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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Campfire Headphase
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 39 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Warp
Release Date: 18 October 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic
Summary
Well, they certainly aren't the most prolific of artists, but the acclaimed Scottish electronica duo of Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin finally return with a third album.
Also By This Artist: Geogaddi In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country [EP] Twoism [EP]
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site Warp
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Urb
The Campfire Headphase is enough of a genre bender to finally introduce this music to a well-deserved new audience. [Dec 2005, p.94]
Stylus Magazine
This record contains some of the most astounding music that Boards Of Canada have ever composed.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
Overall, it's Boards of Canada trying new things and experimenting outside of the box that they built for themselves; commendable and quite addictive.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
As well as being their most accessible, The Campfire Headphase emerges as the most solid Boards of Canada album to date.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Occasionally, they lapse into their own shuffling comfort zone, but there's always a pixel-level attention to detail here. [Nov 2005, p.102]
No Ripcord
It’s definitely going to be divisive, this album – there are some who simply won’t welcome this definitive stride away from the electronic psychedelia that’s been the Boards’ purlieu for so long.
Read Full Review >Mojo
It's a less alien, less disturbed and thoroughly lighter record. [Nov 2005, p.104]
Alternative Press
While The Campire Headphase sounds slightly defalted compared to [earlier] discs, it stlll has many charms. [Jan 2006, p.144]
Dot Music
The pair have opted for unfiltered analogue over cleaned-up digital, too, achieving a lush density with loops and textures and a warm wooziness overall that's a million miles removed from their last effort, 2002's dark and almost mathematically complex "Geogaddi".
Read Full Review >Billboard
It is a testament to Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin's production acumen that the songs here sound so organic despite their computerized origin. [22 Oct 2005]
Junkmedia
Boards of Canada seems to be able to release albums pre-aged, so that all the things that might have bugged you a couple years ago now sounds like another part of why it's a classic.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Radiates good feeling and warmth. [Nov 2005, p.131]
Under The Radar
No, the album will not change your life as of yet, but it might prolong it before we’re all wiped off the planet by environmental destruction. [#11]
cokemachineglow
This record isn’t gonna kick you in the head the way that BoC’s last two outings have on occasion done. The break beats aren’t gonna blow you away and there’s nothing here that’ll really get your blood rushing. If you give it the time, though, Campfire reveals itself as an truly beautiful piece of work, better produced and with a tighter sense of melody than the Sandisons have shown in past.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
The Campfire Headphase lacks the transcendent grace that made Music Has the Right to Children and even Geogaddi classics in their field.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
Only takes a small step forward. [Dec 2005, p.108]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Even the best parts lack anything new or novel to add to a sound already perfected.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
The likes of 'Chromakey Dreamcoat' sound like they were made on a potter's wheel rather than an iBook. [15 Oct 2005, p.36]
Entertainment Weekly
Somewhere along the way, the moody micro-bleeps and spacey strums have become a wee bit monotonous and predictable. [21 Oct 2005, p.77]
Neumu.net
The spell is broken, however, by pieces like "Tears From the Compound" and "Oscar See Through Red Eye," which get lost in the marshes of their own hypnotic rhythms, sugar-sweet synths and lo-fi, breathy drones.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
“Dayvan Cowboy” is almost worth the price of admission, but it makes the remainder of the album seem derivatively “New Age.”
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Despite its lengthy gestation period, there is more than a hint of deja vu about The Campfire Headphase.
Read Full Review >Trouser Press
Ultimately, The Campfire Headphase shows continuity with the duo's previous recordings but fails to replicate the sheer beauty and awe-inspiring quality of past material, sounding at times like the work of very good Boards of Canada copyists.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
I don't fault them for trying some new things, but the results are mixed at best.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 39 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Thomas H. gave it a10:
Stunning record! One of the best albums I've ever heard!
Jamie B gave it a10:
I think that this is BOC's best work thusfar and progresses to a more organic, lighter sound. They incorporated the guitars beautifully. This is the best possible way they could've gone after Geogaddi. Anxious to see where they go next.
R gave it a6:
The problem with this album is that it is all too nice. The tracks begins to merge into one monotonous ineffective sound. On their last album, Geogaddi, there was a contrast betwen beauty and bits of evil and it made it a lot more compelling. Here, you find the last few tracks begin to get a little dull, not necessarily because they are any worse than the first few, just because you've been listening to the same sorta thing for the last hour. The key differences between this album and their earlier works is the use of simple guitar loops. Dayvan Cowboy is also a fairly unique song for BoC reminding me a little of Four Tet at his best. It features drums and is a good upbeat track, perhaps the only real change of pace in the whole album. If anything, the album lacks more songs like this because it starts to sound sleepy as it drifts on. Other than that there is nothing that different to Music Has The Right To Children, other than the fact it is not as good. In some ways I like the idea of a simple album full of pleasant tracks, taking a break every now and then and not being too progressive all the time. However, the monotonous pace and lack of varety in The Campfire Headphase prevent it from being the gorgeous album it could have been. I am still glad I bought it though and am looking forward to their e.p. which will be released at some point this month (I think).
Gustavo R gave it a10:
I love this album is excellent but every cd of Boards of Canad is Great !!! I like the combination of their sounds, it's a perfect mix of them. Excellent Job.
Sean T gave it an8:
brings more of a human touch to their music. this one feels like it has more of a soul than the last few. and i like the wide use of guitar on this one.
J Tolbert gave it a9:
Still realy good, even if it sounds redundant. Their sound is so solid that I could hear their formula for years and never get tired of it. Still better than most electronica I hear. Perhaps because I was born in 1970 and grew up in North America watching public television as a child too, it brings tears to my eyes.
Hugh J gave it a10:
This is the album I expected when Geogaddi was released. The subtle, intricate details at the edge of perception once again demonstrate why Boards of Canada are the premier act in electronic music. Reviewers who knock this album for not being "different enough" from their past work clearly don't get the point.
