Music Has The Right To Children

I got through about 5 songs and gave up. This isn’t music. Terrible. 1

3 stars

Some moments that don’t require drugs to appreciate. But not many.

I have another album from these folks and hadn't heard this one, but it's cool ambient music without being just drone tones or breathy white noise. It has musical ideas but is laid back and cosmic feeling.

I really don't like this kind of music. Although it has its value, it doesn't really tell me anything.

Cool album

Ick

Somewhat better than most electronica

Decent album, not my kind of music, but nice and chill. I could use this music to fall Asleep.

nope

Gross. 4th day in a row we get basically the same album.

This is a tough one. It almost feels right to just give it a perfect score and move on. When a record has a “Legacy” sub-heading on its Wikipedia page, you know at the very least that it’s an influential one. But this is a double-edged sword since, in providing the template for IDM in the late nineties, its initial edge is somewhat blunted by the scores of imitators. But, on the other hand, Boards of Canada are pretty inimitable in their vision for what electronic music could be: purposeful, meticulously thought out and with an intellectual profundity that flipped the dance music’s drug-induced transience on its head. This isn’t an album of momentary hedonism, it’s a soundtrack to childhood that captures the bittersweet essence of what it is to be nostalgic. Does that necessarily make for an immediate listen? No. In fact, on first listen I remember this album leaving me could. But revisiting it now, everything sort of fell into place. That’s not to say that I’ve made sense of Music Has the Right to Children and its ambitious reflections. But I guess that’s kind of the point.

Heeft wel iets, maar veel te lang

1 stars are so back

71 minutes which felt more like 71 days

This is a tough album to rate. I guess I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, as I didn't particularly enjoy the experience of the album. It wasn't bad in the sense that it's poorly made, but the tones, sounds, and overall feeling of the album gave me a vague sense of uneasiness. I especially found the use of sound samples of people's voices to be haunting in an indeterminate way, like they were the sounds of people trapped in the loops of the music. The faceless people on the album art certainly didn't help that. Favorite song: "Sixtyten" Best representation of the album: "

An album like this could easily be put on in the background and written off as ‘alright’, ‘boring’, et cetera. And on the surface, it is. It’s boring. There’s no pick-me-ups, no crescendos or climaxes. But it’s not about the quick-fire enjoyment here, it’s about the hypnotic downtempo soundscape. Alongside a constant flow of relaxation seeps in sporadic uneasiness, not deterring the consistent production feat. Is there a theme in this album? Probably, if you analysed the soundbites or made notes on each song. It doesn’t need it, though. It’s a well-made electronic album - that’s all I need.

A true oxymoron in audio form. Finding warmth in the coldness of steel machinery; finding structure in the unordered; finding the future in your nostalgia; finding childlike joy in growing up. A misremembered memory you wouldn't want to remember any other way.

Not my thing

Telephasic Workshop and Roygbiv stand out, but generally I want something else from my electronic music

Electronic, little boring and repetitive

I enjoyed every song on this. Absolutely wonderful.

Even though this always gets the plaudits I've always preferred Geogaddi

Bored of Canada

A beautifully charming and encompassing collection of bloops and bleeps.

Now we’re talking…aaand now we’re melting.

I'm really not into all the counting, crying, and moaning in the background of the songs here. I absolutely cannot finish this one, I'm sorry to all the fans of this shit.

i kind of like parts of it . The tracks with more vocal samples work better , and the others feel like unfinished sketches/ demos. 2.5

There's never been a group that sounded quite like Boards of Canada. They rejected the trend of electronic dance music that was growing in popularity at the time. Instead they drew influence from early electronic composers, mainly from film scores. Their name refers to the Film Board of Canada which produced documentaries that the brothers used to watch and were influential on their sound. The music evokes strong feelings of nostalgia, childhood and nature. I've always felt that there was also something unsettling about the music. For me, it recalls the feelings of being a child and experiencing a huge world. There's innocence, wonder and some fear in this music. This is the mature world of adults seen from the vantage point of a child. I also find a sense of isolation from the world in BoC's music. Like it's separated from the city and from home, to discover a new place. For an adult that might just be a camping trip. But for the child, it's the opening up to a new and curious world. Few artists can manage to create such vivid imagery with no lyrics.

Love their sound

Pointless muzak.

Good but weird.

Escuché un par de temas. Debo admitir que no me dieron muchas ganss de seguirlo, demasiado experimental

Instrumental

i love the idea of this record i just don’t love listening to this record

The only awareness of this band that I had before this was that "Yes, I know a band called Board of Canada exists" and that was it. I usually bristle a bit at electronic music, but this was absolutely wonderful. Enjoyed the whole thing quite a bit.

I’ve long been aware of Boards of Canada, but I’ve never listened to their music. Electronic music is a genre I’ve been slow to warm up to in my life, but the last 5 years or so I’ve slowly gotten more into it, starting with trip hop artists like Massive Attack and moving into pure electronic artists like Aphex Twin. MHTRTC is a pretty stellar album, and one I hope to revisit often. It does what the best electronic music does: it transports you. It’s vivid, atmospheric, and full of sonic pathos. I was concerned it was going to be too long at 71 minutes, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Another interesting element of the album is that, to me anyway, it doesn’t sound like a product specifically of the late 90’s at all. This is an album that you could have told me was produced in any year after 1978 and I would have believed you, especially if you said 2036 or something. It sounds incredibly fresh in 2024, and like the best electronic music it sounds futuristic. I’m giving it 4 stars after 3 listens. I’ve liked it more and more each time so it’s one that I could consider a masterpiece in the future.

giving aphex twin, great to study to

Like playing a low stakes video game

Great tunes if you want to fall asleep while driving!

Well that was incredibly boring.

would trip tf out if I listened to this any type of inebriated. additionally, this has zero business being over 70 minutes long

Quite dull

6/10 - they made a lot of crazy noises throughout the album. One of my favorites were when they said orange a bunch. I kind of see why my friend likes them but not 10%.

There isn’t really anything wrong with it, it’s just boring as hell

Hate this style of electronica

The highlight here is Roygbiv, but maybe that's because I've heard it before and built some familiarity. Otherwise, I generally like it, but it's a bit background music-y.

