TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY - BOARDS OF CANADA
Part of the joy of picking up any act’s EP is plugging into what it does outside the box, in between albums and with material it would otherwise sit on. Boards of Canada’s “Trans Canada Highway” EP includes two versions of “Dayvan Cowboy,” which was included on the group’s calmly experimental 2005 album “The Campfire Headphase.” Thus, the EP is somewhat of a disappointment in that, besides the fact that the act repackaged what already was considered a critically solid track, the Scottish duo did not move all that far. “Heard From the Telephone Lines” and “Under the Coke Sign” each clock in at less than two minutes, though their ambient pleasures are beautifully arranged. “Skyliner” continues what the act does best, applying vintage synths and beats to modern, downtempo intelligent dance music riffs. The glacial pace at which BOC applies new sounds and methods to its madness may inspire great suspense with each successive full-length release, but “Trans Canada Highway” is not satisfying any hunger pangs.Billboard
