Geogaddi
Studio album by
Boards of Canada
Released13 February 2002 (2002-02-13)
Recorded1999–2001
StudioHexagon Sun[1]
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 is the second studio album by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was released on 13 February 2002 in Japan, then five days later in Europe, by Warp. It was recorded between 1999 and 2001 at Hexagon Sun. The album is darker in tone than their debut studio album Music Has the Right to Children, released in 1998. The album contains references to the Branch Davidians, Satanism, and numerology.

Geogaddi received critical acclaim upon release, in addition to being acclaimed by several publications as one of the year's best albums. It was listed by music website Pitchfork as one of the best intelligent dance music albums of all time.

Background and composition

Compared with their previous releases, Boards of Canada 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".[5] The duo recorded over 90 tracks for the project from 1999 to 2001, ultimately choosing 22 based on how well they fit the intended atmosphere of the album.[5] Michael Sandison, half of the duo, stated that much of the album features acoustic instrumentation, though it may not be immediately evident because of how processed and often faint it is, blending with electronic elements.[5]

Sandison described the album 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."[5] The September 11 attacks drastically influenced the tone of the album during its production in 2001, with the duo "glued to the TV for the whole day" and Sandison saying that they had subsequently been pushed "into making a darker record".[6]

Boards of Canada have claimed that the title is a combination of different words with a particular significance, but also that they wanted listeners to decide on their own interpretations of the title as well as the album in total.[7] The album has been noted for featuring esoteric references and subliminal messages, including references to Satanism, numerology and cult leader David Koresh of the Branch Davidians.[8] They additionally received the idea to make the total album length 66 minutes and 6 seconds from Warp Records president Steve Beckett, with his reasoning being to joke around with listeners and imply that the Devil had been involved with the album's production.[9]

Release

Geogaddi was first released in Japan on 13 February 2002.[10] It was released by Warp on 18 February 2002 in Europe.[10][11] The album has been released on compact disc, vinyl, digital download and as a limited edition compact disc.[11]

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.[10] 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.[10] The artwork of the album carries a distinct kaleidoscopic motif. The limited edition version comes with a 12-page booklet exhibiting artwork.[12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Boston Phoenix[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[15]
The Guardian[16]
NME9/10[17]
Pitchfork8.6/10[18]
Q[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[21]
Spin8/10[22]
Uncut[23]

Geogaddi received critical acclaim upon release. It current holds a score of 84 out of 100 from review aggregate site Metacritic based on 21 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] Comparisons were drawn between the album and Music Has the Right to Children, especially with both albums' cover art.[1] It was also praised the use of samples, as critics felt that it fit the tone of the album.[1] Critics at Q compared Geogaddi to the album Drukqs by Aphex Twin.[19][13]

Geogaddi was ranked on year-end lists of the best albums of 2002 by numerous publications, such as Mojo,[24] NME,[25] Uncut[26] and The Wire.[27] In 2017, Pitchfork placed Geogaddi at number five on its list of "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time".[28] It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison.[1]

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[1]
  • Michael Sandison – production, artwork, photography[1]

Additional personnel

  • Peter Campbell – cover photograph[1]

Charts

Chart performance for Geogaddi
Chart (2002) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[29] 78
Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] 28
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 21
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[33] 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[34] 19
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[35] 10
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[36] 3

Certifications

Certifications for Geogaddi
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bush, John. "Geogaddi – Boards of Canada". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Breihan, Tom (11 February 2022). "Geogaddi Turns 20". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  3. ↑ Pitchfork Staff (2 October 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2023. It is a black forest of a record, full of psychedelia and psychosis...
  4. ↑ Hopwood, Christian. "BBC - Music - Review of Boards of Canada - Geogaddi". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Poolman, Koen (March 2002). "Play Twice Before Listening". OOR. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Detourn, Gal (December 2005). "Above Board!". Playlouder. Archived from the original on 21 December 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ↑ Pytlik, Mark (February 2002). "The Colour & The Fire". HMV Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 July 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Brown, Colin. "What the hell is up with Boards of Canada? Shorter analysis of Geogaddi". Retrieved on 23 March 2006.
  9. ↑ Hoffmann, Heiko (2005). "Stirred Up the Ashes". Earplug. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Discography". BoardsOfCanada.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Warp. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Warp Records; Geogaddi". Warp. Archived from the original on 21 May 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
  13. 1 2 3 "Reviews for Geogaddi by Boards of Canada". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Weingarten, Marc (22 March 2002). "Geogaddi". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Wyse, Pascal (22 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi (Warp)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  17. ↑ Empire, Kitty (16 February 2002). "Boards Of Canada : Geogaddi". NME. p. 39. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  18. ↑ Richardson, Mark (21 February 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Q. No. 189. April 2002. p. 110.
  20. ↑ Blashill, Pat (11 April 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Rolling Stone. No. 893. Archived from the original on 25 April 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Boards of Canada". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 90. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  22. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (May 2002). "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi / Takagi Masakatsu: Pia". Spin. Vol. 18, no. 5. pp. 120–22. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Boards of Canada: Geogaddi". Uncut. No. 59. April 2002. p. 94.
  24. ↑ "Best Albums of 2002". Mojo. No. 110. January 2003. p. 75.
  25. ↑ "Albums Of The Year". NME. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  26. ↑ "100 Best Albums of the Year". Uncut. No. 68. January 2003. p. 95.
  27. ↑ "2002 Rewind". The Wire. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. p. 5. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  29. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Boards of Canada – Geogaddi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Boards of Canada". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  31. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  32. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  33. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  34. ↑ "Boards of Canada Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  35. ↑ "Boards of Canada Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  36. ↑ "Boards of Canada Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  37. ↑ "British album certifications – Boards Of Canada – Geogaddi". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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