Customer Reviews

Twoism

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Board of Canada's discography is a source of consternation for their fans. Several of their releases only quasi-exist- no one has heard them. Twoism for many years has only been around in the form of low quality mp3s. The poor fidelity of the sound only served to augment the listening experience. A seminal, obscure album of broken sounds further degraded by poor reproduction that still took resourcefullness to track down.

Hearing the proper release has been a bit of a revelation. For the most part I knew what to expect. (some of the songs here have been been recycled on subsequent BoC releases) However, there are new levels of detail present in the sound. That being said nothing about Twoism is overly polished. The synthesizers used sound as if they are drawing their last breath. The melodies are distant and suffocated.

Boards of Canada at this point in their career were even more minmalist then they are now. The signature Boc formula was already perfected on these tracks. Vintage synthesizers spitting out chilhood melodies over slow breakbeats. The melodies are happy, but they evoke a fake, drug-induced happiness that enhances the distance and detachment.

Probably the two most interesting tracks on Twoism are "Oirectine" and "Basefree". They sound unlike anything else Boards of Canada ever released. There's a definite industrial influence, interpreted as only the boys could. "Basefree" sounds like it should have been on Autechre's "Tri Repetae", but I think "Basefree" is actually predates that album. "Oirectine" features a severaly damaged, overly sinister, melody. "Twoism" and "Sixtyniner" are the prototype early Boards of Canada tracks.

Twoism is essential for any Boards of Canada fan and any fan of electronic music. Twoism was ostensibly a demo which got them noticed by Skam records. The rest is history.

This is a really bleak album, more than even Geogaddi, which has a backbone of aggression that keeps it from becoming depressing. Not that fans expect upbeat, but usually there's a Nlogax, ROYGBIV, Aquarius, or Dawn Chorus to leaven the mood. Here Iced Cooly plays that role, but the synths are distorted to the point that the effect is more queasy than whimsical. For me a hallmark of the BoC sound is emotional ambivalence - innocence with a menacing undercurrent, psychedelia with a hint of madness - but the cumulative effect of these tracks is just dour.

A case in point would be the opener, Sixtyniner. The twinkling, autumnal synths are great, until this oboe-like sound and plodding beat come in and make it sound almost comically sad. The highlights of the album for me are Oirectine and Melissa Juice. The former is the epitome of minimalist composition; the opening tones alone vibrate at the perfect pitch to make your flesh creep and your hair stand on end. The reverb and distortion make the song sound as if it was recorded in a culvert or train tunnel; towards the end, a backward, loping beat is introduced that gives it a sinister, funky intensity. Totally eerie and unclassifiable. Melissa Juice is a slight composition that captures a nostalgic feeling in the way only BoC can.

Of course BoC completists have to have this EP; in fact, thanks to the miracle of filesharing, most of them already do. As far as I can tell the remastering is great and definitely justifies a purchase if you already know you like the material. And despite the downer mood it induces, there is a sense of vast open space on this album that makes it stand out when compared to, say, the more self-conscious and fanatically detailed Geogaddi. Still, for those new to the music of BoC, I would start with the superior Hi Scores EP, or either full length album, Music... or Geogaddi.

Twoism is such a great little treat from Boards of Canada. The name of this EP really could be called "Dualism" and/or "Dichotomy". Why you might ask, because this 8 track EP really is both dark/mellow and catchy/foot tapping. The collection of songs on this EP is some of the best BOC has put out. As a general statement, the music of BOC isn't really poppy or light, but the mood on this EP seems much more sullen and dim than any of their other releases. I always found it amazing that BOC sound has both elements of minimalism and convoluted cacophonies. This is a great CD to listen to when you would like to relax, or drive down an autumn road with a tapestry of leaves descending around you.

Every BOC album has something to offer and "Twoism" is no exception. Not as consistently engaging as "Geogaddi" (my fave), it is more even than "Music has the right to chidren" in my view.

'Sixtyniner', the opening track, is the BOC tune that always comes to mind when I think of them. It has an otherworldy, BOC anthem-like quality that pervades some of the tunes on the longer "Geogaddi" and "Music has the right to children" CDs.

'Oirectine' is a cool, upbeat track that leaves a feeling of unrequited emotion like so many other BOC tracks do.

'Ice Cooly' is even cooler than 'Oirectine'; this is almost jaunty in a distorted, spacey sort of way.

'Basefree' is BOC doing Autechre-style hardcore techno/machine music! Hard driven and yet achingly beautiful with yearning synth themes weaving through the insistent beats. Brilliant!

'Twoism' is another jaunty track littered with distorted spacey synth tunes. Another cool tune.

'Seeya later' is a track that almost seems aloof and indifferent. Beat-driven yet definitely not dancable like another reviewer suggested.

'Melissa juice' is the only track that doesn't really do it for me. It just seems like a filler and doesn't really fit between the two tracks that surround it.

'Smokes Quantity' ends the album with the same otherworldy ambience that 'Sixtyniner' begins it with. This track is also on the "Music has the right to children" CD. I think it has more impact here, especially as the last one and a half minutes of the track - seemingly unrelated to the rest of it - gives a sense of completion to the album.

