Geogaddi

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The Boards are back in town, the Boards are back in town! Four years after their monumental 'Music Has The Right To Children', subliminal kids Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison have finally formulated another full-length aural exploration: 'Geogaddi'. For fans of 'Music Has The Right To Children', 'Geogaddi' posits a new, blatantly scientific inquiry but utilizes an identical method of elucidation. Unlike other Warp acts that have attempted bold new musical direction, BOC have stuck to their signature formulation of sounds, samples, and song structures.

The thematic foundation of 'Geogaddi' is constructed from the materials of empirical science and mathematics, yet is steeped in mysterious notions of dream, magic, and the supernatural. Take the title: 'Geo' meaning 'of the earth,' and 'Gaddi' from the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) in the Old Testament, meaning 'fortune' (Gaddi was a spy sent by Moses to 'spy out the land' of Canaan.) The title sums up BOC's thematic intention on this record: to explore both the tangible and the elusive fortunes of the earth. Think I'm reading too much into it? Well, a little eager analysis is permissible in the case of BOC. Eoin and Sandison are both admitted sonic manipulators, planting subliminal messages, constructing music as a form of hypnosis, and suggesting a 'supernatural' quality in music. BOC is all about 'reading into' their music.

Sonically speaking, 'Geogaddi' is comprised of familiar BOC keyboard tones, at times thick-earthy buzzings, at times backward-played and ethereal, at times churchlike, and at all times mesmerizing. Diverse beats are naturally part of the 'Geogaddi' equation, ranging from the trip-hopish groove of '1969'(Geogaddi's powerhouse tune including a vocoded voice that mentions Branch Davidians, a theme previously explored on the 'A Beautiful Place Out In The Country' ep,) to the electro-eastern percussion and flute of 'alpha and omega.' The theme of childhood memories is also revisited on 'Geogaddi,' presented by use of children's voices, backwards children's songs (the eerie 'Teddy Bears' Picnic,') and cover art filled with kaleidoscoped images of kids. For extra aesthetics, dish out a few extra bucks for the limited digipak-booklet version of the CD.

Another theme presented in 'Geogaddi' is the idea of patterns/cycles. Patterns in nature, mathematics, the mind, and music. 'Geogaddi' itself is a continuation of musical patterns previously explored in 'Music Has The Right To Children' and 'A Beautiful Place Out In The Country.' This is not a new BOC sound, this is not a bold new direction; but 'Geogaddi' is familiar, memorable, and simply outstanding. Its cycle is successfully completed by the final track 'magic window,' a track that consists of 1:46 of pure, beautiful, silence. Hmmmm, now what could that mean?

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