Burde vært 5, men siste sangen var for spaca

Listened to this on a beautiful Sunday, driving through cornfields and small towns in Midwest USA, which definitely had an effect on the vibe of this album. It feels like drifting through half-remembered dreams. The musical texture is warm and nostalgic. There’s a subtle eeriness, a bit like Aphex Twin’s more ambient work, but gentler, and more inviting. It’s music that wraps you in a haze, where time feels slow and blurred. It’s perfect for getting lost.

..

An album of a variety of instruments and sounds, mostly pleasant.

Highly influential, even if it almost descends into background music at times. Brian Eno would approve.

yet another album that is good ambient music. I liked this a bit more than some of the other electronic albums. But likely won't be coming back to it for another listen.

Fine as background music, but not really my thing to listen to on its own.

For ambient music it was good I guess being in the right mood for it would probably help too

My first penned review in 3 months! I needed a bit of a 1001 break. But we’re back. This is a classic I somehow missed. I LOVE it. It’s both proto electronic music and somehow ahead of its time if you released in 2024. Had a great time listening. 4/5

Synth enormi, ricerca dei suoni davvero interessante. Poi per il resto vanno capiti, come gran parte dell'elettronica. Io non li capisco bene.

Apocalyptic yet luminous. I don't see it as a collection of songs, but rather some themes worked around a specific atmosphere. Definitely a headphones album.

Good electronic album with some psychedelic vibes. Pretty nice!

Meditative, yet melancholic electronic music to sooth the soul. A top 5 downtempo album to me.

Favourite tracks: roygbiv; wildlife analysis; an eagle in your mind; sixtyten; happy cycling

Was always curious about this one but was left cold

There are times when you come across a piece of art and think to yourself "I just don't get it". This was one of those times for me. Might be nice background music for reading.

Chilled hip hop like beats melt to the couch quality With fuzzed ambiance

Not too bad

No

Meh.

Ihan pätevää ambienttia. Kaipaan toki vähän selkeempää sykettä. 3/5

Sähköisen kuuntelumusan klassikoita, ja vieläkin kolisee mainiosti. 5/5.

My immediate thought on rolling it was "oh no, not another one of these." But this is considerably better than the Fatboy Slim kind of stuff earlier in the list. It's still too ambient and light for my taste, but I got through it and didn't mind listening to it. You can hear the influence some places, like I can especially hear it in Radiohead. It sounds a lot like early-2000s Radiohead, although pretty much just the songs that I don't like that much. At the same time, I'd just as soon listen to some mid-tier dungeon synth.

Seems like this would be where the music became album oriented listen at home stuff. Will need to spend more time with it.

Enjoyed this, laid back electro sound, but not sure I’ll ever come back to it,

They give a right interpretation of their titles i think

Booooring

My personal name for this album is “Context has the right to change my opinion” When I first heard this album years ago I thought it (and all other Boards of Canada music) was a snooze fest that didn’t deserve any of the hype it got. Most of the songs just kinda came and went, there wasn’t much to grasp. But maybe it’s not about grasping a song. Maybe it’s more about sinking into the vibe. Minecraft’s soundtrack led me to a deeper appreciation of Aphex Twin, who made a lot of music very similar to what’s on this album here. With that in mind, and the proper time to sit on it all, I’ve realized that this album is about embracing the liminal soundscapes that come and go, just like a nice dream. While this album does overstay it’s welcome a touch, it’s not nearly as challenging as it once was. Listen to it right before bed or right as you get out of bed.

Interesting but not really for me

Viel versucht, wenig erreicht

Rating: 5/10 Meh. Choice cut: Roygbiv

I like electronic music so this was my jam, although a bit repetitive at times.

Wow, what a roller coaster with this one. I’m not ready for this. And I’m not sure I’ll ever be. Going in, I’m trying to keep an open mind, but I’m still working to wrap my ears around the OG’s of the genre, Kraftwerk or even Brian Eno. Having said all of that, I find this genre an…interesting listen. There’s no doubt a lot of musicality brought to bear from initially incoherent pockets of sound/noise. But beyond a theoretical curiosity, and admittedly some really catchy tunes especially on the front end, nothing moved me on an emotional level. It’s fancy hotel lobby, background music in a hip part of town…🫤

"Music Has the Right to Children" is the debut album by Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada. The music is described as a "distinctive style of electronica featuring vintage synthesizers, degraded analogue production, found sounds and samples and hip hop-inspired rhythms." It was self-produced by brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin. The album received critical acclaim and is considered a landmark work in electronica music. Layered synths open the album in the short "Wildlife Analysis" which transitions to "An Eagle in Your Mind." Oscillating synths and a electronic drum beat. Samples of a deep voice talking and of Sesame Street's "I Love You." A downtempo vibe. "Turquoise Hexagon Sun" lays down a hip hop beat with xylophone-sounding synth keys and people talking and laughing in the background. The beat keeps it steady and hypnotic. Deep and dark synth keys open "Roygbiv." Backed by a constant beat, the song changes to more happy-sounding. This is almost danceable....almost. Wobbly synths and an electronic bass and drumbeats anchor "Aquarius." A repeating sample of Sesame Street's "O is for Orange" with children laughing and a woman counting numbers sometimes randomly. This is a unique-sounding album. Dreamy, ambient, downtempo, hypnotic. The songs tend to lay down a beat and/or synth line and build with various sounds, noises and samples. They do capture a retro 70's sound with the synths. I don't think this album is for everyone but a must listen for anyone who likes electronic music. The changes between songs kept it interesting. I don't know if I've heard an album quite like it (on the good side).

rym 4.00 questo era già nella mia lista di album da ascoltare mi piace ma è un tipo di musica che preferisco ascoltare mentre faccio altro 3/5

I like it

-Omg Boards of Canada.. I listened to Geogaddi a few months ago and it’s honestly one of my favorite “IDM” albums of all time but hadn’t really heard much else by then -I def prefer Geogaddi but this is also really good. Has a very dreamlike vibe -Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, and Roygbiv

3.7 - I liked it. However I feel like there was a component missing. Maybe it was a lead guitar or vocals, but just felt like I was waiting for something to come in

Yeah it’s great, don’t need to overthink this one. Fave Tracks: most of it really - Wildlife Analysis, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius, One Very Important Thought, Happy Cycling 4.8/5

I have never heard of this album. I've barely heard of this band. I have no expectations. Electronica. I liked it. Very good stuff. Like background, mood music that also can keep your attention.

