Geogaddi
Geogaddi, like Boards of Canada's 1998 debut album,Music Has the Right to Children, drifts its way into consciousness, rolling a fog of dark-hued psychedelia over slow-burning, lullaby melodies. Having led a reclusive existence in their Hexagon Sun studio, shunning interviews and live shows in an effort to escape the shrill, loud praise that accompaniedChildren's release, the enigmatic Scottish duo has stayed focused, creating another tour de force in the process.Geogaddiopens with no fanfare, with the bare hum of "Ready Lets Go" blossoming into the soporific, hypnotic chimes of "Music Is Math". But for the next 65 minutes, it's clear that while BOC move slow, they do so with the power of shifting glaciers. All their old influences--the  noise-as-melody drone ofMy Bloody Valentine, the brave futuristic synths ofNeu!--remain, but more than anything,Geogaddiis about the vivid sense of warm melancholy that lingers when the music fades out. It's another slow-burner, butGeogaddiis as utterly essential as its predecessor.--Louis Pattison