Track sixteen off of Boards of Canada's release Geogaddi, it's probably the most menacing, disturbing song they've produced. No, not numetal disturbing, not wall of sound or anything ham-fisted like that. It's just a simple, off-key melody echoing in the background, the sounds of machine clicking in the background. All very clean, delicate. And then the voice comes in, a woman's calm, lulling monlogue. Almost souless. After a few seconds.. you can hear something's off. The voice is shaking, wobbling unnaturally. Like she's underwater. Like she's drowning. The phrases come too slowly, too many pauses, too much distortion. She's drowning beneath a sea of delicate moans and little clicks. A baby begins to cry in the background, fading in and out. The two ignore each other completely, unaware of each other's existence, overriding each other's appeals. There's little to really describe how unnerving this song can seem, especially considering BoC's normal fare of hazy, dreamlike childhood soundscapes. This isn't a dream. It's a nightmare.. a calm, plodding, terrifying nightmare.
"Just relax, and enjoy this pleasant adventure. Here you are, secure and protected, in this, your special place, letting my voice flow into your mind. There's no need to concentrate. Just gently as you go. Suggestions are going into your unconscious mind. Open yourself up to the greater wisdom and understanding. So, now, letting the sound of my voice reach the inner, healthy, receptive center of yourself. See yourself now in your imagination; and you are being transformed in a positive healthy way, so you are programming your unconscious mind, gaining new insight into your directions, in the future. Allow yourself to be more aware of your pathway through this life. Enjoy all that you can. As the days go by, you are programming your mind, and you are allowing this to happen. These things are happening day by day, just as I tell you they are happening, wherever you are. See this happening. Allow it to become part of you; more and more happily, more and more surely, more and more powerfully, each day. When it is necessary, you can program yourself, be able to dream the information you require. This awareness will come back to you at your own rate. It will never be more than you can cope with. This guidance will help show you the way. This will only happen if you choose it will be so. Ready now..."
The devil's in the details. Merely read the words and you'd think the track was soothing. Hypnotic, perhaps, but not soothing.