Andorra

Released in 2007, Andorra marked a pivotal shift for Dan Snaith, moving away from the more experimental, sample-heavy IDM of his earlier work toward a structured, melody-driven psychedelic pop sound. The album was largely inspired by Snaith's deep dive into 1960s sunshine pop and British psychedelia, specifically the works of The Zombies and The Kinks, but filtered through his background in mathematics and electronic production. Recorded primarily in his home studio, the album features live instrumentation - including Snaith's own drumming - layered into dense, 'wall of sound' arrangements. It won the 2008 Polaris Music Prize, cementing Snaith's status as a premier architect of modern indie-electronic music. Critics noted its departure from the 'folktronica' tag, praising its sophisticated songwriting and the seamless integration of acoustic textures with electronic processing. It remains a high-water mark for the Merge Records catalog and a definitive example of the mid-2000s psychedelic revival.