Revision as of 19:39, 17 March 2008

Twoism
Label(s)	Music 70 Warp Records
Catalogue No(s)	WARPCD70 WARPLP70
Release date(s)	1995, 2002
Format(s)	Casette 12" CD
Running time(s)	36:37

Limited to roughly 100 copies and distributed privately by Boards of Canada themselves via their Music70 label, 1995's Twoism successfully landed the brothers a recording contract with the highly respected indie-electronica label SKAM Records. Public availability of original copies of this work were largely thanks to the efforts of early BoC webmaster The Cosmic Crofter, who received permission to distribute back copies to interested fans through the EHX website and the IDM mailing list. [1]

Effectively representing the earliest known official output from the duo (and almost totally unavailable until its repressing in 2002), the original Twoism release has been highly sought after and has been known to sell for over $1,000 in online auctions. When asked by HMV about the obscenely high prices the record was going for, Marcus Sandison replied wryly that "[s]ome people have clearly got too much money on their hands" (HMV Interview, 2002).

Some of the allure surrounding the release (and perhaps contributing to its high selling price) stems from the inclusion of a credit to an early third member of Boards of Canada, Christopher Horne (credited as Chris H.) on the original release. This credit was removed from the artwork of the subsequent 2002 reissue on Warp Records.

Stylistically, the album foreshadows what was to come on subsequent Boards of Canada releases, with two of the tracks ("Seeya Later" and "Smokes Quantity") being re-released on later records. One artistic deviation of note, however, is found in the track "Basefree," representing one of Boards of Canada's few forays into industrial territory.

Twoism Trivia

1. The cover art of Twoism is taken from the 1980 science fiction film "The Killings at Outpost Zeta."

2. On the opening track, Sixtyniner, at approximately 2:16, a vocal sample (admitted by Michael Sandison in a Remix Magazine interview as having been sampled from a pornographic movie) is believed to be saying the following:

"That tiny room at the beach was absolutely the perfect place for my first time. When we came together, I could feel the hairs growing on my chest. I saw my future. I saw my past. For a few minutes it was like being alive. They lived happily ever after. All my questions had been answered. All my fears disappeared. All that was left was a kiss. Every move we made was a kiss." (Fredd-E's Lyrics Page)

Tracks

1. "Sixtyniner" – 5:40
2. "Oirectine" – 5:11
3. "Iced Cooly" – 2:22
4. "Basefree" – 6:35
5. "Twoism" – 6:06
6. "Seeya Later" – 4:33
7. "Melissa Juice" – 1:32
8. "Smokes Quantity" – 3:07
9. "1986 Summer Fire" – 1:36

Please note that "1986 Summer Fire" does not appear on the sleeve notes.