One really annoying aspect of this album is, like many Warp label releases, there is a lot of audible distortion, e.g the track 'Twoism' (and I don't mean the deliberate BOC-generated fuzziness). Poor production values seem to litter the Warp albums I have bought. Pity when the musical product is usually so special!

i got into BoC about three years ago, and my listening habits have never quite been the same. BoC has this insane way of making one addicted to their sound...to their vibe. Twoism is the latest addition to my BoC catalogue...i now have all albums by this wonderful duo out of Scotland. Twoism is very complex, yet very simple. it does sound like an early release, but don't let that fool you. Twoism carries quite a dark underlying tone...the second track, Oirectine, is my favorite. the whole album is phenomenal....if you like BoC at all, you owe it to yourself to get this collection of music. put on some headphones, play track two, close your eyes, and drift...

peace,

cic

Not quite as sophisticated as Music Has The Right To Children or the Hi Scores EP, but if you've liked anything by Boards of Canada and want some perspective on the genesis of their distinctive style definitely check this out.

Boards of Canada are a duo I've previously reviewed twice, there is something brilliant about them that words can't describe. Boards of Canada are on the electronic/ambient/IDM label Warp (or Skam). If you are familiar (and are a fan of this label)you'll no doubt enjoy them.

Being a much earlier album from their rather hidden catalog the duo hasn't built up their thematic curtains yet. Twoism is more their free flier, this album is spacey and warm like their later release "Music Has The Rights to Children". Being the shape shifters they are you also find passages similar to their darkest (again later) album "Geogaddi". You wont find any guitars though which was the make or break for "Campfire Headphase". So what makes this one stand out? It doesn't it's the right mixture of down tempo relaxation that you thank it for being so easy going.

The reviewer Thomas Aikin is absolutely right in mentioning Boards of Canada's semi-official releases. Much of their earlier work is shrouded in mystery, so if one would like to peer back in time this is undoubtedly the best vantage point. Fans of the group should snag this for we can't promise you BoC wont try to purge their past again.

This album is a minimally invasive work, tries not to puncture reality on behalf of its otherworldly simplicity. Synthetic bouncing electronic beats washed away by waves, smoothed out and sent to your ears.

I own the vinyl copy and have just ordered another one (as my first was used and had some moderate wear). I enjoy this album enough to gladly track down this rare gem. Most vinyl copies can range from a feeble 14$ mark to a jaw dropping 200$+. Don't be fooled the high price wont make it sound any better, and in fact the audio CD version is just as good. I simply enjoy owning vinyl (beware of bootlegs many copies can pose as authentic but are simply picture disk), the CD copy comes in a digipack and definitely holds that BoC aesthetic.

Pros: Great concise song selection, now available on CD, great nostalgic look back on the 90's and the group, the opening track "Sixtyniner" is immensely euphoric, another great BoC album.

Cons: Of decent length but maybe a bit too short, probably not the best album of theirs to start with (not really a con) still accessible but somewhat modest, some effects may sound too washed out and inaudible on certain set ups.

Along with such EPs as BoC Maxima (which isn't even available on Amazon) and Skam/Hi Scores, Twoism used to be among the BoC rarities. People have been known to pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars for their copy of this wonderful record. But then in 2002, Twoism was released to the masses.
Just like Hi Scores, Twoism is a brief showcase of Boards of Canada's older style of electronica. As with Hi Scores, Twoism is a nearly perfect blend of IDM, trip-hop, and ambient techno. Each track is a soundscape, an experience. The production quality of Twoism isn't quite as good as their latter releases, but this only adds to the atmosphere of the EP. Twoism is a dynamic recording, as it shifts from the beautiful, blissful tunes of "Sixtyniner" and "Melissa Juice" to the darker "Oirectine" to the strange "Smokes Quantity" and "Iced Cooly." Twoism does this all in only 8 tracks. This album does not quite match the atmospheric and cohesive qualities of Hi Scores or their first widely-released LP, Music Has the Right to Children. "Smokes Quantity" can be heard on MHTRTC, but the listener can tell that the Twoism version is rougher in production. Overall Twoism is a fine EP that should be a part of every Boards of Canada fan's collection. It may lack slightly in production quality and overall flow of the album (as there are a few instances where the songs conflict with the following song, instead of setting up a direct flow between each), but these insignificant faults on add to the character of this album. If there's one thing this album has, it is character. Even though I truly love this EP, I would recommend Hi Scores first, as I believe it to be their best EP. And, if you can, find a copy of BoC Maxima, which was their first real LP. Good luck with that, though.
Overall- 8/10

This is a classic. Everything before this album by BoC, you can not get, from catalog 3 - boc maxima, and if so? Only MP3's, and good luck with those! This is where you need to start out! If you wanna know who BoC is? Listen to this first then go get Music Has The Right To Children and Geogaddi, come back to get Hi Scores then everything else. This is a really classic album with great synth lines. Tape tracking on the synths/organs adds a 1970's/80's PBS feel to it, just like the rest of the albums they have. Great Stuff!

I downloaded a few of the tracks from Twoism when I first heard of BoC. After purchasing the album, I tried their more recent work on Music Has The Right To Children. Comparing the two, Twoism is very minimalist; however, it still retains that gorgeous BoC feel, nostalgic yet an even stronger sense of something sinister in the air. BoC always seem to save the best for last in their albums. The final track, "1986 Summer Fire" is the simplest of all the tracks, yet it gives rise to the entire spectrum of emotions. The entire album is class.