Coda.fm

The Campfire Headphase

by Boards of Canada

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This Scottish duo's third album is their most shoegazer-y and gorgeous. For the first time, acoustic and electric instruments intrude on their landscape, which brings them closer to the work of artists like Four Tet and M83. But there's an intricacy to their beats and a strange, underwater quality to their samples that's strictly BoC. It's weird woozy music that's lovely and alien. "Dayvan Cowboy,"for instance, is a slow-paced bit of moody psychedelia; the drums don't even kick in until two thirds of the way through. The hypnotic, analog synth-driven "Farewell Fire"sounds like some lost tune by space-kraut pioneers Cluster. This is music you listen to when drugs don't work anymore; it's more reliable and a whole lot cheaper besides. "Oscar See Through Red Eye,"one of the more percussive songs, is perfect for languid late night dancing, but most of the album is sublimely made for the bean bag chairs. --Mike McGonigal