Boards of Canada: Classic or Dud?

As for myself, I like MHTRTC. It's background music, but it's lovely background music all the same. My only consistent complaint with BoC is how analog and cheesy they occasionaly get. Like the last two tracks of the new ep. But at the same time "Bishop Amo Roden" redeems the whole thing. So...a "Classic", with reservations. But still not "where all art should be focusing at the moment."

BoC are at their most interesting to me when they move away from the two formulae I mentioned at the start of this thread. "Chinook", "Rodox Video", "June 9th", "Skipping Stones, "Red Moss" are all excellent - I think BoC Maxima is their best album; too much of MHTRTC is overtly unobtrusive and quiet as you say. Also, "M9", which makes all Parr comparisons redundant.

When they go "analog and cheesy" it's curiously endearing because I really don't like what they're copying at all - I like "Iced Cooly" better than any Roger Limb track I've ever heard. There's something in that faded-brown-to-gold process, I think.

boards of canada are really good. i'd say classic, for distilling the one ambient track that's on every idm album and basing a career around it. that's usually the best song anyway.

Fred: I'm not embarrassed with the phrase "on the money", it's just that the Pinefox has turned it into something of a cliche round here and made it hard to use without a moment's tongue in cheek.

'music has the right' took a while for me to love. much of it is classic but there are some boring parts. roygbiv is, of course, the highlight.

the best thing though is probably happy cycling on the peel session (is this on the US version of 'music has...'?)

i disagree about plone though, fernando. i think plone work when they are overly twee and fisher-price like, but too often (on the patchy album) they try and sound darker, or more ambivalent, or go the cod- morricone way, and it doesn't work.

Boc have done some beautiful songs (the last single was wonderful too), and i think its a bit of a shame that they often get categorised as 'smokers music' (which is pretty harsh criticism)

I'd have agreed with you about Plone once, Gareth, but now I find those tracks *unlistenably* twee; I can't get more than a minute into "Marbles" without choking, and don't get me started on "Bibi Plone". Conversely, "Busy Working", "The Greek Alphabet" and "Top And Low Rent" sound better to me than they ever did.

K-reg hits the nail on the head, as often, I think.

elliot

What better comparison point for a band who call a track "M9"?

and into a world where synthesizers coexist with hundred-year-old willow trees.

-----

love this. Also the term 'soccer children' = beautiful, somehow very BoC. Ah well, that used to be me ;)

Since one of my earlier threads seems to have been resuscitated, I'll just add that I probably rate BoC higher in terms of *magic realism* than I ever have. I can sort of see where Billy's coming from with the ISB comparison, as well: if you're looking for the halfway point, Bill, I'm waiting with a C90 of "The Fourth Dimension" ...

The 70's BBC children's television series, The Changes, is an
indisputable influence for MHTRC. Robin Carmody is well aware. His BBC Radiophonic Workshop essay is outstanding.

IABP and Geogaddi are minor shifts in the BoC sound. The whole David Koresh theme is creepy, but I love it.

I say they're ace, hands-down, CLASSIC. They make beautiful textures, tones, and melodies with very few synths and outdated samplers and that is no simple feat!

Any ILXors ever been to the Pentland Hills area or met the BoC or any of the music70 collective?

Boards of Canada = Near Classic; depends on what they do next.

re: the "british sound" as mentioned above: stirmonster (v. occasional glaswegan ILM poster) once mentioned elsewhere [heavy paraphrase ahead] that he found the prettiness of BoC's music a sharp contrast to the dreadful starkness of the north coast of scotland.

Not in the north of Scotland though, just next to Edinburgh. The Pale Saints recorded some of their records near there.

anyhow, classic, "geogaddi" included.

in some ways i think much of their back catalogue is a bit tainted by the beats. as in, they seem unnecessarily leaden. they certainly date the records to a particular time period (its less apparent on geogaddi i guess). i like pretty much everything still, but the beats detract for me, or, at least, are the worst parts of most of their stuff

Damn I never knew ABPOITC was actually about the Branch Davidians:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6gCmQ1dxek

15:50 for a major reference, 16:10 for the real jaw dropping moment.

also the line “although not a follower of David Koresh, she’s a devoted Branch Davidian”

yeah in my cynical days I was kind of suspicious there was anything deeper there, "One Very Important Thought" felt like a bad joke to me, I think later on when I saw my childhood memories start to blur and become unreliable is when I realized this thing was more like a new type of psychedelic music.

