Geogaddi

Boards Of Canada: Marcus Eoin, Michael Sandison.
Recording information: Hexagon Sun.
Photographers: Marcus Eoin; Michael Sandison.
For their sophomore long-player, reclusive Scots Boards of Canada depart slightly from the rainy-day psyche-tronica of their much-lauded 1998 release, MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN. Here the emphasis is as much on beats as atmosphere, but the duo's undeniable genius for conjuring up a sweet nostalgia for futures past still pervades. On "Dandelion," a voice that sounds an awful lot like actor Leslie Nielsen discusses underwater volcanoes in a sample from an old educational film, making what follows seem like the soundtrack to a pleasant science-class nap.
Tracks alternate between short experiments in abstract ambience and longer, more loop-centric conceptualizing. Like the glowing orange fractal on the cover, sounds coalesce into beautiful patterns with geometric precision, and there's lots of numerical symbolism for math fans to ponder in GEODADDI's 66:06 minutes. While BoC's first album seemed ensconced in the security of a cozy kindergarten, GEOGADDI captures something of the terrors of leaving that world for the blinding sunshine of first grade, with track names like "Beware the Friendly Stranger" "A Is to B as B Is to C," and "Music Is Math." While not as immediately lulling as one might imagine, GEOGADDI has an inherent magic that kicks in with a vengeance after it's had time to soak into listeners' heads.