TH: For those who always wondered what an album's worth of intros sounds like

Believe it or not, this is not really a troll...but seriously, what a BoCtease. Most of the tracks feel like an intro to something that never comes. Maybe the next album?

I think Sick Times is a really nice track, and Palace Posy is fun (though it cuts off too quickly). Rest I can take or leave.

Also: melodies instead of sound effects, please.

BoCpls.

As a sidenote, what happened to their really grungy-sounding "secret weapon" synth, the one that could give them sounds like Track16SideB from random tracks tape? I don't know shit about synths - don't even know if those sounds were made by a synth - but I do know that fuzzy deep rich analog synth sound has been missing from their tunes for a bit. If they're gonna make their "soundtrack album", I'm mystified as to why they didn't break out their richest sounding syth and tear it up...

I'm surprised you're so disappointed in this album, it's very good IMO and I'm only a few listens in. If you really don't like it that's fine but I think you just need to give it more time after so many years of built up expectations.

There's lots of that lush synthwork you think is missing on a lot of the tracks. All I can say is maybe you'll see it differently next week or next month or something.

When I first heard it I thought there wasn't much to it, but it opened up a lot to me now.

Yeah I kinda have to agree actually. It does seem a little unfinished in the same way that Scintilli does. Doesn't mean it's not enjoyable though.

I've been wondering if any of their gear is out of commission, it did sound like one of their usual synths wasn't present. I get what you mean about the boctease. A lot of these songs fade out just when they really start picking up. It doesn't really hurt my listening experience that much, but I just wanted them to keep going.

I think it's fantastic though.

most of the songs seem undeveloped, even though the sounds contained within are quite good. at least with their other works, there seems to be more movement from beginning to end, whereas my first impression for this album is a bunch of unfleshed out pieces lacking resolution, even if what is there sounds damn good. i think i'll really need to listen a couple of more times to really know fror sure, and i truly hope i revise my opinion, but i can't help but feel somewhat disappointed but not shattered either.

edit: one thing that strikes me about this album is the bass, it's fucking powerful

I don't know man, to me it feels much more complete than The Campfire Headphase. I think this is a much stronger album over all. A couple of the tracks on here have really ear wormed me, so I guess I can't agree.

  On 6/4/2013 at 3:49 AM, Aces said:

I don't know man, to me it feels much more complete than The Campfire Headphase. I think this is a much stronger album over all. A couple of the tracks on here have really ear wormed me, so I guess I can't agree.

yeah I do need to give it more time, I really warmed to Campfire Headphase.

And, strangely in hindsight, when Music Had the Right to Children came out it took me forever to fall in love. It was so weird and revolutionary it took my ears a while to adjust.

Somewhat strangely, I was addicted to listening to Geogaddi for like two weeks when it came out, I actually made myself queasy listening to it so much, but then it faded for me rapidly. I rarely revisit Geo, for some reason.

IABPOITC and Headphase are my go-to releases.

  On 6/4/2013 at 3:51 AM, benc812 said:

 

  On 6/4/2013 at 3:49 AM, Aces said:

I don't know man, to me it feels much more complete than The Campfire Headphase. I think this is a much stronger album over all. A couple of the tracks on here have really ear wormed me, so I guess I can't agree.

 

i can feel a more "completeness" in thematic consistency, but the songs don't sound complete within themselves as self-contained units

 

That's fair enough. I can't really argue with what you hear. To me it feels like it should taken in as a whole, it works very well that way.

  On 6/4/2013 at 4:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

yeah I do need to give it more time, I really warmed to Campfire Headphase.

 

And, strangely in hindsight, when Music Had the Right to Children came out it took me forever to fall in love. It was so weird and revolutionary it took my ears a while to adjust.

I wish I could go back and listen to MHTRTC with virgin ears. I liked it immediately, but I came from an indie rock/shoegaze background and it marked a huge sea change in the kind if music I was open to. That album is like an everlasting gobstopper for me. I had a similar reaction to Geogaddi as you had to TH. I thought the songs didn't really go anywhere. It wasn't bad but I wasn't that interested, then something switched in my brain and it was my favorite for a long time. TCH took me the longest to love, like 4 years.

So definitely give this one a chance. I'm already noticing so much more here than I did on first listen. The whole first listen I kept thinking "holy shit, this is boc I haven't heard before". So weird to have new music after so long. I've always thought the boctease was a classic move, the whole leave em wanting more thing. They just happen to do it a lot on this album so it's sort of frustrating. Palace Posy is killing me.

breaking news: new boc sucks

I always thought from first listen that it was a bit repetitive. And im not saying repetition is a bad thing, it can be utilized very well but a lot of the tracks on TH sound like they're building up to nothing :\

yeah I kind of feel that too, with allot of the songs climaxing near the very end. BoC is really good at that build up, where the majority of the song is just repetitive but then builds into something lush (thinking of tracks such as Happy Cycling or Nlogax). It's similar to Jacquard Causeway where the beat gets hypnotic before the real synth work sets in.

