Music Has The Right To Children

Never listened to these before, I like the chilled out electronica mixed with audio snippets. Will definitely listen to more

I really like this, but can't help feeling that it would be just as good at half the length.

Unique sound

Interesting how the responses in most 2/5 and 1/5 reviews actually tell you this is an important album. Some people can't handle the "uncanny"--and *Music Has The Right To Children* is all about the latter: you don't know if you're in the future or the past; you don't know if you're an adult or a child; you don't know if you're in a dream or awake in the real world, and you don't know what it is exactly you're supposed to be feeling. You're floating in purgatory. You're "in limbo", to use the name of a Radiohead track from another album that probably owes a lot to Boards Of Canada... One *great* 4/5 review tells it better than I would ever write it myself. This is the sound of robots slowly learning how to "emote". In this day and age where AIs now create art and are having meaningful (yet slightly unnerving) conversations with you, *Music Has The Right To Children* is like a prophetic statement. That album cover could as well have been created by one of those AIs. There's the same twisted, slightly off-kilter logic in that artwork as the ones found in those utterly "artificial" creations seen online today. The fact that humans from the nineties actually created said artwork blurs the line between humanity and technology, about the animate and the "inanimate". Just look at this cover: it can trigger the same feeling of alienation and "displacement" in your human brains as those weird AI creations today. And the music does the same. So the album is not only about fictional robots, as great as that line from that 4/5 review was. It's about us humans and our relationship to time, technology, and "art in the age of mechanical reproduction" (say hello to Uncle W. Benjamin here). It's very "mundane", but that's the point, because nothing is sacred anymore in the digital age. Time is diluted, expanded. Lengthy dirges abound, and they can send you in one of those intermediate "states". Retro-futuristic sonic landscapes give you a sense of nostalgia for a future that hasn't happened *yet*. Objectively, a lot of those trip hop and chill-out club beats are clearly dated, but more than twenty years later, that "dated" thing ironically adds to the overall experience. This album aged extremely well partly because some of its components *have* aged. You can't write a sentence like that about a lot of albums. Which proves it is one-of-a-kind. To conclude, *Music Has The Right To Children* works like a Rorschach blot. It is a canvas with apparently "unclear" intents emotionally speaking, and where you can therefore project your own feelings, whether they're anxieties, dreams, pessimism, optimism, or even boredom with yourself. And this is exactly where those 1/5 and 2/5 reviews were so interesting to read. In a few lines, you can sense the sort of person who wrote how displeased they were about the experience, understandably so in some cases--you need to be in the right mindset to enjoy weird stuff like this anyway. And if you read between those lines, if you pick up certain words and turns of phrases, it becomes abundantly clear that the experience actually affected some of those reviewers in a somewhat positive way. They may not like *Music Has The Right To Children*, at least right now, but they took the time to try something different, admitted how nonplussed they're feeling about it, and then gave their own feelings the benefit of the doubt (and sometimes, they did the same thing with the music, in a somewhat fascinating mirror effect). In a world where algorithms "break down" and decide what you're *supposed* to enjoy or not as if we ourselves were a string of ones and zeros, such "undecided", ambivalent experience is a precious glitch in the machine. And the fact that such welcome subversion comes in the form of electronic music from another era is itself a very ambivalent, "undecided" plus. That's how "meta" that album can get. And if you're in the right state of mind, this will repeatedly slap you hard in the face. Until the point where you don't have one anymore, maybe. Number of albums left to review: 721 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 140 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 68 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 76

Conjunto harmonioso de camadas sonoras para ambiente agradável.

Music Has the Right to Children is the debut album by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. This ambient electronica album uses synths, samples, & hip-hop rhythms, as well as other standard electronic elements, and is considered a landmark work in this broad music genre. However, the duo was uninterested in making electronic dance music - which was incredibly popular at the time - instead opting for ambient and "chilled out" songs. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, this album was able to invoke nostalgia by essentially creating a soundtrack from those who grew up during the 80's & 90's in the Western world. This modern classic was awesome to listen to, and was calming - almost like meditation for your ears and mind. I'll have to give this album another listen in a little while, once I forget about it because it was that good.

What the f*#k was that? How is this album even on the list? To me that was unlistenable.

Nope.

Not for me

I couldn't finish listening to this. Inane and boring.

Some spooky sounds. Some pretty sounds. Some cool, glitchy sounds. Some boring sounds. Lots of sounds that inspired Thom Yorke. Some highly irregular counting. I’ve changed my mind on this one a few times but I think it warrants credit for creating a distinctive, cohesive mood.

An unabashed 10/10, certainly worth listening to before you die. “Orange!”

Soft och skön ambient musik. Har några låtar med dem på Spotify. Tyvärr blir det inte så stor variation mellan låtarna.

Fundamentally pure and true. Excellent

Some cool tracks but a bit lacklustre for its time

I recently watched "Beyond the Black Rainbow" and "Mandy" by filmmaker Panos Cosmatos after seeing the trippy "Cabinet of Curiosities" episode, "The Viewing." They've all got a synth-heavy, late-'70s/early '80s vibe, and much of this album would fit remarkably well in any of them—so well that I was compelled to investigate whether anyone in the band was involved with those projects (they weren't). Sadly, what works for eerie, moody films doesn't work so well for general listening. There's some interesting stuff in here, especially if you want to zonk out and pretend you're back in 1980, but overall this didn't do much for me.

Ambient electro glitch. I listened to it twice as it made good concentration music. I'm a huge fan of electronic music, but it starts to lose me at Glitch..that's probably my least favorite electronic subgenre. Aside from that, this album had a nice flow & reminded me of Daft Punk's Tron soundtrack at times. I'll be listening to more Boards of Canada.

This put me to sleep to be honest.

