Album Review: Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest

Boards of Canada
Tomorrow's Harvest
Rating: Woof Daddy

Almost outclassing Daft Punk in the marketing department, Boards of Canada slyly reappeared after a 7 year absence with a viral ad campaign that had secret 12"s being left in record bins, strange bar codes, a Tokyo billboard announcement, and a desert listening party, with everything adding to the mystery of what BoC were up to, and now we are left with the final product, their fourth album Tomorrow's Harvest. Possibly named after a website that deals with food production and preparation for emergency situations, and appears to cater to doomsday minded people, Tomorrow's Harvest has a slightly sinister and dark quality to it that permeates all of the 17 tracks. Likewise, brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin have indicated that their influences this go around went to soundtracks from John Carpenter, Wendy Carlos, and Mark Isham, creating a tension and almost off-putting edge to these tracks that gives the album an uncomfortable air of dread and unease. It is like they wanted to completely distance themselves from the pastoral IDM they put forth on their last record, The Campfire Headphase, and delve further into the darker territory they were mapping out on Geogaddi. The resulting record plays like a compendium of all their works, fractured through their current mood and viewpoint. Instead of drastically reinventing the wheel, Sandison and Eoin have made what is undeniably a Boards of Canada record, but one that expands upon the legacy created and adds a new, almost twisted spin to things.

Starting off with a nod to Music Has A Right To Children's analog nostaglia with a National Film Board-esque fanfare, "Gemini" quickly shows BoC venturing off into new territory with dense interplay between keyboard drones and John Carpenter like synth arpeggios, creating a sinister landscape that could easily be in an Escape From New York movie. This blends in seamlessly with one of BoC's most brilliant tracks, "Reach For The Dead," gradually grows from a minimalist beginning into a steady wash of undulating synths and abstract percussion.



Throughout the record, BoC work more with texture, grafting odd percussive signatures with layers and layers of different keyboards and effects. From the clanking and throbbing pulse of "Jacquard Causeway,"



the lurching, lopsided grooves and hazy keyboards of "Sick Times," the twitchy haze of burbling electronics on "New Seeds,"



or the haunting downtempo track "Come To Dust" with its elegant, mourning synth strains,



Tomorrow's Harvest shows why Sandison and Eoin took seven years to meticulously craft these amazing tracks.

Interspersed through these tracks are many shorter more evocative songs that play on tension and mood. The sinister insect like scratches and 70s Italian horror movie tones of "White Cyclosa,"



hypnotic washes of keyboards and almost hidden voice samples propelling "Transmisiones Ferox," the clanking and feral "Palace Posy," and the unnerving, twitchy "Uritual" all serve to propel the record forward into its amazing depths.

Tomorrow's Harvest shows that Boards of Canada looks at their work with reverence but not as sticklers, able to draw from their deep wells and make a record that is distinctly a Boards of Canada record, but also one that moves to its own structure and purpose. There are moments of intense beauty on here but also moments that make you extremely uncomfortable. BoC are masters of atmosphere and know how to carefully structure their records to exploit this tension. Tomorrow's Harvest is another amazing record from Sandison and Eoin, and further cements their reputation as brilliant producers.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.