Tomorrow's Harvest

[realspiel]

The nuclear theme of TH wasn't "tacked on", they switched their logo to something along those lines at Warp's official site several years ago. They've known what they're doing for some time.

I get the idea that you don't appreciate the album, but to say that the fans or band are somehow retconning an apocalyptic theme to the album, or that the album somehow sounds "thin" (whatever that means, try listening to it on a good pair of headphones) it feels like it's exactly the album that they wanted to make, purposely disjointed early 80s soundtrack style music influenced by specific composers that have worked in the field for years, with some BoC style touches thrown in. Interviewers have mentioned this sort of sound, and they've confirmed their influences on the album.

It's still a dense album, but in a more subtle way than the wall of sound on Geogaddi. Lots of nice little sounds that keep you coming back. It's got lots of those little moments that TCH was lacking, especially after OSTRE.

If you don't like it, that's fine, but to call it cobbled together isn't fair to an artist that at least in their minds, absolutely never half asses anything. I will give you that there probably isn't some secret code or some earth shattering way of listening to the album that hasn't been discovered yet, but why does there need to be? They made that album already - I think it's enough to just throw in some easter eggs and shoutouts to placate that sort of fan. They don't want to be kept in the box even if its a big part of their success.

Yes Yes Yes, TH is a great album in its own right, a progression, nice concept, interesting and absolutely well worth the wait, there doesn't need to be any unfound gimmicks, it's an absolute great listen in its own right, Nothing is Real, Come To Dust, Sundown, Sick Times all classic BoC, can't wait for the next installment however long it takes them, I'm sure again it will be another surprise and progression, that will leave some plastics in their wake.

[blankleader]

The nuclear theme of TH wasn't "tacked on", they switched their logo to something along those lines at Warp's official site several years ago. They've known what they're doing for some time.

I get the idea that you don't appreciate the album, but to say that the fans or band are somehow retconning an apocalyptic theme to the album, or that the album somehow sounds "thin" (whatever that means, try listening to it on a good pair of headphones) it feels like it's exactly the album that they wanted to make, purposely disjointed early 80s soundtrack style music influenced by specific composers that have worked in the field for years, with some BoC style touches thrown in. Interviewers have mentioned this sort of sound, and they've confirmed their influences on the album.

It's still a dense album, but in a more subtle way than the wall of sound on Geogaddi. Lots of nice little sounds that keep you coming back. It's got lots of those little moments that TCH was lacking, especially after OSTRE.

If you don't like it, that's fine, but to call it cobbled together isn't fair to an artist that at least in their minds, absolutely never half asses anything. I will give you that there probably isn't some secret code or some earth shattering way of listening to the album that hasn't been discovered yet, but why does there need to be? They made that album already - I think it's enough to just throw in some easter eggs and shoutouts to placate that sort of fan. They don't want to be kept in the box even if its a big part of their success.

It is indeed dense. There is so much going on.

They worked really hard to fine-tune TH into something consistent (there's that word again) with a specific goal that takes a certain amount of knowhow and discipline when working with a team. So what we get is less of the fleshed-out PBS-referencing interstitials that we have come to know and love and more of those early-80s specific sounds and samples and moods that made up certain films from that era. It's still very BOC with all the carefully tended beats and textured backgrounds, but the end result is something I don't at all see as their same old sound stripped down with a theme tacked on to make to seem interesting. I see a very purposeful intention to create a working soundtrack. The imagination reels.

All to seemingly say "Tangerine Dream and Daft Punk can do a mean soundtrack, sure, but WATCH HOW WE (WOULD) DO IT." And we are left with an obvious and well-crafted nod to to apocalypse films with a wonderful amount of room to decide for ourselves the nature of those doomsdays and create our own story.

I think that if this were connected to an actual film (like DP's killer "Tron:Legacy" soundtrack) it would instead be lauded as a masterpiece by many of those disappointed by its stand-alone existence.

Maybe this whole thing was a giant portfolio piece for BOC's future endeavors.

[Chuck Beckles]

I guess I just felt like the other albums had the movie included. An extra layer. This needs a Samsara paired with it to give some context or flavor or something in my opinion.

Yeah, the theme is apparent from the get go, but a lot of fans imply that if you aren't feeling the music, it's because you haven't listened to it enough times to decipher all of the hidden messages. I don't see it that way. I'm not so infatuated with certain aesthetics these days so I'll just chalk it up to that. Enjoy, though. I guess I felt like i had to get my opinion out there to see if anyone else agreed and some people do. I was starting to feel like I was surrounded by "his name is Robert Paulsen" type mob mentality heheheheheheheeh

[Najlepsiejszy]

if they had released the album shortly after the campfire headphase, it may have been more appropriate for some people. i think the wait overbuilt anticipation.

You nailed it, these are my feelings exactly. I simply expected more detail. You get most of the tracks after your first listen (how long did it take people to pick up that "listen" on Reach For The Dead?). Of course putting emotion into your work is important, but they've set a very high standard for themselves when it comes to hidden sounds- which I LOVE them for.