looking over the track titles of Geogaddi all I can think is how much that and Kid A were touchstones for early online forum culture, felt like every one of those song titles was a username, even before I heard them I felt like I'd already knew them. amusingly Campfire Headphase is the one that feels the most ahead of its time now

not for me, but i'll restrain myself in repeating my thoughts on that album, which really is snoozy music to fall asleep to

frogbs pls expand on how you think CH was ahead of its time. I don't necessarily disagree, but I just think that's an interesting thing to assert and I want to get a better sense of what you mean. IMO it is the only BoC record that comes close to "boring music to fall asleep to," which to me is very my much *not* an insult.

because it sounds to me like a precursor to the whole vaporwave/chillwave scene, stuff that's overly pleasant in a way that's creepy or uncanny. it sounds like something that could be released today on a number of online labels. "Pontiac Dream 84" especially. sometimes when I hear it and space out I have to remind myself the record is 20 years old. which I mean in a good way. whereas I guess the prior two have more signifiers of their time. granted I probably wouldn't have said this in 2015 when the 'folktronica' stuff felt way out of fashion but I think a lot of those records have aged surprisingly well.

'84 Pontiac Dream is, by some margin, my favourite on TCH.
But I don't really hear how anything on that album sounds more "progressive" (for want of a better word) or more ahead of its time than the earlier stuff, even if I'd agree that vaporwave/chillwave is a millennial continuation of the "hauntology" thing BoC helped to popularise, where old VHS recordings are swapped out for Windows 95.

"One Very Important Thought" was different on BOC Maxima or whatever the pre-release MHTRC was –the MHTRC inserted "listening to Boards of Canada" rather than the unaltered sample, something like "watching a porno".

Early BoC was child of the 70s nostalgia, not 80s. Film projector educational film in a school, public TV bumper music. And of course the vintage synths. VHS was a decade later.

Right. I'm not super well versed in vaporwave, but I think there are a number of elements that put BoC in a kind of aesthetic opposition to the whole vaporwave project: 70s vs 80s, analog vs digital, public TV vs corporate comms, pastoral vs urban. There is also IMO a depressive, irony-poisoned affect suffusing vaporwave that I don't really hear in most of BoC, even at their darkest.

this is why I find the connection surprising, even though it does make sense

The sorta dystopian consumerist aspect, which is a major component of vaporwave, is all but absent in BOC's music, as far as I can tell.

yea I guess "vaporwave" is a real broad term I think it's more in the use of these old distorted electronic sounds; obviously all their albums have that but TCH is the most melodic I feel so that's where the link forms in my mind. I do agree the lack of irony in BOC is a pretty big difference. but sonically idk what it is that album just always feels super modern to me in a way the previous two don't

BoC always seemed to long for a paradise that was lost, the paradise of childhood, corrupted by E-V-I-L in its many guise. Or at least that was the imagery they were playing with. Vaporwave feels resigned to the idea that things were always fucked up to begin with.

For me the broad banners of "hauntology" (Boards of Canada, Ghostbox records, the "Look Around You" and "League Of Gentlemen" TV series, Scarfolk etc) and "vaporwave" (I guess starting with stuff like James Ferraro, Ford & Lopatin and then moving ahead) are strongly related, or at least they're on the same continuum of "nostalgia can be creepy and/or funny".

Arguing the toss about whether BoC is 70s or 80s is by-the-by. Their aesthetic, and hauntology in general, lands anywhere between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s - it's a mishmash of different things from Sesame Street, old nature documentaries and (in the UK) Open University programmes, Tomorrow's World, children's TV like King Rollo, the Herbs etc, with crossovers into folk horror (Wicker Man), Play For Today dramas like Red Shift and The Changes, and political fears about nuclear war.

Vaporwave, to me, is just a continuation of this but for millennials and gen-zers. The perceived creepiness of OU logo is replaced with the Playstation start-up music. Mr Noseybonk from Jigsaw has been replaced by demonic, glitched-out versions of the Simpsons. Garish Windows 95 and Fruitiger Aero design aesthetics replace onamental ducks on brown-and-orange wallpaper.

Ultimately they're saying the same things: Was the noise of my childhood exactly how I imagined it? Or was there something else beyond my ken happening there? What was real and what wasn't?

That said, if it is a continuum it seems to skip 1985-1995 somehow. I can't really think of anything that mines the aesthetic of late 80s/early 90s in the same eerie way

Love those posts. Nailed it.

I think '85-95 is where James Ferraro and the like are or initially were mining from really

The home videos in the Video Games video might be from the same period?

