Albums have become harvesting grounds to populate a playlist on an mp3 player or Spotify. Not so with “Tomorrow’s Harvest,” the latest effort from Scottish electronic artists Boards of Canada. But is that a good thing?
Where their previous album, “The Campfire Headphase,” worked well as a collection or as singles, “Tomorrow’s Harvest” is more like Boards’ earlier work – best when consumed whole. That’s where the similarities end. “Tomorrow’s Harvest” lacks the youthful bounce found on earlier work like “Music Has the Right to Children,” instead incorporating a darker, funereal sound. But that’s OK. Being the masters of the build, Boards can still find a satisfying apex – when they get around to it. The real flaw of this album is that it’s more singular soundscapes and textures than full-fledged songs. It’s a long road trip without taking the interstate: The main destination is breathtaking, but everything else is a forgotten blur along a bleak two-lane highway.
In short, the main stops here are excellent – including “Reach for the Dead,” built on layers of strings with a climactic drum pulse, and a handful of tracks in the back half, like “New Seeds.” Unfortunately, “Tomorrow’s Harvest” is more about the journey and less about where it’s going.
Sweet, thanks, Drewski! Hopefully we'll get to read more pieces from him in the near future.
In the meantime, here's some righteous new North Texas hc, which I learned about via the North Texas Hardcore facebook group I follow:
Here's a pretty pop song from a home recording Houstonite, Benjamin Davis Murphy:
