Beyond the Walls of Expectation

Campfire Headphase by Boards of Canada, is a meticulously crafted, quirky, strange and absorbing album. BoC is Scottish duo Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin who wrote, performed and produced all the material. While noticeably different and intriguing, many of these tracks provide a tasty vibe you can sink your ears into. This album could be a good compliment to Marconi Union’s Distance, but stands alone in its own mix of electronic, organic, ambient, experimental, and downtempo styles.

There is a lo-fi feel to these tracks, but their careful attention to detail tells me this was intentional and creates a recognizable style. BoC creates very musical material with collages of samples and conventional instruments. Effects like distortion, “warbley” casssette tape-like sounds, and samples from 1970s television shows and other media are as much a part of the songs as the musical content itself.

My first introduction to BoC came while listening to satellite radio on my portable, recordable player. “Dayvan Cowboy” started out sounding like nothing more than soft distortion. Then I began to pick up on the subtle, haunting chord changes within the distortion as the song eventually developed into a full-fledged and complete musical composition. It was not what I expected from the mellow new-agey channel I was listening to, but a very welcome surprise. I found it to be a bit Moby-esque with its cinematic sampled strings and sweet tremolo guitar. I recorded it immediately and listened to many times over while I waited for my newly ordered CD to arrive.

There is plenty of window-staring music on this album mixed with lighter, more playful material. While I have categorized Boards of Canada’s music for the sake of convenience, it really sits in its own universe and makes for a fresh and unique listening experience. I recommend you follow the links in the sidebar and listen to some samples.

One additional note: The band name was taken from the Film Board of Canada who produced nature-oriented documentaries that Sandison and Eoin used to watch during their childhood.