Like it

Every song feels like it's either a rap beat or just plain boring. Awful, awful album

Nice electronic music. Fine

Not my cup of tea, but it's a not-intrusive ambiance sounds good to listen to during work hours.

Another electronica album. There's been too many already for my tastes. This one isn't completely terrible but I really could've lived without it. This is probably great for fans if the genre but I'll pass.

Really pretty awesome. Some amazing sounds in a full on immersive electronic experience. You can see the influence and impact that it had.

Really good electronica and a high level example of the best of the genre, 4/5

Fun background music for working!

3.5/5. Weird, but not bad. From an instrumental point, it's pretty good. From a musical point, its also pretty good. I don't think I would ever seek this out, but I have definitely heard worse albums on this list.

The album has a weird, ominous vibe that just makes you uncomfortable while you listen. It’s interesting that it’s able to create this feeling, but it doesn’t make for good music when it feels like you’re slipping into a dementia haze. Despite most songs feeling icky and weird, there are a couple tracks that feel like you’re on a cloud, mostly near the end of the album.

It's a pretty nice electronic album, but this is also not one of my favorites. I don't think I will listen to it again or anything, but I didn't hate it. Highlight: 10.

The album cover is kind of interesting....and that's the best thing I can say about this 2 stars

Even when listening for the first time, Boards of Canada feels gauzy and nostalgic, as if half-remembered from childhood. Every song is a gem and this album is their masterpiece.

Not a fan of the electronica album. Didn’t dislike it, but found it to be nothing more than background music

this album is really unique it's literally perfect the instrumentals on every song sounds very good the way that this album makes me feel it's incredible I have nothing to complain about this 10/10

Seldom I hear music which is so at odds with my taste...

какая-то тихая электронщина, не напрягло)

The words that came to mind while listening to this album was that it sounded like what would play on the "loading screen" if life was a videogame, as cheesy as it sounds. Eerily nostalgic ambience, reminds me of my own childhood in the nineties. This album sounds like a distant, fuzzy memory and it creates this bittersweet mood - sometimes there's hints of danger, sometimes there's hint of bliss. No clear standouts but in this case that's a good thing as the consistency is soothing. I did find the vocal samples too distracting, repetitive or even grating at times and that was a little disappointing.

Can’t give it 0

Elegant and atmospheric electronica. Some songs (especially early on) also have a nervy, glitchy sound. I really like the overlapping vocal loops on "Telephasic Workshop" — it creates a strange, surreal tone. Beautiful production with a lot of different tones and styles mixed throughout. The closing track “Happy Cycling” stood out to me as well. It’s got an eerie, hypnotic vibe.

I want to really like this but it doesn't do much for me. I'm sure it was influential at the time but I can't help to have large swaths of boredom throughout. My favorite part was at last 15 seconds of "Sixyten", where there is some syncopated synths that throw off an already established rhythmic set of ideas. Everything up until this point is pretty repetitive, a little predictive, and straightforward. Unfortunately the part only lasts for about 15-20 seconds. I think at the time this might have been more of an exploration of classical "new music" with some minimalism as this is what this sounds like, but a more tame version. I've heard people say that they love this band, so I'm sure they are influential and maybe it's just this album that doesn't blow me away.

Love the discordancy, the beats, the eerie atmosphere. Roybgiv is a track of stunning beauty.

I really thought I was going to hate this when it started, but it actually had a good beat throughout. Catchy and futuristic, this album is great for casual listening when you're in the mood for electronic music. 'Aquarius' was weird though. "Orange!" "Yeah, that's right!"

A bit trip-hop, a bit lofi, and more than a little (dark)ambient. An audio Rorschach test.

The sound of robots learning how to emote. Atmospheric ambient and quite affecting for electronic music. Instantly enjoyable and feels like with repeated listens this could be brilliant. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Roygbiv Date listened: 29/09/22

This album grows on you with repeated listening and is ideal to have on the headphones, playing in the background while you are doing something else. I like the description of Boards of Canada as purveyors of downtempo music; that sounds about right

interesting

perhaps one of the most interesting albums (so far) on this list! i definitely see how influential this album was for electronic music. it was nice, but i began listening when i felt a little sleepy--not my smartest move. there were some times where the distortion was just a little too weird? i respect the art but it was just okay in the end.

Very electronic, atmospheric, ambient, and lo-fi. This kind of music is very trendy in certain groups today, and I had no idea that the sound dated back to the 90s. I imagine that this has had significant impact on similar sounding music of today. This was fine, but it was starting to lull me toward the end. This was probably a really high 2.-something, so I will just not split hairs and may it an even 3.

Cool

This one has always felt a bit too loungey for me, likely due to its lack of overwhelming valence like Geogaddi's simmering menace or Campfire's slightly ominous tones. Cohesion and grip lack as a result, but that being said there are no bad Boards of Canada albums - this one is just a bit too free-flowing for my taste.

Pff, ik mag na 46 jaar toch wel wat meer op mijn gevoel afgaan. Alle alarmbellen gingen af en toch heb ik het aangezet..

Aangezet en niet meer over nagedacht. Meer behang dan muziek, niet irritant of interessant, het was gewoon daar.

Ik ken mensen die hier mee weglopen, maar ik niet. Ook niet afgeluisterd.

Echt spannend is het niet maar het was een prima achtergrondmuziekje tijdens het werk.

Ik kan electronische muziek vaak waarderen, maar dit schoot niet op!

The best way to appreciate this album is to listen to it at night. It will be a lackluster experience to hear this electronic album during the day. I've heard this a few times before, and am familiar with this genre, so it was a nice listen for me. I can imagine people unfamiliar with electronic music might struggle with this a lot. But I dig it. Roygbiv is so damn good. Happy cycling has crunchy, satisfying drums. Olsen and colour of fire hit at 3am.

