Collapse as the true end of the album?

[purgruv]

I have played around with interlocking tracks before and have a couple that have been sat awaiting a finish for a good year. you don't think that Gemini and semena should be overlayed together? Anyone wanna try it? I'm not able right now.

This?

http://i.imgur.com/i6Hoqwg.png

will upload track later

[Geogandhi]

How did it sound? I guess this could be a reason why there is so much headroom on this album.

[FernieCanto]

In my view, this "palindromic" structure of the album is not supposed to affect how you listen to the album, but how you interpret it. It doesn't make much sense for the album to be released in vinyl, if you're intended to switch around and play with the track order or reverse the audio. I believe this process should be purely mental. That, in my opinion, is a far more sophisticated concept: you shouldn't change the album as it is, but the way you hear it within. Tomorrow's Harvest seems to be extremely meticulously crafted and calculated, and not prone for that kind of deconstruction.

I admit, though, that the gaps between the tracks are pretty suspicious. If memory serves me right, the only instance of two tracks flowing together are Gemini and Reach for the Dead. All the others are separated by silence. But would that imply that the first two tracks shouldn't be split? I don't think so. It might be personal bias, but I'm pretty skeptical on this.

[Keeoaddi]

I admit, though, that the gaps between the tracks are pretty suspicious. If memory serves me right, the only instance of two tracks flowing together are Gemini and Reach for the Dead. All the others are separated by silence. But would that imply that the first two tracks shouldn't be split? I don't think so. It might be personal bias, but I'm pretty skeptical on this.

maybe it's just my copy or something, but on the wav files i downloaded from bleep, it's not actually silence between the tracks, otherwise when you normalize it it wouldn't increase any waveforms. there seems to be a small amount of digital noise on the end of each track, only visible as a waveform when you amplify it a lot

[Geogandhi]

To be honest the Gemini into reach for the dead has always jarred. It makes sense that it could be re-ordered as that would iron out this blip.

[FernieCanto]

maybe it's just my copy or something, but on the wav files i downloaded from bleep, it's not actually silence between the tracks, otherwise when you normalize it it wouldn't increase any waveforms. there seems to be a small amount of digital noise on the end of each track, only visible as a waveform when you amplify it a lot

That's pretty common. It's hard to find an album in which there is absolute silence between tracks; a small "debris" is almost always there, no matter how small.

[d e n]

Fernie Canto, i agree.

i think when listening through, collapse is no doubt the center of the palindrome, and it's interesting to be aware of that. but i don't think there was any intentional effort to have people switch around the track order.

i also don't understand the overlaying of tracks in regards to enjoying the sound of music. i can see how its fun to do though.

[23degreesdream]

Some awesome ideas here. I don't think the order of the tracks are supposed to change as such, i think the palendromic structure alludes two roads to the same conclusion.

Gemini --> Collapse

Depicts a disaster of some kind


Semena --> Collapse

Depicts a kind of technological meltdown, the homogeonisation they allude to leading to collapse (Nothing is Real -- alludes to the decay of our sense of self brought about by over-reliance on technology, Split your infinities, Palace Posy, the anagram of apocolypse alluding to a hidden apocolypse?)


Hence i think this "twinning" of tracks is totally right, just in either direction.

[23degreesdream]

One path to collapse follows tracks 1->2->3->4->5->6->7->8->9. The other path to collapse follows tracks 17->16->15->14->13->12->11->10->9. Others here and elsewhere have suggested that Semena Mertvykh sounds like a starting point rather than an end, after all.

Just realized i rewrote exactly what you wrote in the first post. Must remember to fully read first post FWIW i think this is exactly spot on.

[purgruv]

In my view, this "palindromic" structure of the album is not supposed to affect how you listen to the album, but how you interpret it. It doesn't make much sense for the album to be released in vinyl, if you're intended to switch around and play with the track order or reverse the audio. I believe this process should be purely mental. That, in my opinion, is a far more sophisticated concept: you shouldn't change the album as it is, but the way you hear it within. Tomorrow's Harvest seems to be extremely meticulously crafted and calculated, and not prone for that kind of deconstruction.

No? Then how did I hear this in Sick Times after taking the wav and reversing and slowing it down, this is Boards of Canada, this is what they do!

