Released June 10, 2013
In 1993, philosopher Jaques Derrida introduced the
concept “hauntology” to explain how the romanticized past always overshadows our
perception of the present. Intended at
the time as an explanation for continued Marxist undercurrents, this kind of nostalgic
present-setting often appears in art, music included. Enter Boards of Canada. This band’s music contrasts a sweetened past to
the perceived bitterness of the future, and with their newest release, Tomorrow’s Harvest, this tradition
continues in an even darker direction. Known
for their mixing of ambient passages with song-like vignettes amongst 1970s
analogue tones, the two Scottish brothers, Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin
took their latest creation to an even darker plane than previous releases – nostalgic
sounds like computer start-up tones and spoken word distort around one another
between deep bass passages and slowed rhythm, making the ‘altered present’ even
darker.
Amongst
different artist names, shifting membership, and changing labels, Boards of
Canada comes from a history that is hard to pin down. Their first directly traceable release, Twoism, appeared in 1992, and
established the rough ambient-vignette format that we hear today. In Tomorrow’s
Harvest, songs like Palace Posy and
New Seeds particularly stand out
amongst the wash due to their surprising rhythmic and melodic complexity. However, this is not an album to pick and
choose random tracks from to listen to – it sounds best heard all-the-way
through as motives of sound (both analogue and digital), textures, and specific
moods appear and re-appear in contrasting ways.
Old fans
of the band will certainly appreciate the darker progression that brings us to
their latest release. Many instances
lead the listener to understand the album as fully orchestrated, every moment
created with precise taste to contrast the present and the idealized past. Those familiar will enjoy the familiar format
with a more ominous mood. However, if
you’re new to the band, I would not suggest it as a good introduction to their
work as a whole. Instead, check out Geogaddi, as it comes off as lighter and
contains less ambient material, includes a more clear contrast between ‘nostalgic’
bits and ‘present’ bits, and represents the turning-point in which Boards of
Canada begins to grow dark. Then, check
out Tomorrow’s Harvest and see if it
also has the ability to haunt.
Suggested
tracks: Palace Posy, Split your Infinities, New Seeds
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