3 ...according to our Clinton on 27 November 2006.
The long awaited Boards of Canada album is here and as we work in a record
shop we have already had hours and hours of discussion about its triumphs and
pitfalls. So I'm virtually all talked out about it already. The initial
impression was of something blander and more mainstream than their previous
releases. But I thought this about "Geodaddi" at first but that just
grew and grew on me so I was prepared to give new this one a lot more time
before drawing to a conclusion. After a few weeks I'm still not sure. It ticks all
the right boxes but you tend to find yourself nodding off or (worse still) not
realising it's still on. It is delicious background music but I expect more from
a Boards of Canada record. They have been experts in introducing amazing
hidden melodies and clever touches into their records which keep you coming back
time and time again. The pre-programmed beats on this one are a problem in themselves, being
very lightweight and just sort of ticking along with the music without adding
any dynamics to the tunes. Boards of Canada are not moving on - they
are honing their near perfect sound until it becomes a pale washed out pastiche
of itself. I'm loathe to criticise a group who have made such brilliant records
in the past but although this is a decent enough record that will file itself quite snugly into the
Chill Out section of your local HMV, it has very little more to offer and that on
past form renders it something of a disappointment.