I started out curious, but that faded to disinterest by about track 2. Gets better (less objectionable) in the second half. Passable as ambient background sound, but others do it better. Music to drown out office noise.

More like bored of Canada. Inoffensive background music

Euhm, wie heeft hem op repeat gezet? Of nee wacht, het zijn toch echt achttien afzonderlijke nummers, maar niet dat je daar enig verschil tussen hoort. Wel een aardig trippy klankbeeld, maar erg weinig afwisseling.

Elektronische muziek in de categorie 'vaag'. Al blijft het muzikaal. Ik had het volgens mij al eerder geschreven. Ik had jaren lang The Orb in mijn playlist en dat was ruim voldoende. Het had net zo goed ook dit kunnen zijn.

Triphoppy ambient muziek met ietwat vage samples er doorheen. Alsof je naar een illegaal kraakfeest bent geweest met tekno en veel van die rookmachines en gekke lichteffecten en door wil feesten tot de volgende morgen. Dan is dit de muziek die tijdens de graveyard shift nog gedraaid kan worden, als het nog net geen ochtend is, maar iedereen nog wel half in trance is van de muziek (en de drugs waarschijnlijk). Althans, dat stel ik me zo voor. Ik vind het niet vervelend om te luisteren, het tempo ligt niet al te hoog, dus het kan ook prima als achtergrondgeluid. Ik heb niet het idee dat ik wat mis als ik het niet had hoeven luisteren voor de 1001. Maar ach, zoiets mag er af en toe best tussen.

Given my appreciation of ambient and having heard all the hype about the Boards of Canada, I wanted to like this record a lot more. Unfortunately, the dream beats really bring it down to an average category—a three it shall be.

Great album, that did so much to open my ears to electronic music. It's funky, also quite inventive and contemplative. A classic.

Why are all electronic albums so boring. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Coming straight off of listening to the dull slog that was Derek and the Dominos' "Layla", I wasn't looking forward to revisiting another >60 minute long record. But at least I'm familiar with this one, even if on past relistens I haven't gotten as much out of it. Boards of Canada are a group I enjoyed a lot more when I was 16 and listening to a lot of IDM. Overtime, I realised I was completely missing the point of their music - the weird surreal feeling of fear and dread hidden very delicately in there. So that's where I've been at for the past few years with this. That being said, going from a 2/10 to a 7/10 is still a jump forward, and ten minutes in, I was already considering bringing that 7/10 up to an 8/10. I'm about three weeks in to using this site, and I've gathered that the average user here really, really likes rock music, and is likely a fair bit older than me. So with that in mind, I imagine a fair amount of people went into this expecting to dislike it the moment they saw 'Electronica' in the tags, the way I do when I see a classic rock album, hence the quite frankly abysmally low score for one of the most well-regarded albums in the genre. RateYourMusic has this in its top 200 of all time, I believe. If I'm wrong about that, then their follow-up album, Geogaddi, definitely is there, and also #1 for the year 2002. I can see why too, there really is something eerie about this album, the way voice clips are chopped up and arranged provoke these very surreal and strange visuals. But it's the fact that a lot of them are from children's TV shows - it's like sitting in front of the TV at night at a very young age and seeing something very innocent but strangely unsettling. Of course, the textures of the synths are also fantastic, and I point to the song Roygbiv as an example of a rare moment where the sound on this album feels extremely full. The hi-hats are crisp and weighty, the melody is ridiculously memorable, and I really wish it went on for longer than 3 minutes. As much as it hurts to see this album rated so low, I've never been as big a fan of electronica as some other people I know. Despite this, I'd like to attempt to somewhat remedy the injustice done here. 8.5/10

I think I had ambiented myself to death by the time these guys appeared an it's not my favourite. Too many annoying samples that repeat (not to a Daft Punk level of annoying but still I find myself skipping tracks for that reason alone). However I love the way this sounds like a 1970s public information film with primitive hokey synth sound effects suddenly dropped acid and drifted off into heat hazy psychedelic nuclear dawn. Or something. Did analogue synths ever sound fatter and more squidgy than in 'ROYGBIV'? Also I wish the shimmering opening of 'Olson' went on longer. Another good footnote album.

Music Has the Right to Children is a modern classic in the electronic genre. The soundscapes created by using old and detuned synthesizers. If you think EDM is cold, listen to this and experience a warm blanket.

What the hell was this?? This isn’t music! Its torture! Is this what you listen to when high on mushrooms? Cos you’ve got to be high on something to listen to it! Don’t listen to it! It’s so awful!

I had such high hopes. It ended up being a little dull.

For being techno I actually really liked it, maybe it’s just because the album cover and title were so cool

Wacky muziek

Bet this is great on mushrooms. Really enjoyed everything. Like this style more now. Good flow throughout. Album works as a whole. Feels like being inside someone’s head. Not finding any flaws. Really smart. 5/5

They’re not bad per se, just incredibly dull

Electronic music, even one that has more chill vibes than other albums, is just not for me. I gave the first few songs a listen to give it a chance, but I dnf.

2/5 - Just…nah.

It’s good electronic music. I don’t know if I’d listen again though.

9/10 Of course I already knew this one, I’m Scottish and liked electronic music in the late 90s onward… This is a super influential album on what was the record label at the time They had some mega contemporaries there - Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, and BoC always had the best grasp of melody for me, and beats that showed more hip hop influence Those beats are probably the highlight of the album, when they are chunky they are very chunky Not all of it has a soul, some is a little clinical, and there is some ambient burbling. But the whole thing works, with their distinctive style of chopped up vocals and samples Best: Roygbiv

Fun fact! Boards of Canada aren’t from Canada, but are actually a pair of brothers from Scotland producing a great mix of warm 70s modular synth sounds with samples and glitchy beats layered on top. I always make the mistake of thinking this is an ambient album but the beats creep up on me and I get sucked into the rhythm. Great stuff. Highlight is Aquarius which samples counting and giggles from Sesame Street in an enchanting way.