Comme vous le savez déjà, notre ami Robert le castor prend un malin plaisir à dresser en travers de notre rivière générateurienne d'immenses barrages faits du bois d'albums (inter)minables dépassant de loin les soixante minutes légales. Celui-ci en est un parfait exemple.

Deux événements se sont aujourd'hui produits, qui me laissent tous deux dans l'incompréhension la plus totale: 1. Mon manager a refusé le premier prototype d'enceinte de 4m sur 5 que je lui ai soumis. 2. Que fout cet album dans la liste de Robert?

This album is WAY too long. Interesting production and liked certain songs but the bad ones are the longest. Interludes are okay but don’t do anything to break up the flow. Was happy to listen to my first no vocals album on the list but this isn’t it, there’s way better executions of this same idea out there.

Delightful, smooth and interesting and sometimes unsettling.

I like a concept album but I do also like lyrics

i have no idea what this is 2/5

It could easily be a soundtrack for an indie videogame...

I liked them a lot, very chill music to work with

Fuck me! There's 71 minutes of my life I won't get back.

not for me

It's a bit kooky, but I actually listened to it twice. It fit well as background for working, but was intriguing enough to grab my attention at times with the uniqueness or catchiness of some bass hooks or samples. One of those albums that I hadn't listened to but had enjoyed a few tracks (eg, "Aquarius") previously.

Beautiful, dreamy album I've over for a while

Noodling

I don't like this music.

Cool electronic album. Lot of dark tones and use of static voices

two boring electronic albums in a row....not a good week for me

A great album, the sound is a little dated, specially the drums. But the mood is still great. I think this album would be actually better without the repetitive, kind of boring beat. It would then become a timeless ambient work.

Always up for chill eclectic…

Prefs: An Eagle In Your Mind, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius, Olson, Pete Standing Alone, Smokes Quantity, Open the Light Moins pref: The Color of the Fire

Cool samples to create cool beats

Good beats make a good atmosphere. Could see myself adding this to a "gotta focus on work and drown out the other noises" playlist. Not a million miles away from Blockhead, who I like quite a bit. Can't imagine going to a concert of these guys though.

I’m not much of a listener of ambient music but can still appreciate this on some level - the biggest issue for me was the runtime, I was just really bored by the end

bem meia boca sonzinho monótono

Interesting

experimental, pero agradable, los sonidos son relajantes y gustosos, no tiene letra así que no hay mucho que analizar, solo disfrutar. no creo que pondría estas canciones en otro contexto ajeno a escuchar el disco como una experiencia, pero no me disgusta nada. de hecho, me gusta.

chill but nothing that makes me go wow

Telephone hold music with some voice samples thrown in

Very mundane. I found it boring. It would be appropriate for a kids party.

Kind of boring, maybe I need more time grting to know this one.

This one surprised me. I had no expectations. I love the cohesive nature of this record.

Very chill. I got stoned and enjoyed the ride.

No thank you.

My favorite electronic music so far.

I have always found it hard to rate Boards Of Canada because there is a huge discrepancy between my knowledge of how clever and good this is and my enjoyment of listening to it. I understand the warmth and everything, but the ambient soundscapes of this album just don't do anything for me. Personal Enjoyment: 6/10 1001 Album List-worthy: 10/10

It's an instant favorite for sure. I'm not sure what emotions I feel here, but a lot of people describe it as evoking nostalgia. This music does remind me of the chillwave, trip hop, and vaporwave I listened to in the mid-2010s on youtube, which did evoke those feelings, so I tend to agree. I have a better sense of IDM, hearing tracks like "An Eagle in your Mind" or "Telephasic Workshop" with fun beats reminiscent of techno, but not exactly suitable for dancing. Samples are smart and engaging. Despite being a double album, it never felt too long, despite the intentional repetition of half the tracks going for 5-7 minutes. Yet, there's so much evolution that makes it unusually engaging for downtempo. The usage of shorter tracks worked well, serving to reinforce themes explored and give us small breaks. Many songs are memorable, as I find myself humming to several of them, especially "Roygbiv" and "Aquarium" after just a few listens. There were a few weak songs, but nothing I'd cut out. I did really enjoy the bonus track "Happy Cycling," but "One Very Important Thought" is a better way of closing out the album, especially as the followup to the solemnly optimistic "Open the Light."

I like it, though it’s too long imo.

BWOAH! Olihan ihan saatanan pitkäveteinen levy. Olis kyllä kiva kuulla mitä levy-yhtiö ja artisti on aikoinaan tuosta funtsinut. Ei kuitenkaan likimainkaan kuninkuusluokkapaskaa...

Todella tilanteen ja hetken vaativa

Really enjoyed this

hørte festspillene utenfor, og da va egentlig mykje bedre

Da e nåken bra sanga her og der, men litt for masse plagsomme ting til at eg vil legga da til i jobbelistene mine

Pure background. Reading the critical response to this album on the Wikipedia page makes me feel like I come from another planet. A lot of this kind of music tends to come off ponderous and repetitive and this is a prime example here. Like an album whose prime directive was 'don't bother anyone'.

To quote the late Norm Macdonald, "critics called it everything, from shit to fucking shit."

Didn't hate it. Made for fine background music, but I definitely thought it started stronger than it finished. After about 5 tracks or so it all just fades into the air, which is kinda what I want from something like this. Works for me when I'm writing to have things like this playing - enough of a beat to be heard, but nothing so distinguishing about it that it really distracts me from what I'm doing. BUT... I feel like there was potential for this to be so much more than just background music. That creepy sample of a kid saying, "I love you!" in "The Color of the Fire" is the type of thing I wish ran through the entire album. Reminds me of that album from The Avalanches in this regard. You win or lose me with your creepy, funny, weird samples. And there are never enough. Who out there has made an album that is nothing but a collage of weird samples? That's what I'm looking for on this list.

