Boards of Canada

[Ennui]

I think that as far as I'm concerned, Boards of Canada is the best electronica artist out there. In a personal context, I mean, because they don't compare to Aphex Twin or Autechre in terms of influence or weight. I love Aphex Twin and Amon Tobin, but I think Boards of Canada trumps them both in my book, because the music is so real. It's so psychedelic and human, like listening to memories or experiences... which I believe is what they aim for.

What do you guys think of BOC? I know there are quite a few fans here. Feel free to discuss tracks and albums, too... I know it's typical, but I think Dayvan Cowboy is one of the best songs I've ever heard. Then again, I'm listening to it right now, and I tend to fall in love with whatever BOC song I'm listening to at a given time, so...

[AntiAnto]

Dayvan Comboy
Dawn Chorus
Hey Saturday Sun
...

I bought The Campfire Headphase and Geogaddi a year ago and I seriously love them.

[Qonfused]

I've been looking for a word to describe BOC for a long time now and "human" sounds so right. It's the perfect word for most of their style. They are to go-to artist to chill out to. If I want to relax, I'll just listen to some BOC (excluding Geogaddi). It feels so perfect.

As for favorite songs, again, I'd have to agree with whatever I'm listening to is my favorite song. But if I'd have to pick a few...

1969
An Eagle In Your Mind
Constants Are Changing
Gyroscope
Left Side Drive
Macquarie Ridge
Melissa Juice
Olson
Open The Light
Peacock Tail
Pete Standing Alone
Ready Let's Go
Satellite Anthem Icarus
Triangles & Rhombuses

Uhg. I realize that's a lot but it's impossible to narrow it down to a (weirdest) small number.

[theotherguy]

I just heard dayvan cowboy

absolutley beautiful.

I'm now writing a full percussion ensemble for my school as an arrangement of dayvan cowboy. Once we play it and get it recorded I will post it on this board.

[evil^milk]

I'm now writing a full percussion ensemble for my school as an arrangement of dayvan cowboy. Once we play it and get it recorded I will post it on this board.

Sweet. Notify us please :D

And '84 Pontiac Dream, Everything You Do Is A Balloon, Music is Math... z0mj.

[TheAntipop]

Amazing stuff, BOC is. Beautiful even. Thats really the best word for them. Beatufiul. The first thing I relate to BOC with is just vast landscapes; sometimes calm, peacefull, green lands with rolling hills, and other times huge open plains of rock and mountains. When I was in Iceland, BOC was one of my most listened too artists because when your travelling across gigantic, desolate places, completly void of civilisation other than the distant sweeping lines and figures of telephone/power lines and with snow capped mountains looming in the distance... well, you can see where I'm going when you blend this with The Campfire Headphrase, Geogaddi and Twoism

YES!

:D

I haven't got a favourite song, but off the top of my head; Skyliner, Music Is Math, Oscar See Through Red Eye and Sixtyten.

[CrazyHarij]

I don't like their latest album, feels too much like a "pop" album, imho it's pretty shit. sounds the same throughout the album

their early stuff is the best imho.. music has the right to children and geogaddi are masterpieces. acid memories as well.. the leaked "a few old tunes" is brilliant

i'd describe them as nostalgic. they always remind me of my childhood, but they make you feel like reminiscing stuff you never experienced.

[Absinthe]

I really don't bother trying to make comparisons to Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, or anybody else. They're all so wildly different that it's really dependent on what I want at the time. Autechre is the extreme polar opposite of BOC, and while I think that the contrast they serve is delicious, I think attempting to juxtapose them would be silly.

With that out of the way, they are one of my favorite artists. Were the favorite artist for a while (Autechre currently holding that position, Squarepusher not far behind). Their last album was good, but I think it lacked a lot of the mysticism that existed on Music Has The Right and Twosim. That kind of quality that meanders between warm, fuzzy memories and childhood fears. Innocent chatter and cultish obsession. Trans Canada Highway was a solid EP though, so I'm greatly anticipating whatever's down the pipeline.

Favorite tracks at the moment would be...