I love this kind of ambient music, I love the sound of old synthesizers. I love how this kind of music is painting sound-/landscapes and to immerse myself in those.

Fav: Aquarius Least Fav: Kaini Industries

Space mountain music

Background music that isn't really my sound.

I got nuthin, pass.

I guess there’s a time and place for everything, but this album being included in the list is just silly. Sound loops and samples. No real structure to songs. And way too long.

Definitely didn’t feel the need to get through all of this one. Sorta got the point right away. No idea what makes this so special

More background music. Can set a mood but as long as you don’t notice it or pay too much attention, it’s fine. To me that doesn’t mean a great album and I just can’t rate any of these above a 2. I did recognize Roygbiv…so there’s that. 1.5

I’m sure this is a totally fine album in the beep/boop music genre. Just not my cup of tea. Too long and little variety. I found myself skipping tracks out of boredom. 2/5

Great music to put in the background at a nice low volume. And by low volume I mean 0

Kuuunneltu ennen albumia. Löytyi viimeisein biisin hapoy cyclingin takia. Se on aika hyvä

Pretty lame. Kind of dreamy kind of moody competently assembled. Im willing to be harsh, it's a no from me.

Never heard of them before. P chill.

I love Boards of Canada and this might by my second favorite release by them. I first got in to them relatively recently, during 2020, when I was looking for songs and bands that wouldn't make me mad or really force me to do too much thinking. I found them cruising around various Spotify generated playlists with the term "ambient". BoC's sound isn't really what I would call ambient, but I get the tag. They have a real talent for layering instruments and sounds, building appropriate dynamics, and resolving long running phrases in a satisfying way. This album has some really stellar examples of that in "Turquoise Hexagon Sun", "Roygbiv", "Open The Light" and "Olson". At the time when this album was released I remember a small scene of burgeoning "downtempo" groups, but none of them were as creative as Boards of Canada. They were really doing something ahead of their time with this album, and I'm kind of annoyed it took me so long to find them. The biggest complaint I have about this album are the short track interludes (Olson excluded because I think it could keep going for much longer), but even those are good bridges between songs that vary in tempo and sound. It's obvious that the album is not just a collection of songs but meant to be enjoyed as a whole work and those tracks are just connections. I could listen to this for a long time (and I have, multiple times). The "Trans Canada Highway" EP is still my favorite work of theirs but this might be next. Music that will forever be associated with a shit time in my (and many others) life, but in a good way.

Music for a comedown from a mushroom trip. Chill and forgettable.

I didn't like the first few tracks from this album at all, they felt too weird, a bit creepy maybe? But as the album went on it wasn't as bad, just an okay album for me though.

Y'know, as atmospheric music, it's really not bad. I don't love the style in general though.

Long

This is completely unappealing to me, so just don’t see it

Very nice.

One of my favorite albums to listen to while working and listened a lot while studying. Pretty perfect for an instrumental electronic album and is probably top 2 or 3 in that category

This mostly just sounded like noises but it was a pleasant car album

Enjoyed it, especially on a car ride through the Norwegian alpine countryside.

Nope, Music Has The Right To Children is not for me. Half of it sounds like the sort of interlude nonsense nu-metal bands chucked onto their 2000s albums to pad it out, and the other half sounds like what happens when robots have orgasms. Rescue from this run of disappointing 2s; this one's lucky to get a 2 at all.

Yeah, I don't get this either. Ambient stuff, nothing particularly different from other ambient stuff we've had except this one grabbed me even less. Have heard it a couple of times through, and am now listening to Oxygene again because that does what this does so much better. 2/5.

Surprisingly fresh and forward looking electronic music, especially for it's time.

Langweilig

From the UK? Check! Some kind of electronic music? Check! Put it on the list! I remember hearing about these guys in name only, having worked somewhere that I was introduced to all the 90s and early 2000s hipster favorites by my lovably hip colleagues. I'm sure I listened to Boards of Canada some back then but they never left an impression, apparently. Still don't.

trippy

Was skeptical at the beginning, because I looked at the global reviews before listening. Great sampling and overall I really enjoyed it. Reminds me a little of 'Entroducing.....' by DJ Shadow which is one of my favorite albums.

This is a really strong ambient album that’s nice to listen to and flies by, but doesn’t leave too much of an impression on me

No.

Lovely assortment of synth riffs. Dandy background non-intrusive sounds

Listening to an electronic album with music so natural and organic feels like scratching an itch deep in my brain. This album includes sounds I remember from early childhood programs that aired on public television when I was a kid making it even more of a satisfying listen.

These guys have listened to a lot of Kraftwerk and decided to do their own. With mixed results. Doesn't really stand on its own feet, and the bits that are not obviously Kraftwerk-esque aren't that convincing, really. Kosmischer Läufer does a better job of emulating Kraftwerk while still being more than just an hommage.

I get what they were trying to do here, and it was an impressively ambitious undertaking, but it was a swing and a miss for me. I didn’t feel like I was listening to music - more like a string of noise, and I just couldn’t get into it. Fascinating to hear though

its so cold. idm is so expansive and diverse. it can sound so different from release to release (bogdan, boc, aphex twin as low hanging fruit examples). im more used to the aphex twin mainstream type of idm, and maybe a little bogdan. when i initially listened to this a while ago, it didnt really click with me. with this relisten, i embraced this cold, cryptic atmosphere that its trying to set and i think it really works. i was put off by boc’s works especially this one and geogaddi, but now it isnt so bad. the samples used throughout the album help contribute to the mysterious tone that it sets and makes me kind of uncomfortable as intended i guess. someday i hope to understand this even more, but for now im pretty satisfied with the listen. 4 personal favs: eagle in your mind, turquoise hexagon sun, rue the whirl, aquarius

All kind of merges together, very enjoyable though

Really good

Goated electronica

super chill. ultra chill. the chill-est

According to Wikipedia "the album received critical acclaim upon its release, and has since been acknowledged as a landmark work in electronic music" - I own this album and it's good, but I don't understand how this album, released in 1998, is regarded as a "landmark work in electronic music"? Have people not heard of Faust, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and others, that have being making electronic music since the 1970s?