I think VHS Head mined that 85-95 period as well, though it's been a while since I've listened to him. I liked that first album a lot. I remember when it came out there were even a few people speculating he was BoC under another name, though I always thought that was way off base, even back then.

been spinning tomorrow's harvest and finding it bereft of the plangent unheimlich quease that MHTRTC & geogaddi have.
al the right synth noises but it's like they forgot how to do the melody-reveals-itself-as-sour, unresolving minor progression trick.
huerco s. & vtgnike/myown (danil avramov) have been scratching that itch for me for a good while. YMMV.
were lansing-dreiden doing something analagous in indie rock?

same - TH always struck me as inconsequential sinister TV mood music. Call me cheesy, but I mainly come to BoC for the revelatory melodies.

Fully agreed. TH does next to nothing for me.

I think '85-95 is where James Ferraro and the like are or initially were mining from really

― nashwan, Monday, 10 November 2025 19:14 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Ahhh right. TBH I've only heard Far Side Virtual, which strongly evokes a plastic-utopian internet cafe Encarta CD-ROM vibe - likely the first time I heard music that I would describe as "vaporwave", and firmly rooted in the year 1995 to my ears. I should check out his other stuff because I really liked it.

I think VHS Head mined that 85-95 period as well, though it's been a while since I've listened to him. I liked that first album a lot. I remember when it came out there were even a few people speculating he was BoC under another name, though I always thought that was way off base, even back then.

― OneSecondBefore, Tuesday, 11 November 2025 07:21 (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

VHS Head is a really good shout. Stuff like Com Truise, Tycho too.

I also totally neglected to remember the whole Stranger Things school of mining old Spielberg and Carpenter movies for that super-warm oversaturated NTSC aesthetic. Arguably this is more centred on a mythical 1980-1988. Really struggling to think of what the early-90s equivalent might be. Also not sure whether or not stuff like Stranger Things aligns perfectly with the uncanny dream-logic of hauntology or vaporwave, or whether it's just plain old ever-pervasive 80s nostalgia. Films like Drive went out of their way to drench themselves in 80s neon and swirling synthwave keyboards, but it would be a stretch to align that movie to any sort of BoC-style hauntology.

If there's a truly strong exponent for a VHS-era hauntological touchstone I'd point to Panos Cosmatos whose surreal film Mandy is rooted in comicbook occultism, video nasties, Cronenbourg - high contrast with deep shades of purple, orange and midnight blue.

Granted these are just a handful of examples that presage vaporwave proper, which I think of as being rooted in the aesthetics of the early internet age 1995-2000: the pioneering spirit of the "information superhighway", the huge technological leap afforded by fifth-generation gaming consoles, etc. Vaporwave juxtaposes this techno-optimism with the cold and clunky reality of dial-up modems, low-poly 3D computer graphics, Angelfire and GeoCities sites programmed in rudimentary HTML etc, and then asks "Was it worth it?"

I just can't get my head around loving Campfire Headphase while being unmoved by Tomorrow's Harvest though.

Campfire Headphase, to me, is about as emotional as an ad for a family hatchback. Not far off Moby's 'Play' in its easy-going accessibility. I don't hear any subtext to this anodyne chill-out music with its hippie-drippy guitars and pleasant "lo-fi hiphop to study to" beats. To me it sounds like one of the many BoC-a-like acts that sprang up in their wake - bands like Public Service Broadcasting, who displayed many of the same hallmarks and tropes of BoC without quite nailing what made them special.

Tomorrow's Harvest though, is firmly rooted in the Cold War fears and related pop-culture aesthetics BoC had been exploring prior.
If I had to complain I'd say it's a bit too on-the-nose for me.
Whereas MHTRTC suggested shades of paranoia through a veil of childlike naivete (like catching a newsreel on television at a young age but not really understanding it), TH works as an unabashed tribute soundtrack to films like Threads (the controversial cult film about a nuclear attack on Sheffield); as well as Play-For-Today films, stuff like The Stone Tapes, The Changes, Childen Of The Stones etc... There are snatches evoking anthology series like Roald Dahl's 'Tales Of The Unexpected' and the Ray Bradbury Theater. And even more modern stuff like Children Of Men, The Road etc etc... The whole thing is a vibe to me, whereas I don't reallly hear any of that in TCH

It's funny (and cool) how we can all hear this music so differently. For me it has always been TH > Geogaddi >>> MHtRtC >>>>>>>>>>>>TCH

There are few records I know that better capture feelings of unease, paranoia and indefinable fear better than TH. But I get why that wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. I mean, my favorite Lou Reed album is Berlin

and Campfire Headphase might be my least favorite album by one of my favorite bands. I'm baffled by the idea that any fan would put it any place other than dead last in the discography. I'm just grateful they recovered long enough to make their masterpiece

For me: MHTRTC > Geogaddi > TH > TCH

Geogaddi was my favourite for a long time but MHTRTC does everything they do so perfectly and hasn't got "Beware The Friendly Stranger" on it. IABPOITC is maybe my favourite release though

