Boards Of Canada Geogaddi CD

For their sophomore long-player, reclusive Scots Boards of Canada depart slightly from the rainy-day psyche-tronica of their much-lauded 1998 release, MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN. Here the emphasis is as much on beats as atmosphere, but the duo's undeniable genius for conjuring up a sweet nostalgia for futures past still pervades. On "Dandelion," a voice that sounds an awful lot like actor Leslie Nielsen discusses underwater volcanoes in a sample from an old educational film, making what follows seem like the soundtrack to a pleasant science-class nap.

Tracks alternate between short experiments in abstract ambience and longer, more loop-centric conceptualizing. Like the glowing orange fractal on the cover, sounds coalesce into beautiful patterns with geometric precision, and there's lots of numerical symbolism for math fans to ponder in GEODADDI's 66:06 minutes. While BoC's first album seemed ensconced in the security of a cozy kindergarten, GEOGADDI captures something of the terrors of leaving that world for the blinding sunshine of first grade, with track names like "Beware the Friendly Stranger" "A Is to B as B Is to C," and "Music Is Math." While not as immediately lulling as one might imagine, GEOGADDI has an inherent magic that kicks in with a vengeance after it's had time to soak into listeners' heads.

Highly anticipated new album features 23 tracks. Warp Records.

Photographers: Marcus Eoin; Michael Sandison.

Boards Of Canada: Marcus Eoin, Michael Sandison.

Recording information: Hexagon Sun.

Rolling Stone (4/11/02, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A lovely, strangely comforting collection of electronic introspection, mood and shadow."
Spin (May 2002, pp.120-122) - 8 out of 10 - "...The Scottish duo favors smudgy, just slightly out-of-tune analog synth tones evocative of faded home movies and washed-out photographs....a thoroughly satisfying album..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/22/02, p.110) - "...Murky electronic grooves lurch forward llike industrial bilge through a junkyard....Their depth-of-field approach is abstract but has just enough focus to sustain clarity..." - Rating: B+
Q (4/02, p.110) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...A labyrinth of melodic and textural twists that enthrals rather than assaults..."
Uncut (1/03, p.95) - Ranked #22 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" - "...An antidote to the ongoing chill-out fad..."
Alternative Press (5/02, p.78) - 7 out of 10 - "...Experimental and brave..."
Magnet (6-7/02, p.76) - "...A rare 2nd album that matches a brilliant debut..."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.75) - Ranked #16 in Mojo's "Best Albums of 2002"
Mojo (Publisher) (April 2002, p.112) - "...66 minutes of pure tones, pensive clanks and chopped-up nature film commentaries..."
NME (Magazine) (2/16/02, p.39) - 9 out of 10 - "...Easily the electronic album of the year....Deliciously saturated with the recurring motifs which have marked them out as an individual voice in electronic music...a meeting of the natural with the digital, and here it's eerier than ever before..."