GENERAL NEW RELEASE SPECULATION TOPIC

[Nottoolate]

I haven't posted any ridiculous, completely unfounded speculation in awhile, so here goes.

The next BoC album after TH wasn't going to be a BoC album. It was going to be a David Bowie album produced by BoC. When Bowie sadly passed, the all the planning and prep work the brothers had been doing came to an abrupt halt. See their twitter tribute to Bowie, "there are no words". They have only recently begun to work on new material after spending a long time figuring out what they want to do next.

How's that?

You know what adds slight credence to this awesome theory? MDG stopped being a presence on here after 2015. Right after Bowie died.

But on the other hand, does that mean they were going to produce Blackstar or was this a different album? Bowie did mention he was listening to Boards of Canada around the time he died.

Edit: Last MDG post was Fri Dec 04, 2015 and Bowie died in January so man, that's all too coincidental!

If I'm not mistaken Bowie was turned onto BOC by Donny McCaslin, noted BOC fan and part of the recording band for Blackstar. He covered Alpha and Omega in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRcYRLoZCpg

Bowie said in an interview that a track on Blackstar was inspired by Alpha and Omega, but by release it was renamed to something different and potentially went through some changes. Not sure what the reasoning behind this move was, but it definitely adds to this wild theory lol

[Echelon]

I haven't posted any ridiculous, completely unfounded speculation in awhile, so here goes.

The next BoC album after TH wasn't going to be a BoC album. It was going to be a David Bowie album produced by BoC. When Bowie sadly passed, the all the planning and prep work the brothers had been doing came to an abrupt halt. See their twitter tribute to Bowie, "there are no words". They have only recently begun to work on new material after spending a long time figuring out what they want to do next.

How's that?

You know what adds slight credence to this awesome theory? MDG stopped being a presence on here after 2015. Right after Bowie died.

But on the other hand, does that mean they were going to produce Blackstar or was this a different album? Bowie did mention he was listening to Boards of Canada around the time he died.

Edit: Last MDG post was Fri Dec 04, 2015 and Bowie died in January so man, that's all too coincidental!

If I'm not mistaken Bowie was turned onto BOC by Donny McCaslin, noted BOC fan and part of the recording band for Blackstar. He covered Alpha and Omega in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRcYRLoZCpg

Bowie said in an interview that a track on Blackstar was inspired by Alpha and Omega, but by release it was renamed to something different and potentially went through some changes. Not sure what the reasoning behind this move was, but it definitely adds to this wild theory lol

This makes me want to relisten to Black Star so I can guess which track it is!

Here's another interesting thought about this. The first actual new BOC work was released in 2016 right after Bowie died. Almost like they actually had time to do something else. They released two remixes which is a lot for them in this day and age.

Someone should ask someone in the Bowie camp about this.

[Echelon]

Just a quick update on the Warp Earth Catalog thingie. The selections on it were actually picked by a Warp Artist this time: All selections by Lorenzo Senni

Perhaps in the not-too-distant-future we're going to get some selections from one Mike Sandison or Marcus Eoin.

[Roswell]

Bleep recently made a tweet naming Geogaddi as a “Featured Album”. Probably nothing major, but BoC didn’t even like or retweet it, which makes me think that maybe we should be looking into the tweets/likes of the brothers and the numerology behind them. They’ve used this to tease dates before, it really wouldn’t shock me if they did it again. Plus, as many others have noted, they’re about to be on their 70th tweet.

[sixtyniner]

Probably nothing major, but BoC didn’t even like or retweet it, which makes me think that maybe we should be looking into the tweets/likes of the brothers and the numerology behind them. They’ve used this to tease dates before, it really wouldn’t shock me if they did it again.

When did they use social media to tease dates? As far as I can remember, they only used Youtube to add an annotation "ONE GOT FAT" to their Julie and Candy upload so it could lead us to a comment on the EYDIAB video, then to the nuevas semillas video etc as part of the TH ARG

All the numerology involving dates and all the social media activity such as likes consistently prove to be meaningless and just looking too deep to find something which isn't there. If they were to do an ARG, it would be something much more like what happened with the TH ARG instead of some social media numerology crap with dates, I recon

Also honestly there are so many people ignoring that they pretty much despise social media and it's most likely that it's a Warp employee or a friend in Hexagon Sun doing all this liking tweets and tweeting out promotional stuff, not really the kind of thing which they would have to do themselves when it's so common for record labels to manage that kind of stuff on social media

[Roswell]

When did they use social media to tease dates? As far as I can remember, they only used Youtube to add an annotation "ONE GOT FAT" to their Julie and Candy upload so it could lead us to a comment on the EYDIAB video as part of the TH ARG

I could've sworn that the likes and retweets years back led to the date of one (or more) of the remixes. I could be remebering this wrong though, so please correct me if I am.

