Search - Boards of Canada :: In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country

21st century update on 1970s "Berlin School" electronica

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 10/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 2000 release by Scottish electronica duo Boards of Canada is simply excellent. As a fan of 1970s electronica (Tangerine Dream; Klaus Schulze etc) and other styles including minimalism, I was delighted by the spacey, brooding musical landscapes and the analog sound of their music.



The instrumentation on the album includes synthesizers; a drum machine and other electronic effects/processing, along with the occasional found sound e.g. laughing children, and a heavily altered vocal snippet on the title track (this music is predominantly instrumental). The synth tone colors that these guys select are very warm and organic sounding - even the drum machine sounds natural and not at all mechanical.



Although this EP is a bit short at 24:00 minutes in total length, it packs a lot of gloomy texture and mood into that short time and as such seems to last a lot longer (sometimes I will simply just hit the repeat button in order to maintain a loop). In fact, I enjoyed this first exposure to Boards of Canada so much that I have been inspired to seek out other works by the band.



As somebody who likes music off of the beaten path, this band has proven to be a fantastic discovery. All in all, In a Place Out in the Country is yet another fine recording by a contemporary band still interested in pushing the envelope and is very highly recommended."

Chilled, relaxing, and endlessly beautiful.

Alex TB | 10/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The songs on the In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country EP were taken from the Geogaddi sessions, which yielded the dark, schizophrenic final product of said album. However, the songs on the Beautiful Place EP are slightly more listenable than the songs on Geogaddi, although they do have their fair share of unsettling details. The title track features a sample from a religious recruitment recording, and the second track's name is a play off of Branch Davidian leader Amos Poe Rodan (thanks for that info, Shawn). But these subtle hints of perversity do not hinder the aural beauty of this EP. All four songs are crafted simply wonderfully. As the first track, Kid For Today, suggests, listening to the disk is like taking a time machine in two different directions. All of the songs sound innocent in their underlying melodies, yet still have a curious undercurrent of mysteriousness. Also present is a balance between nature and technology. Each song seems to reminisce of some natural landscape degraded in the signature Boards of Canada style, as if viewed on an elderly nature documentary. And yet every song is electronically touched, giving some kind of suggestion of an old, outdated video game. All four songs here stretch the imagination with candy sweet synth melodies and bass heavy beats. Kid For Today and In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country are the more chilled out, free form pieces on the album, while Amo Bishop Roden is soaring and moody although just as relaxing. Also, one of Boards' more unique songs, Zoetrope, is here to end the EP on a very light note. A contemplative, shimmering gem of a piece, Zoetrope feels otherworldly, magical, and nostalgic while only utilizing a single synthesizer. In the end, the winning force is what Boards of Canada have always been about...chilled out beauty."