Still whishing... Nice, BoC style, interesting, neo-hippy, psychedelic, now I would wish they could overgrow their concept of having a beat that has some similarity to drums, esp. TRish sound we know for so long... and also quite classic slow clubbish beats... Give us real ambient without the annoying beats... Provide rhythmic structures with other elements, not with electro drums - that would be something really new and exciting from them. Anyway - ok album. But there are many less known artists that more mature than BoC and would deserve even more recognition - like Keith Fullerton Whitman, Tim Hecker, Fennesz and many more.
Extended Play for Extended Drives Spaced out day trips for real life road trips. Surreality meets quiet scenery on Boards of Canada's EP release. Reminiscent of their last EP release (In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country), one can almost feel like they are on the Trans-Canada highway, awash with white and the silent stillness of a land which the warmth of the sun has forsaken.
Makes for a good introduction This is my first Boards of Canada purchase and it instantly hooked me on these guys! Most of you Boards aficionados would probably point a newbie to their first 2 full-length albums, but this is a great choice as well.
In fact when I went to my local record shop, all they had was this one, "In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country" and "Twoism". Strange selection, I know! This EP had the coolest artwork though.
It only took one day of repeated listening to send me back to pick up "In a Beautiful Place...". How these 2 Scotsmen manage to channel the paradox of natural beauty and modernity that is Canada, I'll never know.
It's rare for me to get excited about electronic music, but Boards of Canada and this EP in particular are that wonderful exception. Recommended especially to fans of "post-rock" and ambient music.
On the highway The Boards of Canada took a lot of flack for their fuzzy, less ethereal "The Campfire Headphase," which basically explores whole new avenues of music, but didn't sound anything like what they had done before.
But one of those songs comes across far better in "Trans Canada Highway," spearheading an EP of the kind of music that Boards of Canada is known for -- rippling electronica, crammed with atmosphere and chilly beauty. It's a nicely solid little EP, covering both sides of the band's musical palette.
It opens with "Dayvan Cowboy," a mass of fuzz with a rambly little guitar melody in the middle, and decorated with some delicate chiming sounds. About halfway through, a gust of wind blows away all the fuzz and chimes, leaving just a the hesitant guitar, clashing cymbals and a trembling violin. But slowly the fuzz and chimes creep back in....
... just in time for the rattly, atmospheric sweeps of "Left Side Drive," which is more typical of Boards of Canada's music. It's mellow, smooth and atmospheric, with some nice beats. From there they explore the dreamlike prettiness of "Heard From Telegraph Lines" and the staticky "Under the Coke Sign," and the angular synth stretches of "Skyliner."
And finally there's he Odd Nosdam remix of "Dayvan Cowboy." Hoo, this one takes a little getting used to -- for awhile you can just hear planes taking off, it softly segues into a chilly ambient sweep... before finally getting into the expansive, swirling main melody. It takes a LONG time to get anywhere, but it's brilliant when it really gets moving.
"Trans Canada Highway" has a little of every Boards of Canada "sound" in it, flickering through their prior "sounds" with new little songs. And it really makes "Dayvan Cowboy" sound appealing as it didn't before, by letting it be judged on its own merits. It's actually a pretty good song.
Except for an angelic-sounding chorale which only appears for a second, there aren't any vocals in this. Instead, the music is pure -- it's full of shimmering warm analog synth, sharply-defined beats, heavy fuzz, and in "Dayvan Cowboy," a twining of more conventional instrumentation like violin, guitar and clashing drums.
"Trans Canada Highway" is a beautiful little EP, bringing two very different styles for Boards of Canada together. Definitely a good listen.
ANYTHING BOARDS IS GOOD ANY BOARDS OF CANADA is one of my favorite things to listen to. I listen to BOC all of the time at work to escape. When I hike or mountain bike. It is truely one of a kind music. And yes I do love the campfire headphase just as much as everthing else.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
