Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) REVIEW
By Patrick Baker
Genre/s - Electronic, IDM, Ambient, Downtempo, Trip-Hop, Psychedelia
Similar Artists - Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Selected Ambient Works Volume II), Squarepusher
_________________________________________________________________________
Similar Artists - Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Selected Ambient Works Volume II), Squarepusher
_________________________________________________________________________
OVERALL RATING
9.5/10
_________________________________________________________________________
Music Has the Right to Children is the enigmatic and mystifying 1998 17-track debut studio album of the Scottish electronic duo, Boards of Canada (BoC) (comprised of brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin). It has, and still is praised for it's original, timeless sound, and regarded by many as an essential, pioneering album in the Intelligent dance music (IDM) genre. Music Has the Right to Children was released under the independent record label, Warp (Most notable and personal favourite artists include Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Squarepusher, Brian Eno and Danny Brown), and was re-issued in 2004, and later remastered in 2013.
There is a level of respect that needs to be shown when discussing this album, as there really is a God-like status to the self-produced Music Has the Right to Children in the realm of not only 90's electronica, but the entire genre as a whole. While this is BoC's first studio album, it certainly does not have the qualities of one in terms of its overall sophistication and quality, and really shows the sheer musical talent of the two brothers. Despite being an astounding 22 years since the release at the time of writing this, it still retains a mostly futuristic and contemporary sound and could easily be passed off as something released today in its one hour and 11 minute runtime. Many tracks on the album had been previously released such as 'Turquoise Hexagon Sun' (Appeared on the 1996 EP release, Hi Scores, as well as the 1996 limited-release album, Boc Maxima) as well as 'One Very Important Thought', 'Roygbiv' and 'Wildlife Analysis' (All appear on Boc Maxima), but all come together in a beautiful manner in an an album that, to put it simply, just works brilliantly.
The album's opening track, 'Wildlife Analysis' provides a fitting context for the album, with it's upbeat and hazy synths which are almost reminiscent of a classic NES 8-bit game soundtrack, but has been warped and twisted to create a more smooth, enjoyable and palatable sound. The spectacular track-list features some more, but still not entirely dark and edgy sounding tracks such as 'An Eagle in Your Mind', 'Telephasic Workshop', 'Sixtyten', 'Rue The Whirl', 'Pete Standing Alone' and 'Smokes Quantity' ' where the sharp sounding hi-hats and snares, as well as either punchy, computerised or swirling,warbling synths (depends the track) provide for a much more 'industrial-esque' spin to the album. There is also definitely a somewhat 90's Hip-Hop spin to a select few tracks of the album, particularly in 'Sixtyten' 'Turquoise Hexagon Sun' and 'Rue The Whirl' and the original bonus track, 'Happy Cycling', which does unfortunately show cracks in it's contemporary qualities, but certainly does not hugely impact the overall 'fresh' sound of the album, and besides, is there really anything wrong with older sounding music? I think not. There is also an equal amount of tracks that provide an uplifting, and thought-provoking experience, which to me draws parallel's with many 90's - early 2000's educational video soundtracks that I have been shown throughout my schooling life. These tracks include the previously mentioned 'Wildlife Analysis', 'Triangles and Rhombuses', 'Bocuma', 'Roygbiv', 'Olson', and 'Open the Light', which all are characterised by melodies which sound either 'happy' and 'inspiring', or that spark the feeling of curiosity and intrigue, which honestly remind of being a child, and the overwhelmingly happy and ignorant feelings and mind-set characterised by a typical childhood. I can think of three tracks that doesn't fit into either of these broad categories, one being 'Aquarius', which to me sounds like if the soundtrack of Blade-Runner and 80's porn music had a baby, mixed in with some great sampling and mysterious coded number sequences. The second being, 'The Colour Of The Fire', which mainly features a distorted, childlike voice as well as some xylophone-like synths playing periodically. The third being, 'One Very Important Thought', which was the original closing track (before 'Happy Cycling' was added to the main track-list), which provides, as said in the title, an important thought presented by a robotic-sounding female advising against the idea of censorship (Very important!).
The album's opening track, 'Wildlife Analysis' provides a fitting context for the album, with it's upbeat and hazy synths which are almost reminiscent of a classic NES 8-bit game soundtrack, but has been warped and twisted to create a more smooth, enjoyable and palatable sound. The spectacular track-list features some more, but still not entirely dark and edgy sounding tracks such as 'An Eagle in Your Mind', 'Telephasic Workshop', 'Sixtyten', 'Rue The Whirl', 'Pete Standing Alone' and 'Smokes Quantity' ' where the sharp sounding hi-hats and snares, as well as either punchy, computerised or swirling,warbling synths (depends the track) provide for a much more 'industrial-esque' spin to the album. There is also definitely a somewhat 90's Hip-Hop spin to a select few tracks of the album, particularly in 'Sixtyten' 'Turquoise Hexagon Sun' and 'Rue The Whirl' and the original bonus track, 'Happy Cycling', which does unfortunately show cracks in it's contemporary qualities, but certainly does not hugely impact the overall 'fresh' sound of the album, and besides, is there really anything wrong with older sounding music? I think not. There is also an equal amount of tracks that provide an uplifting, and thought-provoking experience, which to me draws parallel's with many 90's - early 2000's educational video soundtracks that I have been shown throughout my schooling life. These tracks include the previously mentioned 'Wildlife Analysis', 'Triangles and Rhombuses', 'Bocuma', 'Roygbiv', 'Olson', and 'Open the Light', which all are characterised by melodies which sound either 'happy' and 'inspiring', or that spark the feeling of curiosity and intrigue, which honestly remind of being a child, and the overwhelmingly happy and ignorant feelings and mind-set characterised by a typical childhood. I can think of three tracks that doesn't fit into either of these broad categories, one being 'Aquarius', which to me sounds like if the soundtrack of Blade-Runner and 80's porn music had a baby, mixed in with some great sampling and mysterious coded number sequences. The second being, 'The Colour Of The Fire', which mainly features a distorted, childlike voice as well as some xylophone-like synths playing periodically. The third being, 'One Very Important Thought', which was the original closing track (before 'Happy Cycling' was added to the main track-list), which provides, as said in the title, an important thought presented by a robotic-sounding female advising against the idea of censorship (Very important!).
Overall, Music Has the Right to Children is a seriously enjoyable, thought-provoking and innovative album. It feels contemporary and fresh, yet nostalgic, and has truly earned its right as a vital part of electronic music history. I seriously could not hold this album in higher regard, and I think it is an essential listening experience to music-goers.
Favourite Tracks
- Triangles and Rhombuses
- Sixtyten
- Roygbiv
- Aquarius
- Olson
Least Favourite Tracks
- An Eagle In Your Mind
- Rue the Whirl
- Happy Cycling
Comments
Post a Comment