Monotonous and not very tuneful. The music is strange enough to work as background music for something like Adult Swim's Off the Air or a similar show, but as for straight up listening to it, no thanks.

Maybe with more listening sessions this could be a 4

Maybe a little to esoteric for me? But maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. I had it on while I was ripping out old gross carpet. Not really a great frame of reference. I might revisit this one.

The idea of this album intrigues me a lot, especially as a general fan of electronic music. In practice, though, I’m quite literally not high enough to enjoy it. If I’m going to be forced to listen to IDM, I’d prefer Burial, Aphex Twin, or Autechre — people who don’t become germophobes the second they’re around an actual beat. And while Music Has the Right to Children does have a few fleeting moments where Boards of Canada back into an actual groove, it’s never fully developed. I also just don’t care for Lo-Fi Beats to Chill and Study To, no matter how cool it may be that they’re using a bunch of vintage synths and tape machines. Influential as it may be, this is really not my vibe.

As a dear friend described this album to me: Terrible and vaguely unsettling. At least it's 71 MINUTES LONG. Couldn't wait for this to be over.

Good trance music if you just need to zone out.

very cool, a bit long. 3.5/5

This album has the same vibe as that really weird sims DS game. I don’t like that vibe for my songs why did I have to hear this album

I think it's lo-fi but it's not my kind

There are some redeeming qualities, but not many.

Très musique d'ambiance.

Pretty solid ambient sound

first listen. Great background music I had fun

I usually like Electronica, but this was too "flat" for me, nothing outstanding or notable. Maybe ok as background music, but that's it.

Instrumental album, reminds me of calmer chemical brothers

Easy listening with some occasionally interesting beats, grooves, or samples. The standout for me is Aquarius, aa it just pulled me into a deep focus. I also liked roygbiv and a couple others. For an electronic album, I enjoyed it. Not as much as Homework by Daft Punk, and still not my favorite genre.

Weird but pretty. Interesting in a light way. Diverting background music. Still maybe try to understand it someday.

Very chill ambient/tripop

BoC are mechanistic, experimental, cerebral musique concrete with a very specific attitude as an art project. Late 90s Electronic music was Big Beat, danceable throbbing rave-oriented controlled chaos that required little to no cognitive effort on the listener's part. This is a completely different thing. It is electronic music to be sure. Some bits also bear a resemblance to dance tropes of that era. Well-executed similarity to other forms of electronic music, serve as an entry point for something far more interesting, yet entertaining. From simple bass and drum grooves, they wash the whole with other colors that seem unintentional in their effect. Moods shift from joyous to anxious, naïve to wizened, celebratory to frosty boredom. BoC create art that occupies an unnameable state of mind that existed in its past. Perhaps. I think I remember hearing this or that, I remember what it felt like (or I think I do), but that might only be because the sound suggests it. What you are hearing never actually existed. What exists is your memory of something similar, buried now because it's unimportant or unused. There is a way to dive into how this fits into postmodernism in a way that I won't go into today, but it can spin off in an epistemological direction for sure. What do you really remember? Is memory a real thing in the world? We probably invent an abstraction of the past so that the world has some structure., even though the "world" is just complete uncontrolled chaos. It's why we invented God, or maybe music This music works in that role for me really well. A structure where the mind can wander down weird little paths of memory and emotion, some I've seen before, some remind me of places I've been or people I've heard in other rooms while multiple TVs play various indecipherable and unimportant things. "Music Has the Right to Children" is accidentally popular, it seems. Kind of divisive, looking at the reviews here. I love it, but you don't have to. Give it a chance if you want something to think about.

Too many creepy kids voices

It was ok as background music but less so for a car trip - perhaps suitable for a different kind of trip?!

Excellent downtempo electronic music. I greatly enjoyed this. One knock is I think it’s a little long, I kind of struggle with focusing with albums over an hour.

Too sober for this

This was just good to groove to while I worked. Didn't have to think to hard about it. 4/5

This is good but I've had too much experimental / instrumental music recently and couldn't get all the way through it

I... don't really know what to think. It's a nice ambient music ? To listen when doing other things maybe.

This is one of those albums that I've listened to multiple times, but I never remember what it's like. It's like it lives in a black hole in my mind. It's good, though. Downtempo and ambient, but still groovy and engaging. All the little samples of children and people talking add a surprising amount of life to the album, despite the music being spare in a lot of places 4/5

This was one of those “landmark classics” that I was expecting to have never heard a track from despite it being hailed as the most important film of all time or whatever. Fortunately, I was surprised by this album because it has more than one track that I really liked and one I even recognized. Roygbiv feels like such a universal song to me that whenever I see it I don’t associate it with any artist or band. However, do NOT listen to this high. It was definitely interesting to listen to but the first half was very unnerving to listen to alone in the dark in that state of mind.

Great ambience, beats, and use of samples. I really enjoyed this album all the way through, and it will make a good option for background music. Being from Canada, I always thought they were Canadian. Had no idea they were from Scotland or that they took inspiration for their name from the Film Board of Canada.

At first it annoyed me but it grew on me by the end. Still on the negative side of my enjoyment scale.

3.5 stars. Pretty subtle but cool down tempo electronic ambient music. "Roygbiv" is the memorable standout.

Good stuff. I enjoyed working while listening to it. Some interesting songs. But overall it's just not really a genre that does much for me. But I'll probably listen again

Some of the songs were interesting, but others made me a bit uncomfortable. Listening to 3 minutes of a little kid slowly saying "I... love... you.." was particularly unsettling. All in all, a decent album to listen to while working, but not anything overly special for me.

Very good "focus" music. Enjoyed it.

This is definitely a slow burn. Not the sort of music to give instant satisfaction or hit you with the catchy tunes. I think I could love this after another 20 listens but after 1 listen it hasn't grabbed me. I can see the influence this could have had on Radiohead and there change going forward from Ok Computer to KidA and beyond. Very interesting listen but not engaging enough to be an instant love.

Ugh. Is it just me, or is there too much electronica on this list?

I really really really don't like this. It's like it is in eternal waiting mode and nothing happens but you're still stuck waiting and hanging around.