"Basefree" Twoism
"Everything You Do Is a Balloon" Hi Scores
"Sixtyten" Music Has The Right
"Julie & Candy" Geogaddi

[eraser]

I don't like their latest album, feels too much like a "pop" album, imho it's pretty shit. sounds the same throughout the album

their early stuff is the best imho.. music has the right to children and geogaddi are masterpieces. acid memories as well.. the leaked "a few old tunes" is brilliant

i'd describe them as nostalgic. they always remind me of my childhood, but they make you feel like reminiscing stuff you never experienced.

Just letting you know, any copies of acid memories/hooper bay/catalogue 3/any of their older albums pre-twoism (except the old tunes, don't know why those were leaked, but great stuff nonetheless) you find on soulseek etc. are fake. They were unfortunately never leaked, and to this day are teh wishes of teh boc fans.

In other news, BoC = rawks.

A is to B as B is to C
Gyroscope
An Eagle In Your Mind
Bocuma
Buckie High - this track has reminded me of so many memories it's not even funny. same for all of them, but this is a standout along with others that I won't go into.
Olson
Whitewater
Rodox Video
Sixtyniner
Nlogax
Left Side Drive
EYDIAB
Telephasic Workshop
Pete Standing Alone
Happy Cycling
Triangles & Rhombuses

Yeah Qonf, you're right. Pretty hard to narrow down all my favorites. I'll just end up listing their whole discography. :P

Their last album was good, but I think it lacked a lot of the mysticism that existed on Music Has The Right and Twosim. That kind of quality that meanders between warm, fuzzy memories and childhood fears. Innocent chatter and cultish obsession. Trans Canada Highway was a solid EP though, so I'm greatly anticipating whatever's down the pipeline.I agree. It does contain their unmistakable quality, but it just lacks a certain... something. Still an amazing LP though, Campfire.

[CrazyHarij]

Just letting you know, any copies of acid memories/hooper bay/catalogue 3/any of their older albums pre-twoism (except the old tunes, don't know why those were leaked, but great stuff nonetheless) you find on soulseek etc. are fake. They were unfortunately never leaked, and to this day are teh wishes of teh boc fans.

i'm pretty sure i've listened to some track off acid memories. you knwo the sort of semi ambient track with the sample of a woman singing, that starts out happy but turns mean? perhaps off twoism or something like that. i'm positive it's a boc track

[Absinthe]

Not sure of any Twoism track that sounds like that. Might be Acid Memories or the one track I haven't heard from Hi Scores.

[CrazyHarij]

yeah, i'm pretty sure it's earlier than twoism. i dont think i have it on my computer aat the moment, not sure where i got it first. like DC++ or something a few years ago was the first time. recently i found it in some compilation

[eraser]

Not sure of any Twoism track that sounds like that. Might be Acid Memories or the one track I haven't heard from Hi Scores.

Which track haven't you heard off of Hi Scores? Yeah, I'm ****ing curious. Yeaaah.

edit, crazyharij - I'm pretty sure that it's fake. Not saying that it could never surface, but if you got it off of a compilation, then yeah. I mean, these are limited releases on cassettes handed out to friends and family we're talking about.

[Absinthe]

Which track haven't you heard off of Hi Scores? Yeah, I'm ****ing curious. Yeaaah.

"Nlogax"

[eraser]

"Nlogax"

Ooh, you should definitely get that whenever you have the chance. Lovely chopped up vocals as in Telephasic, mmmmm.

[TheAntipop]

What somewhat bothers me about Boards of Canada is how songs on their album follow a fixed pattern of Long Song > 1 Minute Song > Fairly Long Song > 1 Minute Song > Long Song > etc, etc. I mean, It works great, and I love it, but it bothers me when a really cool sounding track like Beware The Friendly Stranger is so short, or Over The Horizon Radar (which sounds so lovely and gentle, but it's again cut short, albiet for another good song, but y'know. FYI, I'm actually listening to Geogaddi now.

