fumi

Completely aside (mostly to disperse the negativity I once again seem to have generated), I'd recommend people who enjoyed the mellower moments on TH to check out Mark Isham's 'Film Music' release on Windham Hill. Yes, I'm aware the Sandisons name checked him during the TH interviews but as a 45 year-old codger, I'm old enough to remember when these pieces first appeared in their respective films, especially 'Mrs Soffel' with the very lovely Diane Keaton starring along side a very young Mel Gibson The album is a little difficult to find nowadays but not impossible.. There are three pieces - 'Mrs Soffel', 'The Life And Times Of Harvey Milk' and 'Never Cry Wolf'. As to the mood, think of the synth sequences from the film 'Witness' by Maurice Jarre - also an extremely loved (and not forgotten) master of mood and evocation. Regards

Now this is exactly the sort of ridiculous reply that makes me wonder just what sort of individuals post on here. Of course I'm not their fucking manager and they can release whatever they like - thanks for stating that Captain Obvious. How has the term lo-fi electronica been applied dismissively? Music has to be called something doesn't it? Stop putting words in my mouth and assuming I'm speaking for everyone on here. I'm not. A great many people adore them - including myself. Go back and read my post - I've stated both there and elsewhere that I think they are incredibly talented people and maybe the finest artists to appear in almost twenty years. If that's not praise then I don't know what is. Yes, it is what it is - another great acute observation by you. My post focused on the marketing aspect and their cleverly marketed image - something that is a symptom of the current age. There's no need to rush to their defence every time someone posts something that doesn't fIt with your views on them. I sincerely doubt the band are somehow going to suffer just because you or I said something on an Internet forum. It's truly sad that even now (almost a year since the release) I make a balanced opinionated post only to have some individual try to make it personal. Maybe that's just the nature of Internet forums, I guess.

I think it's good and important that big albums like TH get a retrospective thread after a year. One thing that has become apparent to me over the last ten years on the subject of Boards is how they are masters of their carefully managed image. The gushing praise by the media, (most of the twoism board) and a few posters on here is, I think, as someone else as suggested, a symptom of the years of waiting. As much as I deeply admire their asthetics and sound, there is nothing to suggest that an album of lo-fi electonica should take eight years. These guys are both extremely talented artists (but more importantly in this day and age) they are savvy marketeers. They understand the necessity of limiting their output as a way of generating interest. Does anyone really believe they would now have the kind of following and admiration they currently have if they released an album roughly every two years? I know that we could all argue that their particular sound cannot just be called up whenever Warp require something new and artists can't just produce things to any kind of schedule. As an artist, it must be a risky propostion - release more regularly and lose the cult and mystique or keep them waiting nearly a decade and hope that the music justifies it. Last June, I spent a good portion of my time literally willing myself to like TH simply because Campfire felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. </first_world_problems>

Back last year, I was pretty vocal about my disappointment with it - which probably accounts for the the abuse on here I got as a result. I still stand behind what I said at the time. This was a very disappointing release because it seemed as if so much of it was phoned in. There were a great many tracks where it seemed like the band were just treading water and only the occasional moment of real undefinable magic. Although it was probably out of their hands, I found the whole hype thing unnecessary and it also didn't help the eventual release which didn't live up to all the pre-release hoopla. Yeah, I know it's all pain-staking work to perfect the sound and mood of a record but there is just no way a record of (arguably) middling quality should take 8 years. I still think they are best electronic band I've heard in nearly twenty years but TH rates at the very bottom of their canon, at least for me. What I find more worrying is a trend that doesn't seem to be going away - the stretches between albums is getting longer and longer and the overall quality is getting weaker. I know there a lot of fanboys on here but, well that's just the way I found it. Your mileage may vary (which of course it should). If you loved it, that's fine too.

I don't know why you don't get into this stuff in a serious way. I'd be interested to see what you could do.

My vinyl arrived this morning (apparently) from Bleep. I bought the FLAC files to keep me going until then.