[blankleader]

Speaking of soundtracks:

The one for this was pretty good as is, but every time I watch it I can't help but imagine what BOC could have done with the brilliant temporally vague imagery. I think this especially specially after TH came out. It's a different kind of film than TH conjures, but still dark and begging for the same type of era-specific treatment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ertVYn750

[blankleader]

Well, I guess I can see I'm not the first to see the connection. Probably already discussed somewhere else around here. I guess it is some low-hanging fruit.

Forgive me, I'm still a noob on the ol' twoism boards.

https://www.facebook.com/boardsofcanada ... 0975700685

[Opothecary]

I can't really blame them for the time between albums. I wish they'd made some sort of stopgap release to keep people interested, but any sense of impossible to meet expectation has to fall strictly on the listener. Reading interviews with these guys, they make music for themselves first, then friends and family, then everyone else. I think they are best when they are creating in a vacuum, it's probably why the OT stuff is some of my favorite work.

I think another reason why TH feels like an improvement is that they seem to have regained their sense of humor and wonder on a more consistent basis, even on an album that feels bleak on the surface. I think TCH might be the first (and hopefully only time) they let expectation get under their skin. It feels like their "we are serious artists making serious music!" album - Dayvan Cowboy sort of sums up everything that's wrong with it. It was very successful for them, and I don't begrudge them that success, but I think they are better when they aren't overthinking it.

I think the appeal of BoC is different for everyone. The hidden and reversed sounds are nice and all, but to me this music is a gemini's dream, there's always been kind of a sense of whimsy that accompanied the melancholy, a wicked sense of humor that accompanies the nostalgia. Their music has always been of two minds about everything. As someone who feels that way often in life, it speaks to me that way.

I think looking at the OT tapes shows the quintessential BoC sound - an Iraq Says for your Kiteracer 2, a Fly in the Pool to go with your House of Abin'adab. I'm not saying that all of that juvenilia really belongs on a proper album, but they've managed to work that sense of humor into their music right alongside those nostalgic feelings. They've pretty much said as much during interviews circa TCH that they still created music they didn't feel comfortable putting on their newer albums because it didn't fit the constraints of the box that they've been put into as "Boards of Canada". That's the other nice thing about TH, it feels like they've stopped overthinking it and overdoing it as much. As I said before, it feels like they kept the sort of stuff there that keeps me coming back, but not overproducing it and losing the magic in the process. It has what it needs to have.

The only time I ever feel like they go to that "place" on TCH was with Peacock Tail. I really hope that they haven't been scared away from future usage of guitar or other more traditional instrumentation because I think R35TT shows that they are good with it when there are no pretensions involved.

So we ended up getting all the sounds and production quality of a BoC album with TCH - I'm sure from the perspective of a musician, everything was largely in its right place, but it sort of lost that intangible "something" - to me, a good BoC song/album is like a psychedelic trip, you never know when something might go wrong or askew, or when things will get especially amazing. It's got a nice sound, you can put it on the background and enjoy it...but it feels like a lot of pomp and circumstance by the end of it all.

[blankleader]

I think the appeal of BoC is different for everyone. .

That fact is glaring in the current thread about overrated songs. It's kind of neat to see how different folks respond to the same tune.

TCH seems to get a lot of criticism that I don't really get except to recognize it as a departure. I love TCH. Hell, I love them all and don't skip anything. I submit myself to each tune. I'm a guitarist, so I enjoy their uses of it, I guess. It feels good to me. Relaxing as hell. I think I'll put it on right now.

[re-phaelam-ed]

i havent listened to this for a while...been in a different mode.

got back into to it the last two days....and first thing i notice....
this album is like a massage for your ears. my ears almost felt relaxed after going through the album.
all the other music is so maxed and compressed....i think my ears were getting stressed. and Harvest feels so soft on the ear bones, its relieving to listen to.

really nice.

[seanandcandy]

this album is STILL growing on me, it's ridiculous. it has a perfect little spot in their discography and i'm so glad that it exists.

[energywarning]

That fact is glaring in the current thread about overrated songs. It's kind of neat to see how different folks respond to the same tune.

TCH seems to get a lot of criticism that I don't really get except to recognize it as a departure. I love TCH. Hell, I love them all and don't skip anything. I submit myself to each tune. I'm a guitarist, so I enjoy their uses of it, I guess. It feels good to me. Relaxing as hell. I think I'll put it on right now.

If taken simply in the context of being the album after MHTRTC and Geogaddi, I can understand why it is considered a departure and upsetting to some. But when the band even said it was their take on a pop record and described all of these images of road trips and such, it makes it even more of a gem (beyond it being my personal favorite).