I liked The Campfire Headphrase. It was the first album I heard, mind, alongside the Trans Canada Highway EP. Now, I prefer Geogaddi by about 1, 00000 times. But I still really like it, espeically songs like Chromakey Dreamcoat, Slow This Bird Down, Oscar See Through Red Eye, Dayvan Cowboy and '84 Pontiac Dream.

[CrazyHarij]

Which track haven't you heard off of Hi Scores? Yeah, I'm ****ing curious. Yeaaah.

edit, crazyharij - I'm pretty sure that it's fake. Not saying that it could never surface, but if you got it off of a compilation, then yeah. I mean, these are limited releases on cassettes handed out to friends and family we're talking about.

is this a contest over who's the most boc fan or what? i get the idea that you know how hard it is to get a hold of old boc tracks..

i'm pretty ****ing positive the track i'm talking about is not a fake, just don't know what cd or ep it is off. the compilation was a bunch of old boc tracks, all legit.

the old tunes tapes were leaked from a friend or someone they knew, someone on the watmm forums I think had it and auctioned it on ebay, someone knowing markus and mike said they dealt with the issue, and didn't like the leak but there's rumours they're planning to remaster and release the old tunes properly.

"I wasn't told who it was, but I was told they know and they've dealt with the matter." -joyrex, admin of the forums

some track off boc maxima maybe? or hi scores or the ep that they released turqouise hexagon sun the first time. june 9th or something.. maybe something off closes vol.1, that one was reissued as CD in 97.

What somewhat bothers me about Boards of Canada is how songs on their album follow a fixed pattern of Long Song > 1 Minute Song > Fairly Long Song > 1 Minute Song > Long Song > etc, etc. I mean, It works great, and I love it, but it bothers me when a really cool sounding track like Beware The Friendly Stranger is so short, or Over The Horizon Radar (which sounds so lovely and gentle, but it's again cut short, albiet for another good song, but y'know. FYI, I'm actually listening to Geogaddi now.

“those short tracks you mention, we write far more of those than the so-called 'full on' tracks, and in a way, they are our own favorites” -mike sandison :P

[eraser]

is this a contest over who's the most boc fan or what? i get the idea that you know how hard it is to get a hold of old boc tracks..

i'm pretty ****ing positive the track i'm talking about is not a fake, just don't know what cd or ep it is off. the compilation was a bunch of old boc tracks, all legit.

Ok, sorry, guess I misunderstood you. Haha.. this is no contest over who's the biggest boc fan. Where did you find this compilation again? Maybe you could upload the track if you get the chance. I mean, I take it you understand the reason for my doubt.

[Jangle]

BOC are really the only artists I like from their genre, and I must say they are one of my favourite artists of all time. I tried to get into Aphex Twin etc. but it just didn't do it for me.

[brink's]

I'm pretty impressed by the first half of this album(Music has the Right to Children), especially telephasic workshop, fuc*ing orgasmic.

[xombine]

Ton of good ones:
Everything You Do Is A Balloon
Beautiful Place Out In the Country
1969
Sixtyten
Happy Cycling
Chromakey Dreamcoat
Nlogax

Nlogax is actually one of my faves, such a great beat to it. :)

[Ennui]

I'm still working on obtaining Twoism, Boc Maxima and the other pre-MHTRTC releases.

I've also decided that I'm going to go to Best Buy or wherever and buy all of the Boards of Canada albums they have, solely because I feel like they're one of the few artists I care enough about to support, and who don't already have ten zillion dollars.

Current favorites:
Dayvan Cowboy (yeah... I know, typical, but god)
In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country
Dayvan Cowboy (Old Nosdam Remix)
Tears from the Compound Eye
Hey Saturday Sun
Oscar See Through Red Eye
Sherbert Head - such a crunchy sound. like beautiful music scraped on concrete
'84 Pontiac Dream
A Moment of Clarity
Chromakey Dreamcoat
Satellite Anthem Icarus
Smokes Quantity
Roygbiv
Kaini Industries
Turquoise Hexagon Sun
Telephasic Workshop
Wildlife Analysis - this is probably one of my absolute most treasured, I'm not entirely sure why, except that I get this intense feeling and vision of this utterly surreal, cold, but living distant view at dusk... I don't know how to explain it, I think I may have listened to this song on mushrooms while peaking and had some crazy mind**** going that I later forgot, because it also has very trippy connotations
5-9-78
You Could Feel the Sky
Dawn Chorus
The Devil is in the Details
Alpha and Omega
1969
Julie and Candy
Gyroscope
Music is Math
Zoetroppe