When reversed 1:30 from the end "Dangerous" Repeating 4 times via right channel (something else is said via left channel as a counterpoint but incomprehensible for the moment)

[Betacord]

The twinning of 7 & 11 (Transmisiones Ferox & Split Your Infinitives) also showing some similarity. Same key to start... I feel they're suggestive of event-of-emergency - or at least, 'alarm' - albeit not in the same way as each other. The critical alert on both paths to collapse.

I can't make much actual sense of Transmisiones' speech, by the way -- I'm just going on the sounds and mood for now!

[FernieCanto]

No? Then how did I hear this in Sick Times after taking the wav and reversing and slowing it down, this

That really has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Backmasking in BoC's music is as old as the world, but as far as I'm aware, nobody ever spoke of rearranging tracks on their previous albums. This is the first time this has happened, and was sparked by the interview in which they mentioned a "palindromic structure" in the album.

Just because there are backwards samples doesn't mean the tracks should be reversed, as if they were purposefully misplaced in the record. Dandelion is half-forwards-half-backwards, because that's how it should be. Personally, I still don't think that Tomorrow's Harvest is a scrambled puzzle. I think it's all about changing our perceptions, not deconstructing the whole album.

[Headphase]

Collapse is actually one of my favourite tracks!

I like the whole theory of Semena and Gemini both being starts of the album.

[d e n]

i think its more than a theory, boc straight up said the record was made to be palindromic.

edit: i feel this is especially affective just in the way it sounds, theory and analysis aside.

[purgruv]

i think its more than a theory, boc straight up said the record was made to be palindromic.

They also said that there is a lot more hidden stuff in this album than any other. So we gotta explore all the possibilities, we gotta deeper.

Also as the middle of Collapse is pretty much the middle of the entire album it seems reasonable to attempt this sort track layering. Trying to unlock the continuing coded message can only improve the experience!

[Mexicola]

Just because there are backwards samples doesn't mean the tracks should be reversed, as if they were purposefully misplaced in the record. Dandelion is half-forwards-half-backwards, because that's how it should be. Personally, I still don't think that Tomorrow's Harvest is a scrambled puzzle. I think it's all about changing our perceptions, not deconstructing the whole album.

It is a load of fun though

[Headphase]

i think its more than a theory, boc straight up said the record was made to be palindromic.

They also said that there is a lot more hidden stuff in this album than any other. So we gotta explore all the possibilities, we gotta deeper.

Also as the middle of Collapse is pretty much the middle of the entire album it seems reasonable to attempt this sort track layering. Trying to unlock the continuing coded message can only improve the experience!

I really want to find all the hidden codes!!!! I imagine there is some sort of big secret running through the album.

[riverz]

How about face value on track titles, in sequence.

1.
Gemini
Reach for the Dead
White Cyclosa
Jacquard Causeway
Telepath
Cold Earth
Trasmisiones Ferox -
Sick Times
Collapse

2.
Semena Mertvykh
Come to Dust
New Seeds
Sundown
Nothign Is Real
Uritual
Split Your Infinities
Palace Posy
Collapse

The both end with sickness and/or destruction followed by a collapse. It's said that the Pale Horse, of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, killed by spreading plague.

The beginning of one is heavenly and the other is grown from the seeds of the dead, think wildfires. Both beginnings come from seemingly nothing?

There is a definite life to death theme here.

[re-phaelam-ed]

you can hear SUPER slowed down vocal/dialogue in the background. much like diving station.

[miklatov]

How about face value on track titles, in sequence.

1.
Gemini
Reach for the Dead
White Cyclosa
Jacquard Causeway
Telepath
Cold Earth
Trasmisiones Ferox -
Sick Times
Collapse

2.
Semena Mertvykh
Come to Dust
New Seeds
Sundown
Nothign Is Real
Uritual
Split Your Infinities
Palace Posy
Collapse

The both end with sickness and/or destruction followed by a collapse. It's said that the Pale Horse, of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, killed by spreading plague.

The beginning of one is heavenly and the other is grown from the seeds of the dead, think wildfires. Both beginnings come from seemingly nothing?

There is a definite life to death theme here.

Exactly!