with a roster including heavy-hitting veterans Lambchop, cult favourites Nada Surf, the critically-lauded Arcade Fire, and a whole load of other awesome bands.

More about IMPALA’s Independent Album of the Year Award

The full list of nominees for this year’s award was the following (in alphabetical order): 

·       ALT-J – This Is All Yours (Infectious Music)

·       APHEX TWIN – Syro (Warp)

·       BATIDA – Dois (Soundway Records)

·       BROKEN TWIN – May (ANTI/Epitaph)

·       CARIBOU – Our Love (City Slang)

·       DANS DANS – 3 (Unday Records)

·       THE DØ – Shake Shook Shaken (Wagram Music)

·       EMIS KILLA – Mercurio (Carosello Records)

·       FAI BABA – Savage Dreamer (A Tree In A Field Records/Irascible)

·       FKA TWIGS – LP1 (Young Turks)

·       FRANKIE CHAVEZ – Heart And Spine (Search Records)

·       HIGHASAKITE – Silent Treatment (Propeller Recordings)

·       ICEAGE – Plowing Into The Field of Love (Escho)

·       JENNIE ABRAHAMSON – Gemini Gemini (How Sweet The Sound)

·       NINA ROMIC – Stablo (Aquarius Records)

·       THE NOTWIST – Close To The Glass (City Slang)

·       OCHO MACHO – De Puta Madre (CLS)

·       PEPE WILLBERG – Pepe & Saimaa (KHY Suomen Musiikki)

·       SLEAFORD MODS – Divide And Exit (Harbinger Sound)

·       TREMENDA TREMENTINA – Sangre Pop (Everlasting Records)

·       TWIN ATLANTIC – Great Divide (Red Bull Records)

·       WITHIN TEMPTATION – Hydra (BMG)

·       YOUNG FATHERS – Dead (Big Dada/Anticon)

The Spotify playlist of all albums nominated this year is available at: IMPALA Album of the Year Award 

About the Independent Album of the Year Award

The “European Independent Album of The Year” Award was launched in 2011, together with the annual “Outstanding Contribution to European Music” Award, to mark the 10th anniversary of IMPALA. This award showcases the breadth and diversity of independent talent across Europe. The winner is selected on the basis of completely open criteria from a shortlist compiling national and non-national album nominations from territories across Europe put forward for their musical, artistic or other exceptional quality. Nominated albums were required to have been released on a European independent label between January and December 2014. Previous winners of the Award are Efterklang, Adele, The xx and Guadalupe Plata.

About IMPALA

IMPALA was established in April 2000 to represent independent music companies. 99% of Europe’s music companies are SMEs. Known as the “independents”, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists – they produce more than 80% of all new releases. SME’s also produce 80% of Europe’s jobs. IMPALA has its own award schemes to help promote cultural diversity and new talent and highlight the artistic contribution of independent music. IMPALA award winning artists include Modeselektor, Caro Emerald, Adele, M83, Mogwai, Keny Arkana, Melanie De Biasio, Civil War, Dead Can Dance, Arctic Monkeys and Afro Cuban All Stars.

IMPALA – Independent Music Companies Association

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