For me: IABPOITC > TCH = MHTRTC > Geogaddi > TH

you know how in star wars the tech is "futuristic" but also kinda duct-taped together, beat up and dusty? that's the vibe i've always gotten off of pre-Geogaddi BoC and, like, SAW 85-92. i really love that vibe for some reason. it takes me places.

lol i should say "the first star wars movie" the rebel tech have probably been much smoother in the last several dozen sequels

That's aptly put, see also the production design of the original Alien (which subsequent versions have tried to reproduce to diminishing returns)

Ahhh right. TBH I've only heard Far Side Virtual, which strongly evokes a plastic-utopian internet cafe Encarta CD-ROM vibe - likely the first time I heard music that I would describe as "vaporwave", and firmly rooted in the year 1995 to my ears. I should check out his other stuff because I really liked it.

well, bad news, outside of Human Story 3 and the Condo Pets EP nothing he did is anything like it. but if you like this stuff check out FM Skyline, particularly his last 3 - Images, Illuminations, and Liteware - all match that vibe perfectly to my ears. not BoC-ish at all but hey, what is

i tend to skew towards the earlier cdr ferraro where he manages to conjure a fake '80s which is simultaneously the soundtrack to a troma version of bill & ted's and the bay city rollers and tonto's expanding head band and melted cassettes of TD's phaedra.
his partner in the skaters spencer clark has done a million brilliant things too including volumes and volumes of imaginary folk music from micronesia and very reverent takes on new-age rendered supremely weird by casio rapman frog noises. there's also some kind of pre internet lost civilisations supernatural nonsense and bizarre tributes & imaginary sequels to james cameron's avatar & clive barker's cenobite guff etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKhcmX1MtD0

that’s my favorite stuff of his too. actually my favorites are the ones where he gets super new-aged out but lofi like clear and discovery (both of which sound like they came from the same long synth jam session??) and then last american hero which is amazing extraterrestrial desert music

it's a wild & varied catalogue for sure, but i'm not sure ferraro really had the chops to go full lopatin with the trap/techno forays. spencer clark has kinda stick to his lane more, but that's my favourite lane

*stuck

This band's begging for a ballot poll. Might as well, they seem retired enough at this stage. Maybe starting one will jinx them into surprise dropping something next year.

fwiw TH = MHTRTC > TCH > IABPOITC = Old Tunes > Geoggadi

Used to think Geogaddi was their best, but looking back on it, it should have been a 7-8 track EP or merged with IABPOITC or something. A lot of filler and droll tracks lacking atmosphere surrounding some pretty amazing bangers.

While TCH certainly peters out towards the end, I somewhat feel Dayvan Cowboy is their best track... it certainly exhibits what I would call the best "drop" I've probably ever heard, if I'm being honest

Dayvan Cowboy sounds like a different abdn to me though. Sounds like it belongs on 10,000Hz the Legend

On some days, the Trans Canada Highway EP might by favorite release of theirs

Haven't heard it since it came out. I'll put it on now

I put Dayvan Cowboy on a chill driving playlist a few months ago and my kid was like, "skip this". Found it both repetitious and overly sentimental at the same time which is a bad combination. I think I agree.

Challop: Geogaddi was too far in the discordant creepy cult vibes direction. I've never liked it and it has aged poorly. TCH was an overcorrection.

Counterpoint: once you figure out how to play "Dayvan Cowboy" whether it's on guitar, piano, drums, or whatever, it's incredibly fun to play and led me to reappreciate the song.

As of now, my rankings are roughly TH >> TCH > MHTRTC > GEO = the rest. The Campfire Headphase was the first album of theirs I listened to and it was a natural step forward from "you've got guitars in my electronics, well you've got electronics in my guitars" albums like Global Communication's Pentamerous Metamorphosis or Languis' Unithematic both of which I love a lot

So many times I have thought "you know, I should give TCH another shot" and listened to it all the way through. To this day I cannot remember anything about it. So many ranking is

MHTRTC > GEO > TH

???????
??TCH???? (off floating in the ether somewhere)
???????

I still like MHTRTC more than the other albums, mostly because of “Turquoise Hexagon Sun”, but they’re all good

The Campfire Headphase is my favorite. It's one hell of a headphone listen, too. So many layers...

MHTRTC is just loaded with so many insanely memorable moments. I find pretty much every short filler track essential as well.

I also have a lot of personal nostalgia tied up with that album too. I wish they could have found space for Everything You Do is a Balloon on it though, and now that I reflect more, that is my favorite tack of theirs, not Dayvan Cowboy.

Hi Scores and Twoism are both A++ records