Geogaddi

Geogaddi is the second studio album by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada, released on 13 February 2002 by Warp. It has been described as pursuing a darker variation of the style established on their previous releases.

Geogaddi
Studio album by
Boards of Canada
Released13 February 2002 (2002-02-13)
StudioHexagon Sun, Pentland Hills
Genre
Length66:06
Label
Producer
  • Marcus Eoin
  • Michael Sandison
Boards of Canada chronology
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country
(2000)		 Geogaddi
(2002)		 The Campfire Headphase
(2005)

Geogaddi reached number 21 on the UK album charts and received critical acclaim upon release,[3] in addition to being acclaimed by several publications as one of the year's best albums.

Background

Geogaddi was described by group member Michael Sandison as "a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again."[4] Compared to their previous releases, the duo aimed to record a project “with more facets, more detail and a kind of concentrated recipe of chaotic little melodies,” as well as something “more fuzzy and organic.”[4] He claimed that the title is a combination of different words with a particular significance but that they wanted listeners to decide on their own interpretations.[5]

The band recorded over 90 tracks for the album, ultimately choosing 23 based on how well they fit the project.[4] Sandison stated that much of the album features acoustic instrumentation, though it may not be immediately evident.[4] They received the idea to make the track time total 66 minutes and 6 seconds from Warp Records president Steve Beckett, his reasoning being to joke around with listeners and imply the Devil had created the album.[6] The album has been noted for featuring references to numerology and cult leader David Koresh of the Branch Davidians.[7]

Release

Geogaddi was first released in Japan on 13 February 2002.[8] It was released by Warp on 18 February 2002 in Europe.[8][9] The album has been released on compact disc, vinyl, digital download and as a limited edition compact disc.[9]

The album is available in three formats: Standard jewel case CD packaging, limited edition hardbound book packaged with a CD and extra artwork enclosed, and a triple record package.[8] Side F of the vinyl package, with the track "Magic Window" (which consists of nearly two minutes of silence), is uncut and contains a visible etching of a nude nuclear family.[8][10]

The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork.[11]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Boston Phoenix[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[13]
The Guardian[14]
NME9/10[15]
Pitchfork8.6/10[16]
Q[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
Spin8/10[19]
Uncut[20]

Geogaddi holds a score of 84 out of 100 from review aggregate site Metacritic based on 21 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3] Kitty Empire of NME praised it as "easily the electronic album of the year" and "a meeting of the natural with the digital, [...] eerier than ever before," as well as "deliciously saturated with the recurring motifs which have marked them out as an individual voice in electronic music."[15] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork wrote that "the Boards have implemented their trademark tools on Geogaddi, but in the service of a slightly gloomier vision," noting that they "have always had a disorienting cast to their music, [...] but where the warbles once seemed designed to evoke the sensation of strained memory, the distortions now have a disturbing undercurrent." He ultimately called it "a very accomplished album packed with great music."[16] Pascal Wyse of The Guardian characterised it as "the band's own reticent blend of electronic melancholy, always organic and beautifully crafted," but noted that the listener's enjoyment "just depends whether you want to go into that much detail."[14]

Geogaddi was ranked on year-end lists of the best albums of 2002 by numerous publications, such as Mojo,[21] NME,[22] Uncut[23] and The Wire.[24]

In 2017, Pitchfork placed Geogaddi at number five on its list of "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time".[25]

Trivia

"Beware the Friendly Stranger" is used as the background music for the animated web series Salad Fingers. "Gyroscope" and "You Could Feel The Sky" appeared in the soundtrack of the documentary Until the Light Takes Us by Aaron Aites. "Gyroscope" was used in the end credits of the horror movie Sinister by Scott Derrickson. "Ready Lets Go" was used for the score for the 2017 action film Baby Driver, directed by Edgar Wright.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison.

No.TitleLength
1."Ready Lets Go"0:59
2."Music Is Math"5:22
3."Beware the Friendly Stranger"0:38
4."Gyroscope"3:35
5."Dandelion"1:15
6."Sunshine Recorder"6:13
7."In the Annexe"1:22
8."Julie and Candy"5:30
9."The Smallest Weird Number"1:17
10."1969"4:20
11."Energy Warning"0:35
12."The Beach at Redpoint"4:19
13."Opening the Mouth"1:12
14."Alpha and Omega"7:03
15."I Saw Drones"0:27
16."The Devil Is in the Details"3:53
17."A Is to B as B Is to C"1:41
18."Over the Horizon Radar"1:09
19."Dawn Chorus"3:56
20."Diving Station"1:27
21."You Could Feel the Sky"5:14
22."Corsair"2:52
23."Magic Window"1:47
Total length:66:06
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
24."From One Source All Things Depend"2:10
Total length:68:16

Personnel

Boards of Canada

  • Marcus Eoin – production, artwork, photography
  • Michael Sandison – production, artwork, photography

Additional personnel

  • Peter Campbell – cover photograph

Charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 78
Irish Albums (IRMA)[27] 28
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 21
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[30] 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[31] 19
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[32] 10
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[33] 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Bush, John. "Geogaddi – Boards of Canada". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  2. "Boards of Canada – Geogaddi". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. "Reviews for Geogaddi by Boards of Canada". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. Poolman, Koen (March 2002). "Play Twice Before Listening". OOR. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  5. Pytlik, Mark (February 2002). "The Colour & The Fire". HMV Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 July 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  6. Hoffmann, Heiko (2005). "Stirred Up the Ashes". Flavorpill Productions LLC. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
  7. Brown, Colin. "What the hell is up with Boards of Canada? Shorter analysis of Geogaddi". Retrieved on 23 March 2006.
  8. "Discography". Boards of Canada Official Website. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  9. "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Warp. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  10. "Images for Boards of Canada – Geogaddi". Discogs. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  11. "Warp Records; Geogaddi". Warp. Archived from the original on 21 May 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
  12. Hsu, Hua (7–14 March 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  13. Weingarten, Marc (22 March 2002). "Geogaddi". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  14. Wyse, Pascal (22 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  15. Empire, Kitty (16 February 2002). "Boards Of Canada : Geogaddi". NME: 39. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  16. Richardson, Mark (21 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Q (189): 110. April 2002.
  18. Blashill, Pat (11 April 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Rolling Stone (893). Archived from the original on 25 April 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  19. Reynolds, Simon (May 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi / Takagi Masakatsu: Pia". Spin. 18 (5): 120–22. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  20. "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Uncut (59): 94. April 2002.
  21. "Best Albums of 2002". Mojo (110): 75. January 2003.
  22. "Albums Of The Year". NME. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  23. "100 Best Albums of the Year". Uncut (68): 95. January 2003.
  24. "2002 Rewind". The Wire. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  25. "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. p. 5. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  26. "Lescharts.com – Boards of Canada – Geogaddi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  27. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Boards of Canada". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  28. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  30. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  31. "Boards of Canada Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  32. "Boards of Canada Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  33. "Boards of Canada Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  34. "British album certifications – Boards Of Canada – Geogaddi". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 3, 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Geogaddi in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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