.... yeah, so what if that was like 40 songs, I went through the list of songs I have and picked out the ones I love slightly more than the others

[Qonfused]

There are several reason why I love BOC.

The first is ambient. I love ambient stuff. It's the ultimate chill-out genre. The second is different instruments. I love different noises used as musical instruments. Guitars, pianos, etc. are sort of boring to me in a sense. In some songs they make it. In others they're just boring. A perfect example is in You Could Feel the Sky. What the hell is that noise? I don't know, but I love it. BOC's rhythm structure is something to cherish as well. Take Gyroscope for example: I didn't like it the first time I heard it, but I came around. The off-beat drum sequence seems out of place, yet it's so perfect.

All-in-all, no amount of words can truly describe why I love BOC so much. You just get it or your don't.

[Ennui]

many of the descriptions in this thread lead me to believe most you all DO get it.

but a lot of it is because BOC is so personal... every song reminds me of something that's uniquely me

[Absinthe]

BOC are really the only artists I like from their genre, and I must say they are one of my favourite artists of all time. I tried to get into Aphex Twin etc. but it just didn't do it for me.

The "genre" is misleading. I assume you're talking about IDM. What a worthless, empty ****ing label. There's so much variation attempting to be stuffed under that one little umbrella.

[Ennui]

Boards of Canada is incomparable to Aphex Twin... and I hate the label IDM anyway. I consider BOC to be intelligent, but I consider IDM to be more Amon Tobin Bricolage or Aphex Twin Windowlicker esque music.

Really I just tell people I listen to experimental and/or ambient and the message gets across.

[TheAntipop]

Over here, in my school, it's best to just say 'electronic' and that usually gets a ''Ahh, right /nod'' other than saying ''landscapes of beautiful sound that also feels like you've had you're face smashed in through a glass window with NAILS'', take that with whatever artist you will, most notably Squarepusher.

[Ennui]

aye, i just tell people that i listen to techno or electronica because they have no idea what i mean if i go into subgenera... so a lot of people think im some weird stoner raver hippie

[586FAC75]

and I hate the label IDM anyway

Everytime I see or hear that terrible media invention "IDM" (bit like "trip-hop", yuck!) I always think of a quote I once read;

"Intelligent Dance Music? That means there's someone out there making a living writing Stupid Dance Music."

Can't remember who said it, but makes me smile.

And for the toss, I always say "Electronica" or if I'm having a pedantic day, "Glitch".

[Vegeta897]

/me looks at playlist in the BoC section

Audiotrack 09
Spectrum
Davie Addison
Left Side Drive
Skyliner
Satellite Anthem Icarus
Dayvan Coyboy

Bolded is bestest.

[eraser]

/me looks at playlist in the BoC section

Audiotrack 09
Spectrum
Davie Addison
Left Side Drive
Skyliner
Satellite Anthem Icarus
Dayvan Coyboy

Bolded is bestest.

Ah, I forgot about Spectrum. Amazing track.

[Qonfused]

Fastest growing thread ever in the history of Music & Musicians.

[Absinthe]

"Intelligent Dance Music? That means there's someone out there making a living writing Stupid Dance Music."

This is pretty true, though.

I mean... come on. Happy Hardcore? Shoot me, please.

[Vegeta897]

I think "Simple" and "Complex" are more appropriate terms.

[Absinthe]

I wouldn't necessarily say that. For instance, I don't think of BoC as complex.

I view IDM as the parallel to rock's "alternative rock". I believe it's far more enunciated in regards to electronica however due to the sheer range of instrumentation available.

