Geogaddi

Geogaddi
Studio album by Boards of Canada
Released 13 February 2002 (2002-02-13)
Studio Hexagon Sun, Pentland Hills
Genre
Length 66:06
Label Warp
Producer
Boards of Canada chronology
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country
(2000)In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country2000		 Geogaddi
(2002)		 The Campfire Headphase
(2005)The Campfire Headphase2005

Geogaddi is the second album by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada, released on 13 February 2002 by Warp. It has been described as pursuing a darker variation of the style established on their previous releases.

The album received critical acclaim upon release,[3] and reached number 21 on the UK album charts. It appeared on 2002 "best of" lists by publications such as Mojo, NME, and The Wire.[4]

Background

The album was described by Sandison as "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."[5] Compared to their previous releases, the duo aimed to record a project “with more facets, more detail and a kind of concentrated recipe of chaotic little melodies,” as well as something “more fuzzy and organic.”[5] He claimed that the title is a combination of different words with a particular significance but that they wanted listeners to decide on their own interpretations.[6]

The band recorded over 90 tracks for the album, ultimately choosing 23 based on how well they fit the project.[5] Sandison stated that much of the album features acoustic instrumentation, though it may not be immediately evident.[5] They 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 listeners and imply the Devil had created the album.[7] The album has been noted for featuring references to numerology and cult leader David Koresh of the Branch Davidians.[8]

Release

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.[9] Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window" (which consists of nearly two minutes of silence), is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nude nuclear family.[9][10]

The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork.[11]

Geogaddi was first released in Japan on 13 February 2002.[12] Geogaddi was released by Warp on 18 February 2002 in Europe.[12][13] It has been released on compact disc, vinyl, digital download and as a limited edition compact disc.[13]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Boston Phoenix[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[15]
The Guardian[16]
NME9/10[17]
Pitchfork8.6/10[18]
Q[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Spin8/10[21]
Uncut[22]

Geogaddi holds a score of 84 out of 100 from review aggregate site Metacritic based on 21 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3] Kitty Empire of NME praised it as "easily the electronic album of the year" and “a meeting of the natural with the digital, [...] eerier than ever before,” as well as "deliciously saturated with the recurring motifs which have marked them out as an individual voice in electronic music."[17] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork wrote that “the Boards have implemented their trademark tools on Geogaddi, but in the service of a slightly gloomier vision,” noting that they “have always had a disorienting cast to their music, [...] but where the warbles once seemed designed to evoke the sensation of strained memory, the distortions now have a disturbing undercurrent.” He ultimately called it “a very accomplished album packed with great music."[18] Pascal Wyse of The Guardian characterized it as "the band's own reticent blend of electronic melancholy, always organic and beautifully crafted," but noted that the listener’s enjoyment “just depends whether you want to go into that much detail.”[23]

It appeared on several end of year "best of" lists by publications such as Mojo,[24] NME,[25] and The Wire.[26]

Trivia

"Gyroscope" and "You Could Feel The Sky" appeared in the soundrack of the documentary "Until the Light Takes Us" by Aaron Aites. "Gyroscope" was also in the end credits of the horror movie Sinister by Scott Derrickson.

Track listing

All tracks written by Marcus Eoin and Mike Sandison.

No.TitleLength
1."Ready Lets Go"1:01
2."Music Is Math"5:23
3."Beware the Friendly Stranger"0:39
4."Gyroscope"3:35
5."Dandelion"1:17
6."Sunshine Recorder"6:14
7."In the Annexe"1:24
8."Julie and Candy"5:32
9."The Smallest Weird Number"1:19
10."1969"4:22
11."Energy Warning"0:37
12."The Beach at Redpoint"4:20
13."Opening the Mouth"1:13
14."Alpha and Omega"7:04
15."I Saw Drones"0:29
16."The Devil Is in the Details"3:55
17."A is to B as B is to C"1:42
18."Over the Horizon Radar"1:10
19."Dawn Chorus"3:57
20."Diving Station"1:28
21."You Could Feel the Sky"5:16
22."Corsair"2:54
23."Magic Window"1:48
Total length:66:06
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
24."From One Source All Things Depend"2:10
Total length:68:16

Personnel

Boards of Canada

  • Michael Sandison – performer
  • Marcus Eoin – performer

Technical

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

References

  1. 1 2 Bush, John. "Geogaddi – Boards of Canada". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Geogaddi review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Reviews for Geogaddi by Boards of Canada". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. ↑ https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/2002-rewind
  5. 1 2 3 4 Archived 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ Pytlik, Mark (February 2002). "The Colour & The Fire". HMV Magazine. Archived from the original on 2002-07-13. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  7. ↑ Heiko Hoffmann (2005). "Stirred Up the Ashes". Flavorpill Productions LLC. Archived from the original on 2006-11-21. Retrieved 2006-11-24.
  8. ↑ Brown, Colin. "What the hell is up with Boards of Canada? Shorter analysis of Geogaddi". Retrieved on 23 March 2006.
  9. 1 2 "Boards of Canada Discography". 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-24.
  10. ↑ "Images for Boards of Canada – Geogaddi". Discogs. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  11. ↑ Warp Records (2002). "Warp Records; Geogaddi". Warp Records. Archived from the original on 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2006-11-24.
  12. 1 2 "Discography". Boards of Canada Official Website. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Warp. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Hsu, Hua (7–14 March 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Weingarten, Marc (22 March 2002). "Geogaddi". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Wyse, Pascal (22 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  17. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (16 February 2002). "Boards Of Canada : Geogaddi". NME: 39. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  18. 1 2 Richardson, Mark (21 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Q (189): 110. April 2002.
  20. ↑ Blashill, Pat (11 April 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Rolling Stone (893). Archived from the original on 25 April 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (May 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Spin. 18 (5): 120–22. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Uncut (59): 94. April 2002.
  23. ↑ Wyse, Pascal (22 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "Mojo's Best of 2002 album list with Geogaddi at #16". Mojo. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  25. ↑ http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/2002-2-1045353
  26. ↑ https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/2002-rewind
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