Just a heads up for those buying either the self titled debut or the Opal Tapes, they are both considerably cheaper on Bandcamp than Bleep if you're looking for FLAC files.

'Meet Your Creator' - that's probably the best thing I've ever heard from him. The last minute or so is absolutely incredible.

There was a TP vibe on parts of the TCH EP - especially Under The Coke Sign. Synth chords always made me think of Canadians hiking up through to Alaska in late summer. Clean air and blue skies. Not freezing but cold enough to be wearing a light parka jacket.

LOL!!! maybe. That's why I'm not rushing to judgement. I certainly am digging it more now though. Maybe it's my environment. I've been listening to the album in my car almost exclusively... now it's 2 am, and I'm alone, at home, listening to it after receiving it presented all nice and shit. The art is beautiful. Really nicely done. For the record, I've always maintained that there are some great tracks on this album. It's not too far fetched that the rest of it just needs to fall into place. Put that cool aid down.

It's not about individual tracks, though. This as an album, works superbly even without the 'tunes'. I get you, and it's good you enjoy the album as a whole. I find that Geogaddi also had (probably even more) of those little tunes, but they were somehow much more interesting and less barren sounding (in fact, I loved them), and they all flowed into each other and into the 'bigger' tracks in a way that was really satisfying. Maybe I just have a dislike of fades! It's not that I'm demanding this sound like Geogaddi, though. I like it when bands change their sound. In fact, I would have been happy if this were even more different to their past work, as much as I love that old stuff. It's more like Geogaddi showed me it is possible to have this sprawling album full of 'little tunes' work really well. It showed me what is possible. This album has everything you would expect - vintage synths, skittering beats, washed out voices and uneasy nostalgia. What it doesn't have is the thing I loved about them most. Melodies.

Nice avatar. Who's next, Mike Rutherford?

Listening to the 24bit edition with Audirvana. A little more detail than the 16bit Flac and the bass on Palace Posy is even more pronounced. Reminds me that I need to get an external DAC to get the best from this version. Enough technical shit. My feelings on the album remain unchanged. I honestly don't even see myself returning to this after perhaps a month or so. There are some good tracks without doubt - Sick Times, RFTD, Gemini has that nice sense of time warping and Nothing Is Real sees them effortlessly channel back to the type of vibe I've always liked about their work. Palace Posy has that gorgeous two chord thing that comes in and makes me long for a time when that was their signature sound. I think, for me, part of the problem is my age and musical tastes. I'm forty-four now. I grew up as a teenager listening to Tangerine Dream, Eno, John Carpenter & Alan Howarth and countless others. Younger folks on here maybe wouldn't even be familar with some of the names - obscure elctronica long out of print. For better or worse, I've mostly listened to electronic music for the past thirty odd years. In that respect, BOC have never represented anything new or groundbreaking. A lot of their stuff simply harks back to an earlier age for me so when I hear a track like 'Split Your Infinities', it does absolutely nothing for me. Old wine in new bottles. A sequencer pattern that I've heard a million times with way too much distorted vocals. What surprised me about that track in particular is that normally they don't overdo it with the vocal samples. Sparse beauty is something they've always excelled out so I don't quite no what they were trying to achieve with that. Uritual is another that I probably would never have given the time of day for except that it's by such a revered group. Collapse is another. Too much treading water, for me at least. However, they have in the past managed to put a very unique slant on the genre and stuff like the old tunes tapes, parts of MHTRTC, Geogaddi and TCH are classics. My main disappointment with the new album is that there are a lot of parts where they just seem to be making lazy electronica that was done a lot better by artists two decades ago. TH is a good album, but it's not a classic. There are very few moments where I have been simply dumbstruck with awe. There is no Zoetrope, Happy Cycling, Aquarius, Peacock Tail, 1969, Tears From The Compound Eye, Sherbert Head, Satellite Anthem Icarus, Diving Station, Left Side Drive, etc, etc. When you look at their past stuff, for me at least, it does put TH into a kind of unhappy perspective. Just saying those titles makes me really how pedestrian the new work is. it's not bad - all the things are there, the synths, the pads and drums, eerie vocals and skittering beats but it lacks killer tracks. I would have forgone half a dozen of the tracks on TH to have just had even one of the aforementioned classics. A cynical part of me would probably say that it took eight years to release this because they simply couldn't find the inspiration this time around. Obviously it's a lot more complicated than that. One should never judge a work based on how long it took to come to fruition. However, it is worth pointing out that in the time it to took for this to arrive, they more or less released three albums and two eps. I'm not saying that this is something to dwell on but it's there nevertheless. Another thing that has begun to worry me (in a first world problem kind of way) is that the longer and longer absences between albums seems deliberate in as much as that itself creates hype. If they were to put out music every two or three years, would people be falling over themselves with praise each and every time? It seems to me that this type of stuff only works best in short intermittent burst, like messages from some distant star or something. The piles of vinyl sitting in the warehouses recently speaks more of forced absence than anything else. As LolAlzado pointed out, this time it seems much more about creating an overall experience. That's fine but I don't think that approach suits me and maybe others. Anyway, these are just thoughts and its only music. There are bigger problems in the world to think about and I'm just another listener who hopes they will somehow find that intangible, undefinable quality that once made them great. But please, not another eight years.