[Qonfused]

BOC is very, very simple.

Start with a simple beat, add shit each "stanza", end with fading.

[theotherguy]

Sweet. Notify us please :D

And '84 Pontiac Dream, Everything You Do Is A Balloon, Music is Math... z0mj.

I have the basics down now.

The intro is random stuff, I really dont know how to emulate it. I haven't implemented the minor chord change either.

the instruments are pulled from stuff that sounds somewhat kind of like the originals, but they will eventually be replaced with a full aucoustic percussion score when I print this out and give it to the band.

http://www.kittsplace.com/klingenco/Dayvan%20Cowboy.mp3

[brink's]

so a lot of people think im some weird stoner raver hippie

Why in the world would they think that?


I think I may have listened to this song on mushrooms while peaking

.........oh

;)

[Vegeta897]

BOC is very, very simple.

Start with a simple beat, add shit each "stanza", end with fading.
I actually didn't mean how it sounds. I meant the work put into making it.

Anybody can buy a cheap groovebox and lay down a simple beat spliced with some old record for background sounds, aka rave music and all that. But as for "complex" dance music like BoC or AFX or Venetian Snares or Squarepusher, even the simplest sounding songs have a complex and tweaked synth, or whatever.

[DeusExMachina]

I got their album, The Campfire Headbase, at the suggestion of you guys saying they were an amazing band and I was pretty underwhelmed. I rarely listen to it ever. I don't know, maybe I'm too use to post-rock.

[Qonfused]

I actually didn't mean how it sounds. I meant the work put into making it.

Anybody can buy a cheap groovebox and lay down a simple beat spliced with some old record for background sounds, aka rave music and all that. But as for "complex" dance music like BoC or AFX or Venetian Snares or Squarepusher, even the simplest sounding songs have a complex and tweaked synth, or whatever.

Of course.

I wasn't really addressing you, though.

:\

[venturon]

There are quite a few songs that I like. But some tracks that really stood out for me are as follows.

Wildlife Analysis
An Eagle in Your Mind
The Color of the Fire
Sixtyten
Turquoise Hexagon Sun
Roygbiv
Rue The Whirl
Pete Standing Alone
Happy Cycling (This song is a source of some frustration because it is not included on my release of Music has the Rights to Children. I heard it on a friend's stereo and I am actually considering buying the release with it on it.)

Chromakey Dreamcoat
Satellite Anthem Icarus
Peacock Tail
Dayvan Cowboy
'84 Pontiac Dream
Oscar See Through Red Eye
Hey Saturday Sun
Slow This Bird Down
Tears From the Compound Eye

Music is Math
Beware the Friendly Stranger
Sunshine Recorder
Julie and Candy
1969
The Beach At Redpoint
Opening the Mouth
Alpha and Omega
The Devil in the Details
Over The Horizon Radar
Corsair

Directine

They stand out to me because they are so rich and beautiful. When I listen to them I feel as if I'm exploring a vast aural landscape, a landscape that has moods and feelings. That probably sounded awfully corny, but I'm afraid it's the best way I can describe it.

[Qonfused]

They stand out to me because they are so rich and beautiful. When I listen to them I feel as if I'm exploring a vast aural landscape, a landscape that has moods and feelings. That probably sounded awfully corny, but I'm afraid it's the best way I can describe it.

Nope. We completely understand.

[Absinthe]

I got their album, The Campfire Headbase, at the suggestion of you guys saying they were an amazing band and I was pretty underwhelmed. I rarely listen to it ever. I don't know, maybe I'm too use to post-rock.

That's their latest album, and it's far from their best. I don't think it's a good example of their sound as a whole.

If you're up for trying them out again, I'd strongly recommend the album Music Has The Right To Children instead, as it's not only a better album, but also a more defining output IMO. Even the recent Trans Canada Highway EP would be a better choice. Just download some tracks or summat. And if it's still not your cup of tea... oh well.

I've personally yet to meet a person who didn't like BoC in real life.

[brink's]

You live in North Carolina.......look harder.;)

I'm suprised you've met people who even know who they are.

