Geogaddi

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Geogaddi
Geogaddi cover
Studio album by Boards of Canada
Released February 13, 2002 (Japan)
February 18, 2002 (Europe)
February 19, 2002 (USA)
Recorded Hexagon Sun studio
Pentland Hills, Scotland
Genre IDM
Length 66:06 (Standard)
68:16 (Japanese)
Label Warp Records WARP101
Producer Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin
Professional reviews
Boards of Canada chronology
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country
(2000)
Geogaddi
(2002)
The Campfire Headphase
(2005)

Geogaddi is the second album by Boards of Canada. It was released in February of 2002 on three different days for each region[1] to a large degree of anticipation.[2][3][4] It presents a darker sound than its predecessor Music Has the Right to Children. The title of the album has no conclusive meaning; the intention is that it should be decided on by the listener. It is the most commercially successful album by the band.[2]

Contents

[edit] Overview

Geogaddi revisits the innocent, child-like melodic and harmonic structure found throughout the band's previous album, Music Has the Right to Children. This album, however, explores motifs considered by some to be quite dark, while to others they appear very innocent. For example, some fans interpret the song titles as having various dark/occult connotations: references to horned gods ("You Could Feel the Sky"), Branch Davidian cultism ("1969"), backmasking ("A Is to B as B Is to C") and hypnotism ("The Devil Is in the Details"): these are of course interpretations, unconfirmed by the band and open to further analysis. Though it retains Boards of Canada's trademark soundscapes and melodic vignettes, the album can be unsettling and fraught with paranoia to some.

Geogaddi is a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again. It has a kind of narrative. – Michael Sandison

The album received mixed reviews the year of its release from jaded critics who were unimpressed by the lack of "development" since 1998's Music Has the Right to Children. However, it has since become considered a classic of the genre.

The duo and its record label, Warp Records, announced Geogaddi with little fanfare. The album premiered in six cities around the world: London, New York, Tokyo, Edinburgh, Paris, and Berlin. They provided only one press interview for the NME via email.

The album is available in three formats: Standard jewel case CD packaging, limited edition hardbound book packaged with a CD and extra artwork enclosed, and a triple record package.[1] Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window", is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nuclear family.[1] Note that "Magic Window" is a track of pure silence in all three formats.

The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork.[5] The triple record set holds inner-sleeves that feature artwork on either side. In fact, a kaleidoscope was originally for sale when Geogaddi was first released[5] and can often be found floating around online auctions.

The band received the idea to make the track time total 66 minutes and 6 seconds from Warp Records president Steve Beckett, his reasoning being to joke around with the listeners and make them believe that the Devil had created the album.[6] The track "Gyroscope" contains samples of a numbers station sampled by Sean Booth of Autechre, as confirmed by a representative of Hexagon Sun on the WATMM forum. [1]

The Japanese edition of Geogaddi features an additional track entitled "From One Source All Things Depend". This short track contains many samples of children praying and explaining who they believe God to be. Some of the same children's audio samples can be heard in the song I Can Feel Him in the Morning by the American rock band Grand Funk Railroad on their 1971 album Survival (Grand Funk Railroad album). The original source of these samples is unknown, at this point.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Ready Lets Go" – 0:59
  2. "Music Is Math" – 5:21
  3. "Beware the Friendly Stranger" – 0:37
  4. "Gyroscope" – 3:34
  5. "Dandelion" – 1:15
  6. "Sunshine Recorder" – 6:12
  7. "In the Annexe" – 1:22
  8. "Julie and Candy" – 5:30
  9. "The Smallest Weird Number" – 1:17
  10. "1969" – 4:19
  11. "Energy Warning" – 0:35
  12. "The Beach at Redpoint" – 4:18
  13. "Opening the Mouth" – 1:11
  14. "Alpha and Omega" – 7:02
  15. "I Saw Drones" – 0:27
  16. "The Devil Is in the Details" – 3:53
  17. "A Is to B as B Is to C" – 1:40
  18. "Over the Horizon Radar" – 1:08
  19. "Dawn Chorus" – 3:55
  20. "Diving Station" – 1:26
  21. "You Could Feel the Sky" – 5:14
  22. "Corsair" – 2:52
  23. "Magic Window" – 1:46
  24. "From One Source All Things Depend" – 2:10 (Japanese edition only)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Boards of Canada

  • Michael Sandison – performer
  • Marcus Eoin – performer

[edit] Technical

  • Peter Campbell – cover photograph
  • Michael Sandison – producer, artwork, photography
  • Marcus Eoin Sandison – producer, artwork, photography

[edit] Samples

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Boards of Canada Discography (2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  2. ^ a b Mark Pytlik (2002). The Colour & The Fire. HMV. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  3. ^ John Bush (2002). Geogaddi Overview. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  4. ^ John Mulvey (2002). The Most Mysterious & Revered Men in Electronica. NME. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  5. ^ a b Warp Records (2002). Warp Records; Geogaddi. Warp Records. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
  6. ^ Heiko Hoffmann (2005). Stirred Up the Ashes. Flavorpill Productions LLC. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.

[edit] External links