BOARDS OF CANADA - The Campfire Headphase

Boards Of Canada are going for the treble, that elusive nirvana that few football teams ever manage to achieve is equally applicable in the world of music. How many artists have delivered three corking albums on the trot without slipping up – and I’m not just talking ‘good’ albums, I’m talking groundbreakers?

Boards Of Canada stunned the electronic music fraternity back in 1998 with their sublime masterpiece Music Has The Right To Children, and backed it four years later with the remarkable Geogaddi. Whilst many are of the opinion that Geogaddi didn’t quite hit the heights of BOC’s debut, I tend to disagree – it was just a ‘different’ masterpiece that’s all. And something similar applies to The Campfire Headphase, of which the subterranean blur of its cover art at least keeps one part of the BOC legend intact – offering immediate salvation before the CD is even put in the tray.

On BOC’s third album it was obvious that a slight sidestep would have to occur, and that is certainly case. The grainy, super-8 crackles that blanket BOC’s world remain, but this has now been integrated with accoustic guitar motifs, giving the album a slightly different texture from what we have heard before. The Campfire Headphase certainly doesn’t have the same smacked-out hallucinatory vibe as Geogaddi for example, it’s as if BOC are coming down from their high and finding faith in the natural order of things.

This is evident early on, on tracks such as Chromakey Dreamcoat and Satellite Anthem Icarus, which both use the guitar in different ways - the former coats it with a modulated fragility, and then sumptously strengthens with BOC’s trademark glacial synths, on Satellite Anthem Icarus the guitar sound is more organic – plucked and sequenced alongside the sound of washing waves and misty analogue whisps and melodies.

BOC wisely reference past glories as well; it's clear that they aren't willing to completely transplant their identity just yet – therefore tracks such as Peacock Tail, 84 Pontiac Dream, and Sherbet Head would sit comfortably on either of their previous two albums – whilst Oscar See Through Red Eye is one of the best tracks they’ve ever done – glistening with colourful gemstone melodies, if this track was physical it'd be a delicious trifle.

The guitar returns on the blissful Hey Saturday Sun, blending the old with the new, the psychedelic with the contemporary – it has a timeless attraction. Some day you’ll play this in the correct biological environment and it will knock you for six. Meanwhile, Slow This Bird Down goes back to BOC basics, as haunting synths moan and saunter over a rusty drum beat – stylistically redundant when compared to BOC's past – but enjoyable nevertheless.

I must admit it took me quite a few listens (six or seven) before feeling able to make conclusive statements about The Campfire Headphase; something has definitely been compromised in the pursuit of a slightly more organic, structured path. This results in many positives and a few negatives. When BOC reference the past they often fail to reach the same heights as on their previous two albums, and when they incorporate the guitar the sound becomes less progressive or ‘out there’, but instead transcends the music into something timelessly appealing.

However, one can always over-analyse; The Campfire Headphase is ultimately a very good album - but with reference to my opening statement - I wouldn’t say BOC got the treble.



	BOARDS OF CANADA - The Campfire Headphase
	8.4
	Warp Records ~ warpcd123 ~ October 2005
	Boards Of Canada are going for the treble, that elusive nirvana that few football teams ever manage to achieve is equally applicable in the world of music. How many artists have delivered three corking albums on the trot without slipping up – and I’m not just talking ‘good’ albums, I’m talking groundbreakers? Boards Of Canada stunned the electronic music fraternity back in 1998 with their sublime masterpiece Music Has The Right To Children, and backed it four years later with the remarkable Geogaddi. Whilst many are of the opinion that Geogaddi didn’t quite hit the heights of BOC’s debut, I tend to disagree – it was just a ‘different’ masterpiece that’s all. And something similar applies to The Campfire Headphase, of which the subterranean blur of its cover art at least keeps one part of the BOC legend intact – offering immediate salvation before the CD is even put in the tray. On BOC’s third album it was obvious that a slight sidestep would have to occur, and that is certainly case. The grainy, super-8 crackles that blanket BOC’s world remain, but this has now been integrated with accoustic guitar motifs, giving the album a slightly different texture from what we have heard before. The Campfire Headphase certainly doesn’t have the same smacked-out hallucinatory vibe as Geogaddi for example, it’s as if BOC are coming down from their high and finding faith in the natural order of things. This is evident early on, on tracks such as Chromakey Dreamcoat and Satellite Anthem Icarus, which both use the guitar in different ways - the former coats it with a modulated fragility, and then sumptously strengthens with BOC’s trademark glacial synths, on Satellite Anthem Icarus the guitar sound is more organic – plucked and sequenced alongside the sound of washing waves and misty analogue whisps and melodies. BOC wisely reference past glories as well; it's clear that they aren't willing to completely transplant their identity just yet – therefore tracks such as Peacock Tail, 84 Pontiac Dream, and Sherbet Head would sit comfortably on either of their previous two albums – whilst Oscar See Through Red Eye is one of the best tracks they’ve ever done – glistening with colourful gemstone melodies, if this track was physical it'd be a delicious trifle. The guitar returns on the blissful Hey Saturday Sun, blending the old with the new, the psychedelic with the contemporary – it has a timeless attraction. Some day you’ll play this in the correct biological environment and it will knock you for six. Meanwhile, Slow This Bird Down goes back to BOC basics, as haunting synths moan and saunter over a rusty drum beat – stylistically redundant when compared to BOC's past – but enjoyable nevertheless. I must admit it took me quite a few listens (six or seven) before feeling able to make conclusive statements about The Campfire Headphase; something has definitely been compromised in the pursuit of a slightly more organic, structured path. This results in many positives and a few negatives. When BOC reference the past they often fail to reach the same heights as on their previous two albums, and when they incorporate the guitar the sound becomes less progressive or ‘out there’, but instead transcends the music into something timelessly appealing. However, one can always over-analyse; The Campfire Headphase is ultimately a very good album - but with reference to my opening statement - I wouldn’t say BOC got the treble.