Also honestly there are so many people ignoring that they pretty much despise social media and it's most likely that it's a Warp employee or a friend in Hexagon Sun doing all this liking tweets and tweeting out promotional stuff, not really the kind of thing which they would have to do themselves when it's so common for record labels to manage that kind of stuff on social media

And I agree with this, the only reason I thought it was the brothers was because I thought they had teased dates in the past with this. That being said, I don't think they are completely disconnected from their socials and even David Addison suspects they are hidden within fan groups and such.

[Valotonin]

Hey Roswell. That didn't seem to be the case, although there was a small sub-group emerging within the community that religiously believed in numerical significance to their tweets which is what you must be remembering.

[Echelon]

For some reason, I have a good feeling about the 70th tweet. It's the only time I care about numerology and the like.

Would be funny if they actually did something numerology related after witnessing years of Opothecary create these elaborate speculations based on their social media.

Whatever happened to that guy anyway? My friend thinks he cracked the code and was inducted into Hexagon Sun lmao

[dp]

^I think that around the time of SXT, he changed his screen name to Opoth. I always enjoyed reading his numerology posts. Even if they were a little far-fetched and hard to follow, I still always secretly hoped he would be right. I guess he gave up believing that he might be on to something. Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all.

[Echelon]

^I think that around the time of SXT, he changed his screen name to Opoth. I always enjoyed reading his numerology posts. Even if they were a little far-fetched and hard to follow, I still always secretly hoped he would be right. I guess he gave up believing that he might be on to something. Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all.

Ah ok. Glad he didn't just go crazy and vanish. I remember reading his posts long before I joined and feeling the same way-Wishing, as far out as his posts were, that he was secretly cracking the code.

Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all

I hate to agree on this, but I think that's true. I'd love to be proven the opposite on the matter, but I was really wishing they'd put something out for the fans in these times.

Because of their lack of response, I shared that PIC tidbit from last year just to cheer people up. I hope it had that effect in their absence but it's kind of sad that I care more about making the fanbase happy and hopeful than the artist themselves.

[koroviev]

I for one am grateful that they are not (or barely) active on social media when there is no new music coming from them. Would you rather have them singing 'Imagine' with a bunch of celebrities? I think that they probably do appreciate their fanbase, but just don't think it's necessary to fawn all over them on social media.

[Valotonin]

Can confirm he changed his name to Opoth_ or similar. He's a nice guy!

Anyway, I like what was stated above by Echelon, there is no way that BOC aren't aware of the numerology in tweets theories so it would be nice if they could incorporate that into something in future; as long as there was a point where they said "this (EP/Album?) marks the end of any numerical significance to tweets" so that people weren't digging for eternity into something which has no meaning afterwards.

[Valotonin]

Would you rather have them singing 'Imagine' with a bunch of celebrities? .

Why isn't there a *puke* smiley on here?

I agree entirely, though. The social media presence was really just to prevent others making pages in their name. I am happy with it that way.

[boredsofcanada]

Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all.

Yeah, it's almost like they didn't spoonfed their fan base with 60 new artists that influenced them so they could stop their rabid fanboyism

[Ottomatik]

Anyway, I like what was stated above by Echelon, there is no way that BOC aren't aware of the numerology in tweets theories so it would be nice if they could incorporate that into something in future; as long as there was a point where they said "this (EP/Album?) marks the end of any numerical significance to tweets" so that people weren't digging for eternity into something which has no meaning afterwards.

I don't think they're managing their social networks accounts themselves. Remember what they've already said, "the internet is evil".
There might actually be a play with the numerology of their tweets, but to me it is more likely coming from Warp instead. If I recall correctly, the brothers said they didn't elaborate the whole ARG for TH, Warp did. The label knows that us fans love all this mystery stuff and it makes an excellent marketing strategy when you need to promote an album release. I don't think the brothers are actually pulling strings on this and can't be blamed for it.

[Valotonin]

That could be the case, but information is siphoned back to them via MDG.

MDG is almost certainly aware of how active the forum(s) were with talk of Twitter numerology and there is more of a chance than not of his relaying that back to the brothers in my eyes.

I didn't speculate anywhere that they were in direct control of the twitter, but that they could take the reins as part of an album/EP promo if they wanted to, that was what I was getting at really.

So yes, I agree - they are most likely completely distanced from their Twitter account.

[sixtyniner]

Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all.

Yeah, it's almost like they didn't spoonfed their fan base with 60 new artists that influenced them so they could stop their rabid fanboyism

I sincerely disagree with dp's idea that they don't care about their fanbase, and obviously the mixtape was a tribute to their influences and tastes, but saying it was made just to get their rabid fans of their backs is kind of ignoring that the mixtape actually emboldened the rabid fans love for the band because of how well and tastefully it was presented and mixed.

[The Spaniard]

Anyway, I like what was stated above by Echelon, there is no way that BOC aren't aware of the numerology in tweets theories so it would be nice if they could incorporate that into something in future; as long as there was a point where they said "this (EP/Album?) marks the end of any numerical significance to tweets" so that people weren't digging for eternity into something which has no meaning afterwards.

