Geogaddi

Geogaddi
Studio album by Boards of Canada
Released	13 February 2002 (2002-02-13) (Japan) 18 February 2002 (2002-02-18) (Europe) 19 February 2002 (2002-02-19) (USA)
Recorded	Hexagon Sun studio Pentland Hills, Scotland
Genre	IDM Ambient Electronica Psychedelic Experimental
Length	66:06 (standard) 68:14 (Japanese)
Label	Warp Records WARP101
Producer	Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin
Professional reviews
Allmusic 2002 Pitchfork (8.6/10) 2002 PopMatters (favourable) 2002 Rolling Stone (favourable) 2002 Stylus Magazine (B+) 2003 Tiny Mix Tapes link URB April 2002 (p. 119)
Boards of Canada chronology
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country (2000) Geogaddi (2002) The Campfire Headphase (2005)

Geogaddi is the second album by Boards of Canada. It was released in February 2002 on three different days for each region^[1] to a large degree of anticipation.^[2][3][4] It presents a darker sound than its predecessor Music Has the Right to Children. The title of the album has no conclusive meaning; the intention is that it should be decided on by the listener. It is the most commercially successful album by the band.^[2]

Overview

Geogaddi revisits the innocent, child-like melodic and harmonic structure found throughout the band's previous album, Music Has the Right to Children. This album, however, explores motifs considered by some to be quite dark, while to others they appear very innocent. For example, some fans interpret the song titles as having various dark/occult connotations: references to horned gods ("You Could Feel the Sky"), Branch Davidian cultism ("1969"), backmasking ("A Is to B as B Is to C") and hypnotism ("The Devil Is in the Details"): these are of course interpretations, unconfirmed by the band and open to further analysis. Though it retains Boards of Canada's trademark soundscapes and melodic vignettes, the album can be unsettling and fraught with paranoia to some.

The album received mixed reviews the year of its release from some critics who were unimpressed by what they saw as the lack of development since 1998's Music Has the Right to Children. However, it has since become considered a classic of the genre.^{[citation needed]}

The duo and their record label, Warp Records, announced Geogaddi with little fanfare. The album premiered in six cities around the world: London, New York, Tokyo, Edinburgh, Paris, and Berlin. They provided only one press interview, for the NME via email.

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.^[1] Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window", is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nuclear family.^[1] "Magic Window" is a track of pure silence in all three formats.

The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork.^[5] The triple record set holds inner-sleeves that feature artwork on either side. In fact, a kaleidoscope was originally for sale when Geogaddi was first released^[5] and can often be found floating around online auctions.

The band 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 the listeners and make them believe that the Devil had created the album.^[6] The track "Gyroscope" contains samples of a numbers station sampled by Sean Booth of Autechre, as confirmed by a representative of Hexagon Sun on the WATMM forum. [1]

The Japanese edition of Geogaddi features an additional track titled "From One Source All Things Depend". This short track contains many samples of children praying and explaining who they believe God to be. Some of the same children's audio samples can be heard in the song "I Can Feel Him in the Morning'" by the American rock band Grand Funk Railroad on their 1971 album Survival. The original source of these samples is unknown.

Track listing

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

Notes

External links

• Geogaddi at the official Warp Records website
• Geogaddi at MusicBrainz
• Analysis of the meaning of Geogaddi titles, with quotes