I don't typically find this style of music very engaging and this wasn't an exception.

On paper a cool idea and album, but fell flat unfortunately. Off to a terrible start with extremely repetitive and boring songs. Somewhere in the middle it became decent, with the album high of 'Roygbiv' which was a really cool song that I will listen more to, and some other nice tracks that followed. But the end was also pretty weak if I recall correctly, so overall pretty bad experience.

A bit of a boring slog of an album. Sure it's chill to leave on in the background but nothing really stood out. The start was pretty bad but I think it found its groove towards the middle. A few fun songs here and there (eg. "Turquoise Hexagon Sun" and "Roygbiv") but as a whole not too impressed.

Good nap album

The perfect background beats for all endeavors of coolness. Harmonious, but pleasantly jarring at the same time. A perfect encapsulation of the mellow, chiller-than-thou spirit of the late 90s, and somehow still as fresh as a first listen.

I don't always like this kind of music but this one was nice

Great album. I did not think I would like this from the start, but I was immersed in the electronic nostalgia of it. It's not something you're going to put on to do anything except concentrate and/or fall into thought. ****

so i was at a coffee shop this one time. i was sitting by window when the waiter approached me to hand me my solicited cappuchino, with a pair of free chocolate cookies. as he walked towards the table where i was seated, he contemplated the urban scene unfolding behind the confines of the coffee shop, in the outside world of the busy city of amsterdam. he stopped to think before quietly leaving the tray he brought on the table, and turned towards the cash register. but, as he started walking, he bumped into this very tall man who had just entered the store. said man was wearing a pair of windsor sunglasses, which covered what seemed to be two tired eyes, one of them staring off into the distance while the other focused on the waiter. said mans hair was messy and not well kept at all, which, combined with the beaten leather jacket and dusty beige pants he was wearing, gave him a very rough look. "oh sorry sir" the words fell out of the waiters mouth like drunken butterfly, a beautiful voice carrying itself across the air bumbling and hastily. the man muttered something very quietly as he pulled a cigarrette from his back pocket and held it in his mouth, softly biting its end. the waiter stood unamused, and proceeded to continue his way towards the cash register when the man tapped him in his shoulder. "i must see your manager. mr roger" he said while still holding the cigarrette, it seemed he had no plans to light it. the waiter awkwardly pointed towards a door at the end of the coffee shop, right next to the ladys room. the man looked around before taking a few coins from his pocket. he tried to give them to the waiter, but instead he dropped them on the ground. the waiter stood unamused. the man went into the room and i thought that would be the end of it but, around five minutes later, a gunshot was heard coming from that room. everyone in the coffee shop started panicking, and crowds of scared customers ran outside like deers escaping from a hunter. i tried to do the same but, as is made my way to the door, i slipped on puddle of water in the floor so i resorted to hiding under the table before the shooter saw me. i heard the doors swing open, followed by some footsteps. then, as if nothing had happened, the man from before approached the waiter. "thanks for the uhhh cooperation, much obliged" he said before leaving. the police arrived shortly after and, even though the couldnt find the man, i was asked to talk to the police and provide a description of what happened. i was taken along to the police station in an ambulance. the same ambulance, in fact, that was being used to take the now deceased owner of the coffee shop to the morgue. during the trip i listened to this album and i imagined as if voices in the background were the people in the coffee shop. interesting listen, very enjoyable.

Very melodic and almost trans like on some songs. The I love you on track one was kinda horror story vide. I would listen again. Very long album

Very cool. A little bit dissonant at times but definitely breaking some ground and ahead of its time.

Good musics, but I won’t listen to them again.

I really like them, but this is not my favorite album.

‘The Color of Fire’ was a bit eerie. Not really my vibe but not bad

I like how menacing the first half of this thing is. The rest is considerably more upbeat. One Very Important seems especially prescient today. All in all, this seems like itd be good for studying and/or committing petty crimes -The whole breadth of the human experience.

funky little tunes idk if its something i'd listen to but i can appreciate it for what it is if this was a video game OST i'd be like damn this slaps but its not so im not solid 3/5

che fatica arrivare alle fine aiutooo, nel complesso però non malissimissimo

Mi fa crescere la follia

aiuto raga che fatica arrivare alla fine

L'ho ascoltato 10 minuti, dopodiché le mie orecchie hanno incominciato a sanguinare.

Ammetto che in generale faccio fatica a entrare in sintonia con la musica elettronica, quindi probabilmente “non sei tu, sono io”, ma onestamente non vedevo l’ora che questo album finisse.

Sarebbe 2.5 ma non l’ho trovato abbastanza interessante

Nothing grabbed my attention. Just felt like nice inoffensive background music you’d play at a mall or something

Not bad as background music

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: die verfremdeten Gesichter machen doch neugierig - privates Familienporträt oder Dachboden-Fund eines anonymen Fotos? Mix: analog, texturiert und detailreich - egal ob entspannt vom inzwischen ordentlich abgerocktem Vinyl oder analytisch mit hochauflösenden Kopfhörern Musik: absoluter Ambient-, Beat- und persönlicher Produktivitäts-Klassiker Wertung: 🥸🥸🥸🥸(🥸)/5

A nice easy vibe. Easy listening in the background. Didn’t particularly inspire me. Didn’t interfere. 3

This feels like the ancestor of better music. It's almost there, but the sounds can be refined and applied more melodically. Izioq could not exist without this work, but this work is not there yet.

W T actual F. Had to pause this and look at the Wiki to see if it was some sort of joke. Sounds like the sound track to every low budget 90s sci-fi movie.

Defining electronica album but but something about the voice leave me uneasy.

Something about this album in all its simplicity that I absolutely adore. The album cover suits the music so well.