I’d heard a fair bit of raving about this album but had never given it a listen until now: it certainly wasn’t what I’d expected. I didn’t even realise Boards of Canada were an electronic duo categorised under the (snobbish) umbrella of IDM (intelligent dance music). There isn’t much to dance to in “Music Has the Right to Children”, and I wouldn’t want to equate any work of art with intellectual value, but I can say I found it often compelling and sometimes dull. The tracks are divided into more long-form, beat-driven tracks (done best in “Telephasic Workshop”, “Open the Light”) and shorter segues with either a noodling synth or a repeated vocal sample (done best in “Triangles and Rhombuses”, “Roybgiv”). One of my key takeaways here, regardless of what the band would have wanted, is that this music works just as well in the background as it does up close. Even when the sounds crystallise into a programmed beat to give them a backbone, they are floaty, ephemeral, dreamlike. The effect is of a hazy soundscape where nothing is too distracting or outlandish. It all fits neatly together as a calming soundtrack for our over-saturated 21st century lives, but audiophiles are likely to go beyond that and enjoy the rich depths of the production (especially on headphones). Some of the vocal samples become a bit grating, standing outside of the rest of each composition enough to feel distracting and more than a little dated. The chopped apart ones work just fine as becoming another layer of sound, but the repeated “I… love… you!” early on is trying, not to mention the endless “orange”s in the otherwise superb “Aquarius”. The more I actively listen to it, the more repetitive “Music Has The Right to Children” starts to feel. It’s way outside what I’d normally enjoy or stick on for fun, but I have enjoyed it a lot more than most of the other electronic 90’s albums that have come up so far. Giving it extra points here for its ability to keep me interested throughout, so it just scrapes a 3 star.

One of my favorite albums of all times, and one of the most listened to.

Love it, long time fan. Hard to go past Turquoise Hexagon Sun as a fave but also quite enjoyed Aquarius and Happy Cycling during this round.

This was a bit like the album cover, a bit eerie and other worldly. It didn’t hurt my ears but I wasn’t keen. 2*

No thanks.

Over an hour worth of beats and electronic music. The real surprise is that I did not skip any songs.

Un dels pocs discos d'ambient que es necessiten. Aconsegueix donar forma als diferents estats d'ànim de manera molt competent. De vegades sembla banda sonora de la vida, d'altres un somni, o un malson. Hi ha temes, com 'Aquarius', terriblement hipnòtics

Background music, okay to work / focus.

Not sure about this - probably needs to be appreciated in the right time & place.

I tried.. but I will not finish this album. It’s more than one hour of the same.. maybe on the background or with drugs this sounds nice, but for me this is very boring.

Already listened to it

Vocals sound like subliminal messages

Yeah, that's a no for me dawg.

Hate is a strong word, but it fits

Moody, introspective, and thought-provoking. This is rare stuff right here. Perfectly captures a mood, and takes you on a journey from start to finish.

Excellent vibes using found-sound spectacularly, with maybe just a hair of bloat.

Rating: 6/10

This was kind of spooky and off-putting, but I liked parts of it.

Re-listen. It's okay.

Ambiance heaven

Seems like the beginning of ambient electronic as it is known today. Lots of chill, space-y music, good for background soundtrack.

Good background music, no more and no less. An extra point for being (very surprisingly) Scottish!

That was...ambient. necessary? Nah.

Interesting but obtuse. Probably not something that I would listen to exclusively, but maybe an album to return to when studying. Definitely earns its place on the list though.

It sounds like music that's in the background of an art exhibition.

very interesting idm

melatonin waiting room mildly gritty low energy indie electronica. the sound of sleepily looking at a grimy aquarium while idly picking at sand in your shoes.

2 ambient 4 me

I have no idea what I'm getting into here. The song titles are amazing though, very nostalgic to early education. This is a really interesting lo-fi/ambient electronic album. I feel like the sampling may come out of those old-school education VHS videos you'd see in elementary school. It was good music to have on in the background and work to, the tracks did seem to loop for a very long time in some cases without much variation (or I just don't have an ear for it) but it was pleasant overall.

Sounds like the soundtrack to a sci-fi movie that thankfully was never made. I guess you need to to hear it before you die just so you know what hell sounds like.

I wish this album would actually end on One Very Important Thought, but alas.

Vibes lofi

Ambient electronica, not my strong suit but this one was pleasant. Good background noise that also has a touch of gangster

Chill as hell. 7/10

TBC

This album was like listening to vertigo. I felt like I was sinking into a pit as the music burrowed into my head and changed my brain chemistry. 1 star only because it gave me the fear :-(

Assuming this was included as a precursor to EDM. It's not terrible, but a little boring.

Coñazo electrónico. Son simples ritmos repetidos hasta el aburrimiento.

Bit too ambient for my tastes. Kind of dull

Nice transient beats

Already one of my favorite electronic albums ever. It's truly one of a kind.

A load of beeps and boops.

Noise. Just noise. Turned off after the second track. Not interested in "nostalgia" or whatever these guys were trying to go for. Beyond boring.

Throbbing tedium.

Seemed a bit bland?

Ya know, it was creepy in spots, sometimes a song went on too long - but it was enjoyable. Added to my collection.

strumentalone!

Its lofi which is cool but really blended into the background for me at the beginning

Electronic, but nothing amazing

Good background music.

Ambient electronica. I think I recognized one of the songs from a soundtrack or something. The rest is not worth mentioning or thinking about again. Best track: Roygbiv

ah yes, well.... this is electronic music.