In a way I kind of feel the songs are better because of it. Like Reach for the Dead, I feel like i'm approaching the peak of some euphoric psychedelic moment, but ultimately it's beyond grasp, as are most divine experiences of that nature. Hope that's not too out there, but that's my experience from it

  On 6/4/2013 at 4:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

IABPOITC and Headphase are my go-to releases.

Interestingly, I really feel that In A Beautiful Place and Tomorrow's Harvest are kindred.

  On 6/4/2013 at 11:02 AM, Aces said:

 

  On 6/4/2013 at 4:00 AM, lumpenprol said:

IABPOITC and Headphase are my go-to releases.

 

Interestingly, I really feel that In A Beautiful Place and Tomorrow's Harvest are kindred.

 

Bump.

I have only heard Reach for the Dead, but ending to that track sounds quite climactic to me.

But my favorite BOC tracks are the ones that takes forever to build up and that are constantly adding layers (Everything You Do is a Balloon, Kid For Toady, Chinook etc.)

I dunno, both have a more "open space" design, are less claustrophobic than Geogaddi, say. And I guess Zoetrope has arpeggios, too (right? wth is an arpeggio, anyway ). Beyond that I don't see many similarities.

IABPOITC has immaculate pacing, the songs take their time and unfold slowly, hypnotically.

On TH, most of the tracks end abruptly, and seem nervous about going anywhere (except Jacquard Causeway, which imo overstays its welcome)

IABPOITC has subtle drums, they don't overload the tracks. TH seems to go for the Geogaddi "we are going to make this an important album by adding big 'boom-thwack' 1969 drums!")

IABPOITC is chill, some glacial opiate dreamzone. TH is a staticy, bitchrunchy, John Carpenter-esque 80's soundtrack.

I see where you're coming from, I just don't feel a bone-deep similarity, yet.

  On 6/4/2013 at 11:37 AM, lumpenprol said:

I dunno, both have a more "open space" design, are less claustrophobic than Geogaddi, say. And I guess Zoetrope has arpeggios, too (right? wth is an arpeggio, anyway ). Beyond that I don't see many similarities.

 

IABPOITC has immaculate pacing, the songs take their time and unfold slowly, hypnotically.

 

On TH, most of the tracks end abruptly, and seem nervous about going anywhere (except Jacquard Causeway, which imo overstays its welcome)

 

IABPOITC has subtle drums, they don't overload the tracks. TH seems to go for the Geogaddi "we are going to make this an important album by adding big 'boom-thwack' 1969 drums!")

 

IABPOITC is chill, some glacial opiate dreamzone. TH is a staticy, bitchrunchy, John Carpenter-esque 80's soundtrack.

 

I see where you're coming from, I just don't feel a bone-deep similarity, yet.

Perhaps kindred was the wrong word to use. I'm listening to them together now as it happens... I think they are quite similar in mood, there seems to be a dark cloud hanging over them both. Plus I think compositionally there is a certain minimalism in common.

Yeah I agree, a lot of the tracks (one stuck out in particular for this, maybe Nothing Is Real?) sound like the build to an epic climax, but simply don't go very far and fade out, or lack the addition of those awesome details we all love, drum fills, little vocal samples and barely noticeable sounds coming in and out (although I guess listening to a full quality version might correct me on that bit). There was at least 3-4 tracks maybe more that annoyed me for doing this.

That, combined with lack of track transitions and the lack of that gritty analogue BoC sound (as we knew it circa MHTRTC/Geogaddi/and TCH to an extent) are the things that I think will prevent me from really loving this album. I know it's BoC and it does sound very BoC... but it comes across almost like people trying to imitate BoC, or BoC working on some shiny new digital synths and a copy of Logic Pro.

All the tracks seems to start out simple and then they build and build and build.. and then they end. That's how it should be. As much as I like it when tracks takes a few minutes to wind down after the craziness, how it's done on TH adds a lot of replayability to me.

I actually quite like the more crisp, digital sound

  On 6/4/2013 at 1:21 PM, Friendly Foil said:

All the tracks seems to start out simple and then they build and build and build.. and then they end. That's how it should be. As much as I like it when tracks takes a few minutes to wind down after the craziness, how it's done on TH adds a lot of replayability to me.

We're in sync, Foil.

ALL of the tracks are too short. It's funny how when I saw the track times a few weeks ago that I allowed this to surprise me yesterday... I'm really trying to understand why they went with the fading out nonsense. I get into a groove, and am REALLY loving a track, and then the fucking volume fades out and the track is over. I just hope I can learn to live with it, otherwise the party is over for me.

boards of canada cant cum.

It's weird because they've never seemed to have that problem before, in fact they've always seemed brilliant when it comes to just how long to let a track last (thinking here of anything from the brief interludes to something like Slow This Bird Down, which though repetitive, has a clear flow).