I don't think they're managing their social networks accounts themselves. Remember what they've already said, "the internet is evil".
There might actually be a play with the numerology of their tweets, but to me it is more likely coming from Warp instead. If I recall correctly, the brothers said they didn't elaborate the whole ARG for TH, Warp did. The label knows that us fans love all this mystery stuff and it makes an excellent marketing strategy when you need to promote an album release. I don't think the brothers are actually pulling strings on this and can't be blamed for it.

I wonder who is behind their Twitter account too. It might be them, actually. I believe that if Warp were behind, they would write way more and tweet a ton more.

Regarding their quote of "The Internet is evil", do we have to believe that in 2020 they still don't use the Internet almost on a daily basis? Maybe we should differentiate between "BoC" as an artistic group, and the guys behind BoC. it is very likely that the guys behind BoC, aka "The Bros", have a very normal life, with cellphones, Internet, apps, etc. "BoC", however, the artistic band, sells that the future will be horrible, be careful with Facebook, don't you turn off Airplane mode on your phone, etc.

[The Spaniard]

Easy to give up hope when you love a band who doesn't care about their fan base at all.

Yeah, it's almost like they didn't spoonfed their fan base with 60 new artists that influenced them so they could stop their rabid fanboyism

I sincerely disagree with dp's idea that they don't care about their fanbase, and obviously the mixtape was a tribute to their influences and tastes, but saying it was made just to get their rabid fans of their backs is kind of ignoring that the mixtape actually emboldened the rabid fans love for the band because of how well and tastefully it was presented and mixed.

To today's standards (or even 2010's standards), BoC doesn't care about the fanbase or rather, BoC doesn't communicate well with the fanbase or they don't communicate whatsoever with the fanbase. They prefer not to follow today's standard of communication with the fanbase. I don't think there is any question regarding that. They probably care about us keep liking their music enough to buy the next album and continue the "BoC cult".

The question really is: Should they do it? Well... We keep buying their albums and idolizing them, so why should they worry? They are great musicians, and they probably want their muic to speak for itself.

I think that the tape came out because of Warp, not because of us. If it came out because of us, they would have come out with THE ALBUM instead of the tape, which is what we all wanted.

In any case, and as I have said somewhere else in this forum, they are not a music band really, but two brothers with normal lives. They probably don't rely on the music business much and prefer to stay away from it. Good for them (but bad for us).

[sixtyniner]

To today's standards (or even 2010's standards), BoC doesn't care about the fanbase or rather, BoC doesn't communicate well with the fanbase or they don't communicate whatsoever with the fanbase. They prefer not to follow today's standard of communication with the fanbase. I don't think there is any question regarding that. They probably care about us keep liking their music enough to buy the next album and continue the "BoC cult".

The question really is: Should they do it? Well... We keep buying their albums and idolizing them, so why should they worry? They are great musicians, and they probably want their muic to speak for itself.

I think that the tape came out because of Warp, not because of us. If it came out because of us, they would have come out with THE ALBUM instead of the tape, which is what we all wanted.

in any case, and as i have said somewhere else in this forum, they are not a music band really, but two brothers with normal lives. They probably don't depend on the music business much and prefer to stay away from it. Good for them (but bad for us).

They love their fans but they don't let them tell them what to do because at the end of the day it's a hobby for them and they obviously only like putting out things which are fully polished with intricate craftsmanship so that it can stand for itself as you say. I still just wish they released more which didn't fit on any strict polished thematic album like the unreleased live tracks.

I think a lot of the reason behind the isolation has to do with their whole ethos of individualism, not letting trends influence them or their music, not wanting to be celebrities and maintaining modesty, and their interest of alternative lifestyles like "living in a beautiful place out in the country" like the branch davidians.

How different would your music really be if you were creating it from the belly of some urban, metropolitan area? Is isolation always good for the creative process?

Marcus: We don't hate the city, just the homogenized culture you get in urban areas. I think for musicians, being isolated away from certain scenes can keep you focused doing your own thing.

Why is it so much better to live in the country rather than the city?

Mike: I don't think it's easy to be truly independent as an artist at the same time as being part of an urban community. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it just doesn't suit us. Besides, when I'm faced with the choice of hanging out with my friends round a bonfire where we live, or being squashed in a London tube with some suit's elbow in my face, it's an easy choice to make.

Call it folk, nostalgia, pagan - it all comes down to the rustic/rural settings of your music, doesn't it? The music being dreamt up and worked out In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country, the land we inherited from our ancestors and haven't yet ruined completely. Being isolated from The City, Modern Life and the delusion of Ongoing Progress. How does that show in your music, you think?

Marcus: We're very much anti-globalization. One think that disturbs me is a trend today for technology to be created and used just for it's own sake. I recently heard a politician in the UK saying that population decline was a terrible thing and that if we don't build more houses then quality of life and the economy would suffer. It's such a naive and ignorant approach to the world. Where exactly do they stop? Once there is no land left, just industrial estates and housing? I think it's the saddest thing in the world that we have all the space and resources to give everyone a decent life, but it doesn't happen. George Bush is right in that there is an "axis of evil", but it lies at the door of big business and government. We try to support the idea of a less urbanized lifestyle in our music, but I don't want to preach to anyone.