Geogaddi
Encyclopedia
Geogaddi is the second album by Boards of Canada
. It was released in February 2002 on three different days for each region to a large degree of anticipation
. 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.
. 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.
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. Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window", is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nuclear family
. "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. 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 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 imply the Devil
had created the album. 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. http://forum.watmm.com/index.php?showtopic=19680
The Japan
ese 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.
The album's title is unexplained, combining the prefix geo- (earth) with, perhaps, the name of a tribe of Hindu nomads known for their uncommonly peaceful lifestyle, the Gaddi.
. Kitty Empire of NME
said "Easily the electronic album of the year....Deliciously saturated with the recurring motifs which have marked them out as an individual voice in electronic music...a meeting of the natural with the digital, and here it's eerier than ever before." Pitchfork also gave a positive review while noting the album's lack of change from their earlier debut album saying "While some will complain about Boards of Canada's failure to cover new territory, which puts them apart from the praised eclectic "searchers" of the music scene […] the rest of us will delight in what we see as a very accomplished album packed with great music." The album appeared on several end of year "best of" lists.
's motoring show Top Gear.
Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin...
. It was released in February 2002 on three different days for each region to a large degree of anticipation
Anticipation (emotion)
Anticipation, or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure, excitement, and sometimes anxiety in considering some expected or longed-for good event.-As defence mechanism:...
. It presents a darker sound than its predecessor Music Has the Right to Children
Music Has the Right to Children
Music Has the Right to Children is the debut public album of the Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was published by Warp Records and released on 20 April 1998 in Europe and 20 August in the United States...
. 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.
Overview
Geogaddi revisits the innocent, child-like melodic and harmonic structure found throughout the band's previous album, Music Has the Right to ChildrenMusic Has the Right to Children
Music Has the Right to Children is the debut public album of the Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was published by Warp Records and released on 20 April 1998 in Europe and 20 August in the United States...
. 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
Branch Davidian
The Branch Davidians are a Protestant sect that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists , a reform movement that began within the Seventh-day Adventist Church around 1930...
cultism ("1969"), backmasking
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
("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.
The duo and their record label, Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
, announced Geogaddi with little fanfare. The album premiered in six cities around the world: London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. They provided only one press interview, for the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
via email.
The album is available in three formats: Standard jewel case CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
packaging, limited edition hardbound book packaged with a CD and extra artwork enclosed, and a triple record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
package. Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window", is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nuclear family
Nuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
. "Magic Window" is a track of pure silence in all three formats.
The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic
Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope is a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other end creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off the mirrors...
motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork. 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 and can often be found floating around online auctions
Online auction business model
The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. The functionality of buying and selling in an auction format is made possible through auction software which regulates the various processes involved.Several types of online auctions are...
.
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 imply the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
had created the album. The track "Gyroscope" contains samples of a numbers station
Numbers station
A numbers station is a shortwave radio station of uncertain origin. In the 1950s, Time magazine reported that the numbers stations first appeared shortly after World War II and were using a format that had been used to send weather data during that war.Numbers stations generally broadcast...
sampled by Sean Booth of Autechre
Autechre
Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
, as confirmed by a representative of Hexagon Sun
Hexagon Sun
Hexagon Sun is an artistic collective based in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. The confirmed members are Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin , the front-men of the band Boards of Canada, photographer Peter Iain Campbell, Simon Goderich, Mark Garrett, Rachel Stewart, Alan Mackenzie, and Andrew Wilson...
on the WATMM forum. http://forum.watmm.com/index.php?showtopic=19680
The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 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
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
on their 1971 album Survival
Survival (Grand Funk Railroad album)
Survival is Grand Funk Railroad's fourth studio album, and was released in April 1971 by Capitol Records. It was produced by Terry Knight.-Track listing:All songs by Mark Farner unless otherwise noted.#"Country Road" - 4:22...
. The original source of these samples is unknown.
The album's title is unexplained, combining the prefix geo- (earth) with, perhaps, the name of a tribe of Hindu nomads known for their uncommonly peaceful lifestyle, the Gaddi.
Reception
The album received universal acclaim based on 21 critic's reviews and has a score of 84 out of 100 from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Kitty Empire of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
said "Easily the electronic album of the year....Deliciously saturated with the recurring motifs which have marked them out as an individual voice in electronic music...a meeting of the natural with the digital, and here it's eerier than ever before." Pitchfork also gave a positive review while noting the album's lack of change from their earlier debut album saying "While some will complain about Boards of Canada's failure to cover new territory, which puts them apart from the praised eclectic "searchers" of the music scene […] the rest of us will delight in what we see as a very accomplished album packed with great music." The album appeared on several end of year "best of" lists.
Track listing
The tracks '1969' and 'Julie and Candy' have been used in the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's motoring show Top Gear.
Technical
- Peter Campbell – cover photograph
- Michael Sandison – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, artwork, photography - Marcus Eoin – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, artwork, photography
External links
- Geogaddi at the official Warp RecordsWarp RecordsWarp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
website - Analysis of the meaning of Geogaddi titles, with quotes