(Electronic, IDM, Ambient) [LP] [24/192] Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest (2 LP) - 2013, FLAC (tracks)

Lineage:
Rega P10 Turntable with Rega P10 PSU > Virgin Vinyl > Rega Apheta 3 Cartridge > PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter ADC > AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable > USB-IN > Audition CC 2019 @ 24bit float, 192kHz capture.
Processing:
24bit wav > Run through Click Repair 3.9.9 at 5/0 on DeClick > Volume Boost +2.3 DB > Remove DC Bias > Saved as 24bit,192kHz WAV > FLAC > Tagged with Discogs tagger through Foobar.
Scans:
Epson Expression 11000XL -> 16bit 600 DPI with Unsharp Mask -> Color Correction in Photoshop CC 2019 x64 -> 8bit 600DPI PNG.

foobar2000 1.6.16 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2024-01-15 22:05:36
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Analyzed: Boards of Canada / Tomorrow's Harvest
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR12 -7.29 dB -24.19 dB 2:56 01-Gemini
DR12 -0.59 dB -14.82 dB 4:49 02-Reach for the Dead
DR14 -2.63 dB -20.16 dB 3:15 03-White Cyclosa
DR12 -0.74 dB -15.38 dB 6:34 04-Jacquard Causeway
DR11 -8.47 dB -22.97 dB 1:33 05-Telepath
DR12 -0.58 dB -15.03 dB 3:44 06-Cold Earth
DR15 -3.07 dB -23.49 dB 2:17 07-Transmisiones Ferox
DR12 -0.61 dB -16.13 dB 4:22 08-Sick Times
DR11 -9.11 dB -24.35 dB 2:46 09-Collapse
DR13 -0.59 dB -15.37 dB 4:06 10-Palace Posy
DR12 -0.82 dB -15.55 dB 4:29 11-Split Your Infinities
DR12 -9.91 dB -27.33 dB 2:02 12-Uritual
DR11 -2.79 dB -16.31 dB 3:50 13-Nothing Is Real
DR11 -15.90 dB -30.62 dB 2:16 14-Sundown
DR12 -0.60 dB -15.87 dB 5:40 15-New Seeds
DR12 -0.54 dB -16.00 dB 4:08 16-Come to Dust
DR8 -12.75 dB -23.70 dB 3:24 17-Semena Mertvykh
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Number of tracks: 17
Official DR value: DR12
Samplerate: 192000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 4119 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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With long-awaited returns by David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine, the Knife, and Daft Punk in just the first few months, 2013 was already the year of the comeback when Boards of Canada resurfaced. Despite the fact it had been seven years since their last release, the Trans Canada Highway EP, and eight since their last full-length, the uneven Campfire Headphase, upon hearing Tomorrow's Harvest, it almost feels like the duo never went away. Unlike some of the work by their returning contemporaries, the album doesn't reveal any dramatic changes; this is undeniably the work of Boards of Canada, filled with the melancholy melodies and subtly edgy rhythms they've been pursuing since the late '90s. Not that Tomorrow's Harvest sounds dated; actually, there are hints throughout it that the duo paid attention to the goings-on in electronic music during their hiatus. The uneasy mood and tight arpeggios that dominate songs like "White Cyclosa" recall Oneohtrix Point Never as much as their own catalog, while the unsettled low end that wobbles on "Split Your Infinitives" nods to dubstep (of the Burial variety, not the kind that filled stadiums). Since that style's originators made music that was nearly as understated yet evocative as their own, it makes sense that Boards of Canada would borrow from them, but most of Tomorrow's Harvest underscores that the duo still exists in its own world. If The Campfire Headphase tried to move forward as well as recapture the feel of Music Has the Right to Children -- and ended up doing neither especially well -- then this album could be seen as streamlined successor to Geogaddi. These songs may even offer a more balanced journey than that album did as they move from gentle unease to simmering dread and back again; "Reach for the Dead," the track the brothers chose to introduce this phase of their music, does both. Attention-getting tracks like "Jacquard Causeway," which announces itself with an analog fanfare that harks back to '70s documentaries, and the strangely stately pop of "Palace Posy," which could be a hit single if Boards of Canada were into that kind of thing, are surrounded by vignettes that loom and lurk, like "Telepath"'s eerie muttering and "Collapse"'s far-off crashes. The most notable change on Tomorrow's Harvest may be that the past it evokes feels colder and less innocent than previous reveries; this time, looking back is as much about nostalgia as it is making sure the duo hasn't conjured up something creepy behind you on "Cold Earth" or "Nothing Is Real." This chilly refinement may make the album a more intellectual pleasure than Boards of Canada's earlier albums, but it's a masterfully crafted work that feels like a natural progression for them. While this might not sound particularly exciting on paper, the consistent excellence of Tomorrow's Harvest is as comforting as a collection of quietly menacing android fever dreams like these could possibly be.