Chili techno

It has some good parts and some boring parts. More boring than good. But I can understand why people like it. Favorite song: roygbiv

I know this is probably the opposite of what many who love this album would want to hear, but someone please rap over this album, I beg of you! The drums, the bass, the samples, the mixes, it all beckons even the most simple minded, creatively stricken individual to start perusing his mind for a simple bar or two that would fit just right between the man and woman saying orange back and forth. Otherwise, this album has an incredibly solid foundation that sadly is rarely built upon in a manner to warrant its egregious run time, both as a whole album, and on a song by song basis. This songs can be funky, cosy, hell, half the tracks can be downright creepy, but the feeling almost always abandons the listener by the end of the track because each song seems determined to either be too short to process, or too long to remember any important changes. Its a shame, because I would often get into every track, but the feeling of grooving along or just chilling would go away, and then I'd realize I still have three minutes of song left. Boards of Canada must be aware of this issue too, as the best song, Roygbiv, isn't even three minutes long, and takes full advantage of this time. I think were this to be produced outside of the CD era, it would be more efficient in its production, and this thing really does sound like its from the future, so this releasing even a decade later wouldn't hurt it at all. It really is crazy that this is 1998, but it either needs more to the songs, or less of them.

4/16/24. Never heard of this group and didn't know what to expect, and received a more ambient, electronic record. At first I wasn't into it, but as each song came and went, I dug it more. It reminded me of a more laid back Avalanches.

Första låten kunde jag över huvud taget inte lyssna på. Jag är en enkel människa så det här är för svårt för mig. Jag gillar Moby. Han har säkert inspirerats av boards of canada. Tyvärr skar de höga tonerna sönder min hjärna och hur enkel min hjärna än är så vill jag gärna behålla den så intakt som det går. Låt 3 lytet lite men vente. Blev inte jättebra det här. Kanske gjorde Roygbiv det lite bättre.

Nja. Lite för trist. Gillar ju elektronisk musik. Men detta var för "stämningsfullt" på ett dåligt sätt.

Tycker det här var behaglig lyssning utan att för den skulle nå någon jättehög verkshöjd. Kul också att det var så hiphop-influerat. Förstår att det var nyskapande och inspirerande när det kom, men elektronisk musik har ju utvecklats så enormt efter detta så det är svårt att stå sig i konkurrensen med modernare grejer.

Like a horror movie soundtrack

There have been many albums on this list where i have been thinking "Why is this on here" but this one is on the opposite side. I would understand that people would think the same thing about this album and if I didn't listen to this type of music daily i would have asked why this was on here too and give it a 1. Personally I am fascinated with the sound of Hauntology(yes, this is a whole genre. Consisting of mixing nostalgic/haunting recordings and music to give an eerie feeling). I love the back and forth between calm ambient to almost unpleasant. But this album is what it is. it's ambient. Though i have heard Roygbiv since my highschool days, most of the album blends together.

Good background music for surfing in counter-strike

I listen to a few of these songs regularly but this isnt their best album imo decent thoughbeit

Not for me on this day.

Too long. It works as background tunes, but to sit down and invest in it was too much for me to follow.

You may be fooled into thinking this band hails from North America and what with the author(s) penchant for shoving mediocre UK electronic brit pop down your throat you'd be surprised. Well, nice try. This Scottish duo snuck onto the list, but their little art-house experiment in electronic music didn't sway me. I don't know how we ended up here, but I blame Daft Punk and Kraftwerk for influencing these people to think they could do something. But don't let the fact that Boards of Canada are the product of the 'everybody wins' generation. If their parents hadn't told them how great their little drum loop expansion kits were we wouldn't be subjected to this trite electronic nuisance. 2/5

I got so much work done to this album. I don’t normally like fully instrumental albums but this was wonderful.

This album is super weird. It moves from outright creep city to sublime. It moves from jarringly experimental to satisfying groove... I went back and forth on my feelings and thoughts about it practically every other song. Is it good? I think it has enough in it to recommend a listen, but one must be wary that it is... not necessarily an easy album to get through directly. On balance I suppose I "almost" kind of like it, and maybe, just maybe if I am in the right sort of mood I might like the creepy bits...

The sound of robots procreating.

Now I know why the faces are not seen...

Very electronic

The Children have spoken. Good intro album to a creative techno band. I enjoyed!

Very relaxing

Bored of Canada. like most ambient, just repetitive beats from a machine. I guess I should have listened at a lower volume to truly make it ambient, maybe would have gotten a higher score.

Super boring

Detesto eletrônica mas pensei que podia vir uma boa surpresa só pq gostei da capa. Tava totalmente enganada.

gibberish

Bleeps and boops and clicks and whistles from the chill out tent. I feel like I like this album more in concept than in practice.

Gosh and blimey! This is an absolute tour de force and one of my favourite albums. I've listened to thousands of albums in my 50+ years and I know quality when I hear it. You're all tone-deaf and ignorant ;-)

Oh boy, more Electronica! Lots of Electronica lately and it's getting harder and harder to distinguish them apart. Lots of repetition and mid-numbing rhythms that have me yearning for some vocals, two guitars, bass and drums. The positives is that it's a relaxing, chill listen, you can turn your brain off, close your eyes and enjoy. I couldn't tell you what the songs were about, the song titles or even can tell the songs apart, but at least I didn't have the urge to shut it off. I learned that Boards of Canada aren't even from Canada, but are Scottish. They even have another album called, Trans Canada Highway, which is a real highway that goes through the city where I live. Go figure.

Hmm,....will Forget about it again.

This made a for nice mellow listen. It wasn’t super engaging, but had enough to keep me interested in what was coming next.

I had listened to this fairly recently and didn't care for it. However, on this listen, I actually was pretty into it. Dunno how that works, but yeah, decent to good. 3.5/5

Good! B-

Bit overrated and a little of it's time, but can't be too critical - a lovely listen

I would have loved this 25 years ago, exactly the kind of boring/cool music I was into. Now it’s fine - pleasant in the background. I’ll give it 4 stars for the guy I used to be.

Either super boring or super cool laid back spaced out baked shit depending on your mindset and setting. Worth it if youre chilled out

was about to turn off the album after two randomly selected songs because I truly didn't hear a second that was a "must-listen" or just generally in any way creative or interesting. luckily for boards of canada, I clicked on Roygbiv in an attempt to give this album one last chance and it turned out to be a pretty cool tune that I've actually heard before. this elevates the album to 1.5 stars – without Roygbiv, it would've certainly been a 1.

A very low-fit album, I might have snooze off during especially monotone moments, but otherwise it was a nice record. Surely you have to be in a mood to listen to it, something like Lowfi Beats to Study to. I know what to play through my headphones at night when I'm unable to sleep, so I'll take it as a compliment for the group.