I like that they appear willing to acknowledge the expectations but still forge ahead and keep making music that to them is akin to that of their own evolution or growth/interests. Without that self-determination and personal vision, I'm sure we wouldn't have had an album like MHTRTC in the first place. Their music feels honest. And that honesty shine through despite whatever vision they have. I hear the same band throughout their catalog, but I like that they're willing to apply that logic and dedication through those different lenses and mutations. It makes the music all the more human in that their approach grows with them, rather than retreating so far into past successes that we'd get the same albums over and over again.

[paul]

I think another reason why TH feels like an improvement is that they seem to have regained their sense of humor and wonder on a more consistent basis, even on an album that feels bleak on the surface.

i agree and feel their sense of humor is understated. its subtle but its in there like a small spoonful of sugar in a rather strong cup of coffee. often the subject matter is usually heavy or deep but you don't have to take yourself completely serious to discuss serious things. if we consider their statement (to paraphrase) "some people don't like to think that we might just be hurtling through space on a big rock and thats all there is" - at first its can be scary as hell to consider, but at the same time it is funny as hell too (and dripping with irony if you don't take yourself too serious).

then i got thinking what if the bigger joke is one day they reveal that the tracks we would call 'serious' were actually them saying 'for a joke, lets do what would appear to be a serious track' and conversely, all the ones we consider light-hearted. goofy, or not fitting in anywhere - are the one's they work the hardest on or were most serious about? good times.

[Hermetech]

i just typed this out on FB in a friend's TH thread (he's the part owner of a pretty famous ambient record label), he only just listened to it for the first time today, and is so far just somewhat impressed. here's what i wrote:

i do see it as some kind of alchemical distillation. i mean their first few releases on warp were ages ago, and made it HUGE. of course it's impossible for them to be away for so long, please the hardcore fans, AND the naysayers who will say "sounds the same". but for me it's an excellent album, incredibly well produced, which rewards repeated listenings. i have the 24 bit lossless downloads, and have not heard the vinyl or CD, so am basing my judgement purely on those, but the overall sound is absolutely gorgeous, top notch production, and subjectively beautiful music too. win/win for me! it sounds like a soundtrack album, and yet when you watch films these days, the soundtracks sound NOTHING like this. i just wish they did!

[Generalchesty]

I don't think it's at all similar to MHTRTC and maybe vaguely Geogaddi. With all of the digital synths, effects, and sample rate reduction, I couldn't have guessed Reach for the Dead was from BoC. The more I listen to it, the more I start to think it might be my favorite album of theirs.

[Wildfire]

I like that they appear willing to acknowledge the expectations but still forge ahead and keep making music that to them is akin to that of their own evolution or growth/interests. Without that self-determination and personal vision, I'm sure we wouldn't have had an album like MHTRTC in the first place. Their music feels honest. And that honesty shine through despite whatever vision they have. I hear the same band throughout their catalog, but I like that they're willing to apply that logic and dedication through those different lenses and mutations. It makes the music all the more human in that their approach grows with them, rather than retreating so far into past successes that we'd get the same albums over and over again.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts but far more eloquently and succinctly.

[polarbear]

[thepastinsidepressant]

theres no album quite like it, either their own or anyone else. it's not like any of their old ones, its coming out of the 70s and into the early 80s sound wise but yet theres a Cold War feel. I'd be disappointed had they gave us more TCH. It's also for all its laid bareness, so well produced. Jacquard Causeway, i mean is that not so intelligent writing, New Seeds for me is like Kid for Todays clever use of slide projector again.

This album does not bore me, its more peeled back, its so different, it may not have the mood people expected but after hearing some amount of boring crap this year, this one shows how it's done.

Amazingly talented lads, in an envious position many artists could only dream about but produce stuff we've all heard before and firing all kinds of digital shit at the wall hoping some of it might stick. These lads really take their time and focus on emotive quality, feeling, taking you on a journey, not experimenting to come across as clever but with purpose using all they can get out of broken up gear, taking advantage of it, like finding life in dying machines and making it sound amazing. Many people would give up and head straight to digital to clean it up, thinking it sounds crap. They are an inspiration to many of us, the less you have, the better you can become, make the most of it, its not the tools but whats in your head and how you apply that with all you've got.

I find myself actually 'less' productive with new gear, theres too much new stuff added to it, too much and it gets in the way.

[Lens Larque]

10/10 Happy new year!

[energywarning]

Many people would give up and head straight to digital to clean it up, thinking it sounds crap. They are an inspiration to many of us, the less you have, the better you can become, make the most of it, its not the tools but whats in your head and how you apply that with all you've got.

I find myself actually 'less' productive with new gear, theres too much new stuff added to it, too much and it gets in the way.

I can only imagine the lengths they've gone to for specific sounds. Whether through long searches or ridiculous amounts of time spent on recording what most people would think is tedious, but adds to that tapestry. I often wonder how often they stumble upon something quickly and decide to not question it (e.g. the birds in "Rue the Whirl).

[Sun Drugs]

i started listening to this with only the ambient tracks and i feel like its a far better album like that to be honest. nothing against the other tracks, i just enjoy the ambient tracks more