Boards Of Canada ‎– The Campfire Headphase

Wonderful, wonderful album.

The argument often goes that this album does not match up with the level of accomplishment of "Music Has the Right..." and "Geogaddi." And my retort is simply this: it's still Boards of Canada. And Boards of Canada are LEVELS above most other producers working with beat-backed electronic music. Everything they've produced since "Music Has the Right..." - this album included - is rich and rewarding. They have one of the most refined aethetics of any electronic music producer or group - ever.

To any fan who feels this album falls short, I suggest this. Imagine this album were the debut by couple of previously unknown people. What would you think?

Campfire Headphase is WELL worth your time.

I think the massive use of guitar ruins their sound. By probably trying to advance their sound they've leapt back about 10 years and started lovin the grunge rock guitars from back then.

A great album, more on the ambient side for those who love ambient music. Great release.. still can't get over how amazing BoC are; everything they have put out has been stellar.

Definitely my favourite BoC album. For sure the other albums are really good, but this one strikes a nice balance combining their established ‘sound’ together with new elements (real guitars, drums etc) that I am sure will keep me coming back for many years to come.

I think that the title can be seen as summing up this album aptly - judge this book by it's cover...

It has taken much criticism on the chin, mainly from their die-hard fans. I think the mildly analogue-warmed, fuzzy guitar's and chilled trip-hop suit a chilled campfire session with your good friends. Just don't forget to bring the bifta's, as BoC build a calming fire on the hill, looking back over their decidedly trippy, moody past and looking over the brow towards their next album, which no-one will know what to expect from.

A clever move I think - the right thing for them to have released in 2005...

In my opinion, this album severely disappoints when you compare it to their older work. And how could you not? Too many guitars, too many playful silly loops, and a general flat sounding and repetitive production. Where is the trademark nostalgic and slightly disturbing BoC mood? Sadly only on 'Oscar see through red eye', which sticks out immediately, as though it is a lost track from the geogaddi era.

It hurts to write this, being a massive fan, but this is their least challenging and least gratifying album to date.

This album is very far from dark and sinister sounds of Geogaddi. It returns to the MHTRTC ambience. This album is an ode to pop music ("Satellite Anthem Icarus", "Hey Saturday Sun", "'84 Pontiac Dream"). This album is a mix between post-rock melodies of "Davyan Cowboy" and new-age-like tracks like "Peacock Tail". This album is a BoC album, with usual 1 minute long interludes...

This album is a return to Music Has The Right To Children but it is also an album with new sounds.

This album is magic.

For my money, THE CAMPFIRE HEADPHASE is a completely different animal from their early classic MUSIC HAS A RIGHT TO CHILDREN, and that's to its credit. "Chromakey Dreamcoat" has a folksy lo-fi quality to it that remains haunting even as the beats and fuzzy layers kick in. "Satellite Anthem Icarus" is like driving down Pacific Highway 101 with the top down, while "Peacock Tail" stumbles along lazily. The bucolic quality of their work is undiminished, but also gone is the icy quality that marked tracks such as "Blue Hexagon Sun." Instead, "Dayvan Cowboy" is all dreamy pastels, while "'84 Pontiac Dream" piles on the layers in watercolor psychedelia. "Hey Saturday Sun" returns to the post-rock lo-fi feel before blossoming forth, and "Slow This Bird Down" has such a sedate beat that it verges on ambient. A change of direction for the Boards of Canada boys, and a beautiful one at that.

This is the album I was hoping for when Geogaddi came out! Although the instrumentation is a bit different and they're using more straight guitar sounds, the overall feel is closer to Music Has The Right To Children than Geogaddi.

For those of you who felt cheated by the bonus track on the Geogaddi Japanese edition, and you're wondering if it's worth the extra cash for this bonus track edition, it most certainly is! 'Macquarie Ridge' is a fully realized track, and fits easily among the best tracks on the album. It probably even could have been a great single along with 'Oscar See Through Red Eye' and 'Dayvan Cowboy.'