The album is a bit sketchy and I prefer Geogaddi, which is much more coherent. But every time one's attention is fading they come up with some great music on this album as well like Telephasic Workshop. It is a shame that other electronic music which is of equal or higher quality (think Max Cooper or Dominik Eulberg) never shows up in lists like these.. What one can do with electronic sound is so much more than what you hear here.. nevertheless, highly influential album, so 5 stars.

Some brilliant tracks on this album, but also some weaker ones that did not work as well for me, especially in the second half. Overall very good electronic music.

Excellent background chill music

what a beautiful album, I’ve been a fan of BoC for a while now and this album always gives me goosebumps when I hear it it’s such a perfect mix between a loose, dreamy atmosphere and a raw, hard, tactile electronic experience I don’t know how else to put it, this album is really something special, everybody should listen to this 10/10

1 1/2

Odlicni, apstraktni i elektronski, vrijeme otkivanja sto sve komp sa sintićem moze producirat, a da dobro zvuci. Slusao sam ih prije i dragi su mi 💪

Ovo je baš odličan album, trebalo mi je par puta da si pustim do kraja, ali kliknuo je jedne hladne zimske noći. Od tada je na mojoj cold nighttime plejlisti.

Jura mi pustio neku pjesmu koja nije s tog albuma i ODLIČNA. No ovo se slušalo dok su se peglali 🐛 i ne ide. Navučena dvojka

Not really my kind of music but this record does have its moments. I've listened to this album 3 times in the last couple weeks and I will say that each listens opens up new vista's I had yet to hear. Melodies seem more pronounced and varied. Sounds previously unnoticed are now taking up permanent residence in my brain. Monotony is giving way to hypnotic. Thus is the first listen that has made me want to listen again. Starting to get a Miles Davis In a Silent Way vibe, could it grow on me the way that album did? I could definitely see a 4 star rating on the horizon, but for now it's a solid 3.5 🌟

The name Boards of Canada was the extent of my familiarity prior to listening to this album. Early in the album I felt like I was drawn in and enjoying the vibe. Music Has The Right to Children is not my favorite music, but the album is good enough that I would be interested in hearing more of what the band does. As I made my way through the second half, the album started to feel a little long. Repetition within and between the tracks began to distract from my enjoyment of the album as a whole. The album did not quite make a full 4 stars.

Not really my kind of music but this record does have its moments; 3.5 stars

1.5

2/5 nope

Aquarius was okay. Rest of the album was pretty boring filler music.

Love this Board of Canada record, I have listened to GeoGaddi before this and this record does better on many aspects. Not giving it a 5 because there are still some small issues with jt, but loved the execution of ambiant-esque tracks with some vocal layering.

Fuck Ziggy Stardust. This is the one!

This LP came out at a time when a lot of downtempo has being cranked out. While some of it was outstanding, most of it was pleasant & nice to listen to in the background. I would rate this in the latter category. I've read that this was a landmark and influential electronic release, but similar artists like Nightmares on Wax and Aphex Twin were 5+ years ahead of them.

I'm a huge fan of Electronica, but BoC simply leaves me cold. Their music is just devoid of any emotion and feeling. I'd much rather listen to say, Aphex Twin instead for an example of music in this genre that can move you without being so pretentious.

The first thing to note about MHTRTC is how gorgeous its soundworld is, and we're talking about a fucking synth album. Somehow, through sonic manipulation, Scottish wizards Marcus Eion and Michael Sandison have managed to make machine music sound warm and human. The sounds seem distressed and decayed, an echo of a distant, dimly remembered past--these guys are synth poets. They complete their presentation with treated samples, rudimentary hip-hop beats, and light scratching. For me, the beats are a little too upfront in the mix, considering they are hardly the point. They kind of function as an entry point for listeners who are too impatient for pure ambient. Well, that's not entirely true. The beats and the loops of samples draw the listener in and induce a trance state that serves as a medium for Board of Canada's synth ruminations. I didn't love MHTRTC quite as much as I remembered--the overly literal, thudding beats prevent full immersion in Board of Canada's soundworld at times, but it's still pretty damned good.

Atmospheric electronica. Sometimes it sounds like the stuff of dreams, other times it sounds like the stuff of nightmares. It's a soundtrack to a sci-fi-horror-coming of age movie you didn't know you wanted to see. Best Tracks: Sixtyten; Roygbiv; Aquarius

After the first two tracks, I felt that some research was needed to enlighten my mind... I still don't understand it. "I love you"? What does that even mean in the concordian mind of electronica?

Nothing offensive here, but also not much that stood out (though i could swear that they should have named at least one song "Orange"... it actually worked for me). An interesting listen.

1998 Ambient; Similar Artist - Aphex Twin

This one is hitting me at the right time. All these vintage synth sounds are right up my alley. Perfect workday listening. And just anytime you want something that can be listened to intently, or ignored. It's good either way. Definitely going to check more out from this band. Wish someone would have showed this record to me when I was REALLY into Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac-era records. Since this was out just before those were released.

I know there is an art to this type of music, but I never feel comfortable rating it because I don't understand it. Having said that, it was great background music while working. It kept me interested. I appreciated the way the songs built and then died. Decent.

Children have the right to avoid this album.

Hard to find anything positive about this, 1 hour of electronic noise over some ambiance music

Who? What? How havn't I heard this before? Feels like the father of electronic, trip hop, electronic music rolled into one. Just awesome, like a downbeat, low key, non showoffy Mr Scruff.

Ambient electronics....of its time

good! but aquarius gave me a panic attack LOL

Didn't find anything to enjoy with this.

Muy buen disco.

Love some good electronica. Takes me back to 2000/01 when I was crawling the networks in college and finding all kinds of good stuff. A much needed balm to the rushed end of the week.