Did you order other stuff, and did that arrive today? I didn't get anything and I ordered CD/Vinyl/Shirts. I bought CD and vinyl in separate orders, CD arrived but vinyl hasn't. no download code, and no download in bleep account In the Warp Office sorting room. Guy A: "Aren't you going to put stickers in there, like ALL the others?" Guy B: "No way, man. He dissed our AWS procedures."

The overwhelming majority of fans on this forum and others, as well as stellar reviews suggest that this is a classic. I don't agree. I've been listening to this solidly for three days but I'm beginning to wonder if a) I'm doing this simply because it's BOC and b) I've waited eight years for an album. I don't want to get into any arguments here or stir up abuse - If you really like the album - great. I'm happy for you. Please don't start flaming me simply because my opinion doesn't fall in with yours. Music means different things to different people. For me, it has always come down to a familiar pattern with their releases. Every album has a fair share of fillers, a couple of good tracks and two or three tracks that are just so far removed from the others, so stellar and fantastic that I still find myself returning to them long after the rest has been mostly forgotten. On 'Tomorrow's Harvest' the first two types are in evidence. The third is sadly missing. People will say I'm not giving it a fair chance. BOC slowly reveal the magic over months of playing. I've never found that to be the case with them before. There have always been standout tracks right off the bat. I don't know why it took them eight years to put out an album and frankly, it's none of my business. I can only go on what I'm given and this time around, it feels like something is missing. That sucks man, it's hard to wait such a long time for something only to not feel it much. Oh and Lianne, you may like it after multiple listens. I hated Jacquard at first too. I didn't want to give the feeling I don't like it. I do. Everything is present and correct - the sound we've all come to know and love. However, this time around, there are no tracks that have just had me shaking my head in disbelief and thinking 'How could anyone create something that beautiful?' Everyone will have a different take on this album, I'm sure. Nothing Is Real doesn't do that for you? It's very good. Probably the best one, I reckon. A track where they seemed to easily channel back into the almost timeless, haunting melancholy that lifts their best work. I just wish there had been more of it.

Yes, I agree that they went for a more cohesive, overall experience this time around. As artists, I'm glad they went with something different. Who wants to just hear the same thing again? Not me, for sure. I just don't imagine returning to it in the same way I've done with all their other stuff. Having said all that, I'm still glad they are putting work out and making people happy.