I’m afraid I fw this one.

Loving the ambient grooves

Forest for the Trees did it better

Elevator music but worse

Nada ofensivo, mas absolutamente chato e desinteressante. Não tenho nada contra música instrumental, mas isso aqui é pura e simplesmente música ambiente, com raras exceções de ideias que se destacam Fav tracks: An Eagle In Your Mind, Roygbiv, Pete Standing Alone Least fav track: Smokes Quantity

Interessante, ma non particolarmente convincente, pensavo che il sound fosse più graffiante.

I definitely didn't need to hear this before dying. It's all pretty pleasant, though. The songs generally have a way of unfolding as to suggest a soundtrack to a nostalgic day.

spooky techno. kind of meh and creepy

Meh

2,6

A+, favorite album.

I must have come across the name of this band at some point over the decades since this record was released. With the keywords "boards" and "Canada" I must have imagined it was sourced from the Royal Canadian Musicians' Program (RCMP) or some similar government agency. Just recently, via Ixi on youtube, I was bewildered to discover the genre was less 'yodelling mounted police' and more a downtempo electronic trip. Now who's the ass? I could immediately make a connection to other contemporary expeditionary sequencey collectives like M83, AIR, FSOL... though I'm inclined to describe this record as more on the sinister, robot jazz bent of Meat Beat Manifesto. Anyway, Boards of Canada... a sinister jazz robot, by any other name, would sound as menacingly chill.

Useless background music.

2 1/2 isn't something I would turn off but also wouldn't be reaching to turn it on

pretty inoffensive really, not bad at all.

Not my thing

I like electronic music. However, this album was way too long and seemed quite monotonous in many places. Added sound effects/voices really did not add much to this as they were too repetitive(grated on my nerves to hear over and over)

not good

Music Has the Right to Children presents itself as a monotonous soundscape devoid of vitality, failing to captivate listeners with its lacklustre melodies and repetitive rhythms. The album's sombre tone and droning ambiance contribute to a sense of tedium rather than evoking any sense of emotion or excitement. While some may appreciate its minimalist approach, for many, it feels like a missed opportunity for creativity and engagement. Surprisingly, given Scotland's rich musical heritage, this album stands out as one of the few disappointments in the Scottish alternative music scene. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACKS - None

Not the most exciting or interesting electronic music if i'm honest. Nothing really stood out to me, however it was a nice album to listen to on the plane while i was reading a book.

Thought it was really great for background listening and then sometimes a certain song / section would really catch your attention.

Meh.

Not really into this.

Just dumb. Toss this whole genre on the funeral pyre already.

Music Has The Right To Make Me Feel or Think Something. This album didn’t. Esto va pa ti vencent, how is this shit “increíble”, sentía que estaba perdiendo mi sanidad con cada canción que pasaba, era un endless void of synths, acoustics and some fucking samples from Sesame St. Peor álbum que he tenido el disgusto de escuchar.

plaza sesamo

Plaza sésamo

I've never heard of this album or artist before, but this is my second electronica album in a row, and as much as I tend to enjoy electronica music, I've had three hours of it in two days (thank you LTJ Bukem). I thought this album was pretty good, and I really liked the beats they used. Even though the album was long, I never found it boring, and it was overall pleasant to listen to. Even though I like electronica music, I can't really pinpoint what makes me like certain albums more than others, other than being able to say whether or not I enjoyed listening to it. I felt like this album was the pretty standard fare.

If "chill beats to work/study to" was an album (and that's exactly what I did while listening to it, but it didn't help my enjoyment).

I do not like electronica, and this is everything I hate about it. Formless, shapeless, chronically repetitive. Like someone dropped a paperweight on a computer.

A.I.tinnitus

Another band I've never heard of. Electronica. Too fucked up for me to devote 71 minutes of my life to. Adios. ⭐ __________________________________ 🎧 LPs reviewed: 45 🎧 LPs left to review: 956 🎧 LPs I found great/relevant enough to be mandatory listens (5): 11 🎧 LPs I *might* include in my own list (4): 14 🎧 LPs I will certainly *not* include in mine (1-2): 11

How had I not heard this before? Love it - fab late 90s electronica that seems to have aged very nicely.

Plug laced my shit with the shadow dimension polyhedron fungus. I'm blown away. I can't believe I've never heard this before. It's hard to describe, but something about this screams "Early Internet Era" to me. The futuristic, yet strangely creepy vibes of early Geocities websites, also the strangeness of early Internet animations like Salad Fingers. I can also hear some Silent Hill 2 in this. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Akira Yamaoka was a fan of these guys - the beginning of "Smokes Quantity" is literally "Black Fairy" from the SH2 soundtrack. Motherfuckers almost moved me to tears. I feel like I just relived my entire childhood in the span of 60 minutes. Has to be 5/5.

Its pretty good, if not somewhat one-dimensional

Maybe it was revolutionary when it came out, but for electronic music, I found it underwhelming.

Too weird for me

Spannender Triphop

Adult swim bumper music

Decent electronica, but not an all-time classic.

Quite nice soundtracky plinking plonking electrical noodling. Bit unfocused. But a nice noise.

Having a 7 minute song where you add a random sound onse every 2 minutes but don't do anything else to make it interesting does not qualify as good music to me. A song like Roygbiv is still enjoyable, mostly because it is short and doesn't drag on into eternity like the rest. Still not great though.

Not unpleasant but a bit tedious to pay full attention to. Fine as background music. “Telephasic Workshop” “Roygbiv” and “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” are highlights.

I had not heard this album before. I’ve heard fhe band on other compilations but enjoyed listening to this straight through. Very mellow and sets a definite mood. Some songs got a touch too weird for my tastes. But overall enjoyed it.

Ультра абстрактно, но при этом хрустяще, вайбово, хайпово, велико. Это такая, ранняя, но очень чёткая при этом электроника. Я б совершенно не удивился если бы этот альбом я встретил в группе IDM или где-нибудь ещё. Пять звёзд, это мега хайпово и я хочу под это играть в майнкрафт.

Found it to be generally boring