Misplaced Pages

"------ / ------ / ------ / XXXXXX / ------ / ------" is a song by the Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was created to be part of and promote an alternate reality game for their fourth studio album, Tomorrow's Harvest (2013). It was exclusively released as a limited-edition single-sided 12" vinyl record. While the release of the single coincided with 2013's Record Store Day, the record was hand-delivered to record stores by employees of Warp Records. While six copies of the single are confirmed to exist, only three have been actually found.

Background

After the release of The Campfire Headphase (2005) and Trans Canada Highway (2006), Eoin and Sandison "took some time out, and spent some time travelling". They had also taken time to expand their studio space. In February 2012, a BBC radio personality noted that a new album from Boards of Canada was "on the way". A fan asked the duo on Facebook about this comment, to which they responded with "yes".

Release

On April 20, 2013, the same day as Record Store Day, one person was able to find a copy of the single in Other Music. The release was packaged in a basic cardboard sleeve, with the group's logo and the title of the single on the front. The audio on the record itself consisted of a distorted snippet of music, coupled with a vocoded voice reading the numbers "9-3-6-5-5-7".

Fans realised that the numbers likely formed a code when put together. Other pieces of the sequence were found in various places, such as a Boards of Canada fan forum, a video found on the duo's YouTube account, and two audio clips aired on BBC Radio and NPR Radio. Eventually, the code could be entered on a cryptic website, to which the release date and name of their new album, Tomorrow's Harvest, was revealed.

Track listing

References

1. McGovern, Kyle (22 April 2013). "Boards of Canada Set Bizarre Easter Egg Hunt in Motion With Surprise Record Store Day Vinyl". SPIN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
2. Michaels, Sean (22 April 2013). "Does Boards of Canada's record-store clue point to new album?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
3. ^ Young, Alex (23 April 2013). "Update: Boards of Canada tease new music with surprise Record Store Day release". Consequence. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
4. Breihan, Tom (22 April 2013). "Boards Of Canada Release Mysterious 12″ For Record Store Day". Stereogum. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
5. Wilson, Scott (31 March 2016). "Rare Boards of Canada vinyl appears on Discogs for $4,500". Fact. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
6. Pattison, Louis (6 June 2013). "Boards of Canada: 'We've become a lot more nihilistic over the years'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
7. ^ Yenigun, Sami (12 April 2013). "Boards Of Canada Tap A Devout Following To Push New Album". NPR. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
8. ^ Brandle, Lars (30 April 2013). "Boards of Canada Return with 'Tomorrow's Harvest'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
9. Minsker, Evan (21 April 2013). "Boards of Canada Released a Mysterious 12" on Record Store Day". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
10. "Boards Of Canada release mystery single – the full story so far". Fact Magazine. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
11. Jenke, Tyler (6 September 2021). "13 bands with the smartest marketing campaigns in music". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
12. Kreps, Daniel (9 September 2014). "15 Innovative Album Releases That Shook the Music Industry". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
13. "Boards of Canada hint at album title in latest cryptic clue". Consequence. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.

• 2013 singles
• Boards of Canada songs
• Warp (record label) singles