Not bad but not my kind of music. Too much ambience and nonsense.

Sorry but this feels like noise to me rather than music

I got through it but it was tough. Might be a classic of the genre for all I know but not for me.

Kann ich fast nichts mit anfangen. Viel überflüssiges Elektro-Geplänkel. Gähn. Außerdem VIEL zu lang. 2. Hälfte hat mir insgesamt besser gefallen. Keine 3 Sterne.

I like electronic music, but this was tough to listen to.

// Favs: Kaini Industries / Aquarius / One Very Important Thought Score: Decent 4

It's a bit too chill to dance to, but still, a nice electronic album to have on in the background I guess.

Not my cup of tea. I get that they were pioneers of this, and if I were more knowledgeable about this music, maybe I’d see the brilliance.

Enjoyed this, can't imagine listening to it regularly though

It's fine, just not really my thing. I know EDM/IDM takes a certain production talent and it's certainly not bad music, it just isn't something I would listen to recreationally. It makes for great computer work/study music, but it goes on for far too long and the loops hardly do anything interesting. It's much more of a situation vibe/atmospheric record which is something I can appreciate. I will say that the back half of the album, starting at Bocuma, is the most interesting. The first half did little to entice me. Favorite Song: Roygbiv Least Favorite: The Color of the Fire

I thought I didn't like it, I wasn't enjoying it, in fact I was barely listening to it at all. But then, slowly, persistently, it crept in, soothing the senses. When it was finished I found myself missing its presence. It's difficult to explain but I don't really think of this as music. It's a mood, an atmosphere that settles in and gets comfy without you noticing.

Great electronic and loungy album

It was a miserable experience listening to this.

Like a strange dream that just goes on.

Really don’t care for electronica.

not bad for background music

I hope this picks up, I'm about to fall asleep it's so boring. How is this a landmark album?

Werid but good listen

This is different - ambient electronica. Listened to most of it, but didn't take any account of track boundaries or anything like that. Quite like it, but doesn't do that much for me either. Sometimes a bit like beepy-easy-listening.

Interesting sound. Their ephemeral coloring is pretty recognizable, and it’s not unpleasant to listen to. Personally, I don’t find it very pleasant either.

Sort of went by without me really noticing.

Not my style of music, only listened to 3 songs before I turned it off

Minecraft music

Long album. Focus music. Early for genre.

Usually I don't like techno/electronic music but this album was a bit different. Some songs could be used in some kind of indie game or as a sample.

Boring electronic album. A genre of music that just doesn’t interest me. 2.0/10

After the painful drone of my bloody valentine, Boards of Canada was pure nostalgia. Perusing the titles Roygbiv made me smile. Richard of York gained battle in vain. A way for kids to remember the colours of the rainbow. Sonically interesting ambience if nothing else.

This has been one of my favorite albums for a long time and it was good to see it come up.

holdup the name of the band is Boards of Canada but they're Scottish??? Very ambient and trippy

Troubling, at first. Then progresses nicely.

Never heard of Boards of Canada before, this was interesting but not my favourite. Preferred the songs with no words.

Eez niiice. This is great nearly ambient music. Can listen to it and work. Not good for sleeping - beat is too heavy. But Love this for work.

Notes: 😳 ok… weird off the bat. If you listen to this album on a regular basis then there’s an 83% chance you’re a serial killer. This album was designed for use in Guantanamo. This album is how they brainwashed the numbers into Masons head. Really not a fan of random background noise being a focal part of all of your songs (I also hate kids singing or having lines in a song so one of them I found especially awful) Realised I don’t need to do this. Nobody’s forcing me to listen to this. I’m an adult. I can do what I want. Wow the album just gave me an epiphany - 5 stars. Jk it’s fucking awful 0 stars gave up at song 10 “Roygbiv” which actually was a nicer sounding one of the lot but I’m not subjecting myself to anything else

I felt like I was having an existential crisis

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and it went up in my estimations once I learnt it came out in 1998. But some of the smaller 'interlude' type songs spoiled it a bit for me and hampered my enjoyment

Will Wright would be furious considering whoever did spore's soundtrack just ripped this off lmfao

So I stole part of a review on this album because because I CBF writing my own. Written by Maya Kalev for factmag.com, the article is called "One very important thought: Boards Of Canada’s Music Has The Right To Children at 15" I recommend it. The bit I stole goes like this: "Despite its name, Music… is about as grown-up as records get: an adult meditation on childhood, concerned with play, naïveté and nostalgia, all tinted with rosy pastoralism. But it’s also devilishly subtle, intricate and emotionally mature. That’s surprisingly rare in electronic music, most of which is concerned with the physicality of dance, intellectual weight, or the evocation of atmosphere rather than a holistic experience. By introducing themes of suppression, solitude and grief into Music…’s evocations of childhood, Boards of Canada created a record that was pretty but seldom precious, more faithful to experience than kitsch idealism. This ambiguity has endeared Music Has The Right To Children to its hordes of fans over time: as its listeners grew ever further away from the childhood it evoked, the album, bizarrely, became more relevant."

I thought the first track was relatively promising, a genre unlike anything we’ve tackled so far. Relatively ambient, soothing. Though as the thing progressed I wondered what place this music has in the world. Strangely clubby but too slow for the club. The naffo electric snares did it for me. I’ll go elsewhere for my ambience thank you. And that elsewhere is the kingdom of Japan where their single greatest export is AMBIENCE.

Absolute rubbish

Pretty chill! Kinda sounds like airport music on the moon. I dig it.

