There was such a vast difference in production style between Music Has The Right to Children and Geogaddi that the first listen to The Campfire Headphase was a bit of a disappointment; it appeared as if Boards of Canada had scaled back their ambitions in the studio, especially in light of their wonderful, trippy remixes of Beck and cLOUDDEAD. While I’m still not completely free of this feeling, the depth of TCH has revealed itself over subsequent listens through its melancholic melodies and subtle flourishes.

The most common reaction anyone familiar with BoC’s past output has when they first put on TCH is: “Holy shit! Guitars!” And the addition of the acoustic guitar is certainly a shift from the electronic synths and fuzzy atmospherics of their previous releases (excluding some remixes and their earlier, unreleased Old Tunes series which was leaked online a few years ago and on which guitars are frequently used in the shoegazer style of the early 90’s). The synths and downtempo beats are still all there on TCH – the main differences are that their speed never gets close to anything danceworthy (an intentional move to avoid the “dance” label, according to their recent pitchfork interview) and that the mood has been uplifted from the sinister tone on Geogaddi to something close to wistful happiness. There’s also an increase in near-disorienting homemade samples placed strategically in the mix, seemingly inspired by corporate jingles from the 80’s and sci-fi films from earlier decades.

Still, in relation to the complex soundscapes and hidden symbology of their previous album, TCH proves that BoC are more interested in creating nostalgic, head-nodding tunes for your next campfire party than manufacturing dissertation fodder for students of electronic music.

Highlights: Satellite Anthem Icarus, Peacock Tail, Dayvan Cowboy, 84 Pontiac Dream [is that a Goonies sample?], Constants Are Changing, Slow This Bird Down

Update: This album comes out on Oct. 17th, but you can download “Dayvan Cowboy” at the iTunes Music Store starting today.