[Absinthe]

You live in North Carolina.......look harder.;)

I'm suprised you've met people who even know who they are.

Unfortunately, my social contacts in North Carolina are... limited. I particularly meant everybody I know in Europe. But of course, that's no surprise. Land of the cultured and all that shit.

[Qonfused]

Has anyone seen the Rue The Whirl fan video? It seems really... weird, but it matches the song very well.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-pwo7qpL7A8

[ComradeBadger]

I got their album, The Campfire Headbase, at the suggestion of you guys saying they were an amazing band and I was pretty underwhelmed. I rarely listen to it ever. I don't know, maybe I'm too use to post-rock.

I had Music Has A Right To Children and thought it was rather boring to listen to. I also detest most post-rock haha.. I just don't think it's my thing.

[Ennui]

Why in the world would they think that?

.........oh

;)
Yeah, peaking on mushrooms while lying in my bed solotripping after years of research and contemplation about it :D it's not really 'stoner' or 'raver' behavior

BOC is very, very simple.

Start with a simple beat, add shit each "stanza", end with fading.
That's not how they go about it at all, though. They've got very specific ideas in mind, and they generally start with melody - I read through an archive of every single Boards of Canada interview on file and they talk a fair bit about the music creation process.

You live in North Carolina.......look harder.;)

I'm suprised you've met people who even know who they are.
Aside from people that I've exposed to Boards of Canada, I have only met one or two people in North Carolina who have heard of them. Coincidentally, they like them too.

Unfortunately, my social contacts in North Carolina are... limited. I particularly meant everybody I know in Europe. But of course, that's no surprise. Land of the cultured and all that shit.
I'd suggest that we should meet up but I'm a tad sketched out about the concept of meeting someone from the internet. I'm also afraid that you would murder me and then eat my flesh. You do live quite close by, though.

[brink's]

Yeah, peaking on mushrooms while lying in my bed solotripping after years of research and contemplation about it :D it's not really 'stoner' or 'raver' behavior

Face facts ennui, you listen to BOC and do mushrooms. you're a stoner. There's no getting around it.;)

[Ennui]

Bollocks.

Did I mention it was cream of mushroom soup I was peaking on? Certainly nothing illegal. I'm a respectable citizen.

[brink's]

In that case you just have really horrible taste in canned soup.

[CrazyHarij]

I don't think BoC is simple music, it's deceptively simple. They do alot of hard work behind the sound, use alot of old gear like tape machines and shit and re-distort every sound and shape it the way they like. alot of the synth sounds on geogaddi are distorted flutes for instance.

let me add that it's very hard to make good "simple" music. Making music is much like making a statue where you have to know how to block out the small parts and remove everything that's superfluous.

they are obviously technically good musicians, with alot of unusual chord progressions and odd time meters. there's a few old tracks of them playing stuff on the organ very very well. they do that live sometimes nowadays.

my favourite tracks:

5-9-78
olson ver. 3
music is math
pretty much all of music has the right to children
spectrum
corsair
you could feel the sky
sunshine recorder
kid for today
amo bishop roden
a beautiful place out in the country

[Vegeta897]

Thankyou for backing up my explanation, CH.

[Ennui]

I've decided that the EP "A Beautiful Place Out in the Country" is one of the best albums ever. I've been listening to all four tracks over and over and over.

[CrazyHarij]

I've decided that the EP "A Beautiful Place Out in the Country" is one of the best albums ever. I've been listening to all four tracks over and over and over.

definitely. the tracks work perfectly together!

[Qonfused]

That's not how they go about it at all, though. They've got very specific ideas in mind, and they generally start with melody - I read through an archive of every single Boards of Canada interview on file and they talk a fair bit about the music creation process.

I was being sarcastic, in a sense.

[Ennui]

I was being sarcastic, in a sense.

Oh.

... well, I completely missed that then :D

[Ennui]

SixThree: thank you
Ennui: eh?
SixThree: for boards of canada
SixThree: I love you
Ennui: :)
Ennui: new listener?
SixThree: aye