I actually don’t hate this. I go through phases of liking some electronic music with no words, and I give myself niche-music knowledge credentials by actually having heard of them thanks to their remix of a Clouddead song. The question remains though - why is this on this list? What does it add? Who listens to it? Who has it influenced (apart from a series of even more niche Scottish electronic music artists, creating ever more minimalist tracks until the sound is distilled to 564 tracks of the same single blip)? Why?

I judged it way too hard after only seeing the album art. I liked it. It would be good background music.

Okay okay, interessant, weiß nicht ob ich die Art von elektronischer Musik so sehr feiere. Gut im Hintergrund wird ihr glaube ich nicht gerecht, ist schon nicht schlecht, denke ich

now.... I don't know what I just listened to but I like it. Very good for concentration

28th June 2021 Listened on my phone at home home while working and doing bits. Didn't manage to finish it so it ran into the 30th. Not my thing at all. Both agitating and relaxing at the same time, I don't get it. Stressful.

Halfway through and I think I've got the hang of this now. Palliative care music for former ravers. I don't need to listen to all eighteen tracks.

It was good mild psychedelic, might revisit when I'm high but not for everyday listening

Well done, not really my cuppa but interesting.

Not a fan.

Definitely turned the sound up on this album to dig deeper into the layered tracks. Really liked the album, very nice background music but had some great hooks to keep me interested. Could do without the scratch tracks though.

I don’t do heroin but I imagine if I did this would be the soundtrack. Too ambient and chill for my likings

Sort of confused by this one. Very pleasant background listening during work though.

Very 90s, minimal chilled electronic. Pretty easy to listen to but after first few tracks I'm not that bothered about it. Nothin particularly wrong with it but it just did nothing for me. 2/5

Excellent.

Ok as background music

A little too chill for my personal taste, but I'm not much of an EDM person anyway. Not even sure if that is the correct blanked term these days. Not bad to have in the background, though the constant interludes were a bit distracting.

Great, never before heard electronica.

I was honestly under the impression I thought Boards of Canada were really good but this was fairly tedious.

Enjoyed this too.

Music has the right to children. SHACK also has the right to children.

I've very fond memories of this album, it opened me up to a world of leftfield electronic music that my young Britpop addled mind never even knew existed. And in later years it was my go-to to help nurse my "morning after" mind. It's aged really well too, which a lot of similar albums from the era definitely haven't.

Weird...

Wtaf is this

I tried to get into it but not my style. I could have it on the background while working for a bit but some tracks made their self known too much

Good for a sensory depravation tank (is it sensory depravation if there’s music?), or also good to listen to while anesthesia kicks in prior to life altering surgery. They misspelled the name. It should be “Boreds of Canada”

Dogshit

Prime lying on a hill at 3am in Pimavera territory

idk why but sometimes this kind of music gives me the creeps.... which is what happened when listening to this album

Bit boring,

Laid back vibes

02/02 - Yesterday I worked on developing door details for the Drum Storage Building as well as some professional development toward AXP. I had a good conversation with Jake on how to address questions that might come up during the week (work on creating a list and asking for someones time in advance to go through the list). He also helped me with breaking down Project Management hours. I thought this album was okay, definitely different then the types of beats I would listen to today. It seemed to be missing a lot of base but I thought it was very unique in style regardless.

arty rubbish

Stuck this on whilst having a cup of tea and some breakfast this morning. I imagine that is how boards of canada intended it to be listened to. I struggle with this hipster end of the dance/electronic spectrum. I just don't get when you'd listen to it and what you'd get out of it. Souless, Joyless, outright boring music. On one fucking track some women just starts counting. edgy. 1/5

Mjuzika ma prawo do dzieciarni, mocny stejtment od desek kanady, czyli duetu tworzacego szeroka pojeta muzyke elektroniczna, nazwa zwodnicza bo chopaki sa ze szkocji a nie kanady, a co to za muzyka elektroniczna, jesli mialbym podac gatunek ktory najbardziej mi pasuje do tej plyty, to strzelalbym w down tempo zmiaszane z trip hopem, ale oczywiscie jakas mondra glowa powie, ze to przeciez ambientowa muzyka na trakach gdzie snery i kiki nie sa tak mordowane, a jeszcze inny okresli to akronimem IDM, czyli inteligentna dancowa mjuzika, nazwa dziwna, a jeszcze dziwniejsza jej definicja, wiec nie bede jest przytaczal, jak na moje wysublimowane gusta elektronicznego zjadacza mjuziki dobrze weszly elementy tri hopowe, ktore by same w sobie mogly robic za dobre bity pod jakiegos murzyna, ale jednoczesnie wymeczyla ambientowa czesc albumu, traki jak olson czy kolor ognia pomimo tego ze jedynie 2 minutowe stanowily dosc zamulajace przerywniki, calosc sklada sie z 18 trakow, co jak na godzine i jedenascie minut materialu nie jest az tak wielkim countem, nawet jesli doliczyc do tego pojawiajce sie liczne skity, ktore sa ala przerywniki njusowe jakiejs babeczki, wiec album ktory bym musial pokroic zeby dobrze zjesc, zrecznie odsuwajac na bok talerza ambientowosc plyty, na plejaka dorzuce rue the whril i roygbiv jako reprezentantow tri hopu, turkusowe szesciokat sloneczny jako taki czilowy loficzowy numer

I definitely enjoy hip-hop instrumental albums but this one was a bit too one note for me. It never really felt exciting at any moment. I did enjoy a few of the tracks that really leaned into the hip-hop influence with more bass heavy beats, but all together the album was a little too sleepy. That being said, creating beats is so accessible today that we are drowning in Soundcloud producers, so maybe this has just made me jaded towards older production styles.