The overwhelming majority of fans on this forum and others, as well as stellar reviews suggest that this is a classic. I don't agree. I've been listening to this solidly for three days but I'm beginning to wonder if a) I'm doing this simply because it's BOC and b) I've waited eight years for an album. I don't want to get into any arguments here or stir up abuse - If you really like the album - great. I'm happy for you. Please don't start flaming me simply because my opinion doesn't fall in with yours. Music means different things to different people. For me, it has always come down to a familiar pattern with their releases. Every album has a fair share of fillers, a couple of good tracks and two or three tracks that are just so far removed from the others, so stellar and fantastic that I still find myself returning to them long after the rest has been mostly forgotten. On 'Tomorrow's Harvest' the first two types are in evidence. The third is sadly missing. People will say I'm not giving it a fair chance. BOC slowly reveal the magic over months of playing. I've never found that to be the case with them before. There have always been standout tracks right off the bat. I don't know why it took them eight years to put out an album and frankly, it's none of my business. I can only go on what I'm given and this time around, it feels like something is missing. That sucks man, it's hard to wait such a long time for something only to not feel it much. Oh and Lianne, you may like it after multiple listens. I hated Jacquard at first too. I didn't want to give the feeling I don't like it. I do. Everything is present and correct - the sound we've all come to know and love. However, this time around, there are no tracks that have just had me shaking my head in disbelief and thinking 'How could anyone create something that beautiful?' Everyone will have a different take on this album, I'm sure.

The overwhelming majority of fans on this forum and others, as well as stellar reviews suggest that this is a classic. I don't agree. I've been listening to this solidly for three days but I'm beginning to wonder if a) I'm doing this simply because it's BOC and b) I've waited eight years for an album. I don't want to get into any arguments here or stir up abuse - If you really like the album - great. I'm happy for you. Please don't start flaming me simply because my opinion doesn't fall in with yours. Music means different things to different people. For me, it has always come down to a familiar pattern with their releases. Every album has a fair share of fillers, a couple of good tracks and two or three tracks that are just so far removed from the others, so stellar and fantastic that I still find myself returning to them long after the rest has been mostly forgotten. On 'Tomorrow's Harvest' the first two types are in evidence. The third is sadly missing. People will say I'm not giving it a fair chance. BOC slowly reveal the magic over months of playing. I've never found that to be the case with them before. There have always been standout tracks right off the bat. I don't know why it took them eight years to put out an album and frankly, it's none of my business. I can only go on what I'm given and this time around, it feels like something is missing.

So has anyone picked out any of the subliminal messages mentioned in the interview? Ha, but they're subliminal, right?

Yeah. What's with all the THC negativity. That was a wonderful album with beautiful melodies. Much more the BOC I've come to know and like. Are you all saying that there is anything on the new album that compares to Peacock Tail, Tears From Thr Compund Eye, Sherbert Head, Satellite Anthem Icarus? That album was insanely good. I think the new album caters more to the Geogaddi crowd for sure.

Lol. Why would they need him? This is the guy who wrote the laughable script for Prometheus.

I recently bought a network player and was under the assumption that they just play Flac over UPnP but what actually happens is the Flac is sent to player and effectively put back into its WAV container. What they actually output are WAV files. I found this out on the Hydrogen Audio forum.

I think the true issue here is as oscillik has mentioned before. It's easy to scale up AWS on demand but they probably ask for some considerable dough for that service as it's a temporary thing put in place for a few hours or so. Last year, I moved over a lot of stuff from Amazon AWS to Amazon Glacier and while the storage is insanely cheap, every time you request a file, there is a five to six hour delay and the costs of transfer are considerable. Amazon are gonna charge more for anything that deviates from standard practices.

My photos from Tower Records, Osaka. They had a huge Daft Punk display next to BOC - absolutely dwarfed them. Wrong on so many levels. Promo lucky dip was the same as other stores except you could win a t-shirt instead of a magnet. I won a sticker. wtf. I asked the sales girl about the record and she said that it was just the vinyl release (in a plain white sleeve). Hi-res images are below. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/g36bjjxgdz6ek1y/sth6xI6Y1u Looking forward to see what goodies HMV can offer on Saturday when the vinyl arrives.

That LP could be a promo. The vinyl doesn't go on sale here until the 8th.