Just look at the album artwork for a second. There are what seem to be blotches of paint holding different images inside. The bottom spots are two parts of a nature scene in plain color, while the top two spots are a bit more enigmatic: The purple and blue spot, amidst warped, aurora-like coloration, seems to show a picture of a daisy, while the adjacent orange spot shows a young girl holding a daisy of her own, perhaps the same flower.
Tycho's sound puts emphasis on one's surroundings and state of being, speaking the words "right here, right now". Yet on the other hand, there's a floating presence of the past: The title "A Circular Reeducation" recalls the circular splotches on the cover, as if the pictures within are memories to recollect, or a state of mind to relive. The song itself is very airy and uplifting, suggesting these memories are in fact fond ones and remembering them makes you feel happy. When you listen to the more energetic beat of the title track, you think "Past Is Prologue" and get a feeling of excitement, like the present itself is something for the past to look forward to. In other words, "right here, right now" is pretty damn good.
But what's going on that's so good anyway?
Past is Prologue can answer that for you with its vivid soundscape. It's electronic music, but like
Boards of Canada or
Secede, it has glimpses of organic imagery. Very light and breezy melodies are everywhere, the kind that creates a whistling wind or a perfect view of the blue sky right before you. The hybrid between organic and inorganic continues to the themes found on the album. You'll wonder what it would be like to have a "Sunrise Projector" or a "Cloud Generator", and how man-made technology intertwines with nature. Tycho's atmosphere is hazy and psychedelic in a sedative, relaxing sort of way. Subsequently, these images of outdoor beauty may come a little warped or faded, but appealingly so.
In Boards of Canada fashion the tone is rather nostalgic, and humanity feels minimized to brief samples or faceless picnickers.
Past is Prologue, though still a pretty passive album, is accessible thanks to little hooks and "immediate" draws, found on "Sunrise Projector", "Brother" and "Dictaphone's Lament". It's ultimately an upbeat and positive listen while providing quaint, mystifying imagery as well.
To find fault in the album would be to notice the slow pacing of the songs or the relatively simple song structures, as things do sound more and more plain as the album goes on. Across repeated listens, you'll find little exciting about the music, and even though its not necessarily
supposed to be exciting, the songs mostly end up going nowhere, sometimes just moaning out nostalgia without actually evoking any feelings of it. Its not a failure at what it tries to achieve, but it really is a bit of a disappointment that so many moments expose the record as a cheap Boards of Canada mimic.
Some listeners can easily overlook those flaws if they like a lighter BoC sound, since the package is meant to be light anyway. In the case that you just enjoy simple melodies and airy soundscapes, and of course embrace the easygoing, slightly sleepy atmosphere,
Past is Prologue is a decently accessible piece and an interesting trip for electronic enthusiasts. If you have ever adored a BoC album, however, the album is likely to leave a slightly bitter aftertaste in your mouth and should be approached with caution. But then, there are many people who just enjoy music and its as simple as that for Tycho.