4

Esa es la esencia que transmiten con este disco, la nostalgia. Algunas canciones tienen un ambiente claustrofóbico (Sixtyten o Turquoise Hexagon Sun) mientras que otras son mucho más relajadas (Aquarius o Smokes Quantity), sin dejar de lado los ritmos hip hop muy latentes en canciones como Rue the Whirl. El disco termina con Happy Cycling, una canción larga mestizada con jazz, música clásica y trip hop.

Tranquilo y suave de escuchar

"Music Has the Right To Children" by Boards of Canada (1998) Never heard of this album or this duo. First, about that title. The duo has stated that the titles of their works are significant, and that “‘Music Has the Right To Children’ is a statement of our intention to affect the audience using sound.” Well, as laudable as that may be as an artistic objective, the bluntly metaphysical claim that music has the “right” to “children” has a quaintly pompous and yet menacing tone (not to mention a certain lack of sensitivity to those frustrated in their desire for children or the pathology of those who reduce children to instrumentalities as an exercise of their “rights”). A musician may and should “intend” to affect the audience, but it’s hardly a “right”, especially when the artist expresses it toward human persons (the “children” to whom the musician has a “right”). Maybe I’m misunderstanding this, but please don’t object that I’m reading too much into it. This musical endeavor self-consciously begs to be ‘read into’. If you can’t stand the heat, get off my couch. Interesting cover art. Faceless Scots in bell bottoms. I’d be the guy on the far left. If you’re not allowed to have a face, turn away. It’s a fitting image for the Covid-19 pandemic era, although that was obviously not the intention. No lyrics here, so all the poetic clues are in the titles, most of which seem to be intentionally opaque and unevocative (like ‘inside jokes’—hardly a means of affecting a audience). Synth beats and sampling, it’s like Scottish hip hop. Mind boggling (or, as they say in Scotland, moind boag-lin’). Now about that sound: “Wildlife Analysis” - no structure, no categories, thus no analysis. And where’s the wildlife? Unless we’re the wildlife. Or you’re the wildlife. Or it’s actually “wild” “life”. About those beats—hey, we’ve got guys in America who can do all that stuff with nothing but tongues, teeth, and microphone. After listening to a few tracks, I think I finally get it. You gotta be stoned. I’m glad I listened to this before I die. 1/5

Estos se fumaron algo fuerte antes de componer esta música?

Cool vibe, but it lacks something

kinda cool

I need the author to explain to me why this album is in this list. This is another album where the artist sat around high on meth adding random ambient sounds repeating for minutes on end and then someone circle jerked them into thinking they creating magic. This isn’t special and anyone with a year of Fruity Loops experience can churn out something better. Yeah, they start putting beats in and then repeat those ad nauseum until every ounce of promise has been ripped from the track. They do that thing where they build up adding new sounds every few minutes like it’s a chore to put in effort to hear something neat happen at minute 5. No thanks.

Interesting background gear

Love the album cover and title! Maybe one of the best titles yet. I wasn't getting into it until Telephasic Workshop grabbed me. I'll explore this album in another state of mind in the future...even dropped TW into the Broccoli Alien Mix :)

It's got good vibes. Kinda boring tho. Maybe in nature and shit

Rather dull electronica

Very much the origin of artists like Caribou, etc?

Boards of Canada? More like Bored-s of Canada. 2/5 for the potential to be a decent album in different situations

still not super into electronic music but this felt different to me. Where the St etienne album had one or two songs that grabbed me and the rest felt dull - this album didn't have any standouts, but overall gelled with me better. I certainly appreciate the 'IDM' aspect more and while i'm not a huge fan of this, I definitely see how it could have influenced or paved the way for different forms of electronic music that might be more my speed. On a second listen I vibed on it a bit more - it's definitely a sort of 'early electronic music to relax and work to' sort of thing hahaha. Feels similar to the way I listen to modern instrumental prog - throw an album on in the background while focusing on work.

Man. I'm getting some Röyksopp vibes up in here. Maybe some early moby. A little too ambient and weird for my tastes but still enjoyable. The stereo production alone makes this one heck of a "check out these new headphones album". I'll return to this. Likely as a meditative aide. But as Bob Mould would say, don't "file this under easy listening".

Good grief this album is boring. Slow, ambient, thoroughly unenjoyable. I can't find a single redeeming quality off this album.

This is some fine ambient/downtempo/electronica material. Guess I should've listened to it more, back in the day, but it's never too late!

COOL

No estuvo mal pero no me emocionó

Fantastic - music from a parallel timeline. Fave track - "Turquoise Hexagon Sun"

This was a terrifying experience.

welp. we're in a cult now

It's ok, but basically just sounds like background or new age music. 2 stars.

Pretty good! Good builds on some songs, interesting synth sounds and noises on some. A few songs defy expectation and develop in surprising ways. Lots of filler tracks, and an electronic sound that is overall sort of dated. Good study music

Very good electronic sound. Ambient music for reading or computing.

Warm ambient electronic sounds

Great ambient beats and music. I was working to it and helped keep me focused. Highlights: -Roygbiv

This was a cool, chill listen. Would definitely listen again.

Double dose nostalgia on this one. One for the Canadian documentaries that I grew up with, and another dose from listening to this album new. Great fun!

Another genre where I'm not sure if I lack the sophistication to really hear what's there or if the emperor really does lack clothes. Pleasant enough to listen to.

Não guentei terminar

It 's ok but not exactly my kind of electronic. Not enough lofi hiphop vibes.

Love boards of Canada. About time we had some ambient. 😁

Did not listen

Trippy

a bit of a spooky, eerie, and melodic electronic ambient music. Has a few good songs, but just come off as weird and eerie for the most part

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it's electronica. Amazing electronica sounds marginally more impressive than pretty good electronica. Good background noise, but I probably won't be back for more.

listen-again-another-time

Was familiar with this already, Rob really likes them. Super chill and ambient. Would most likely put me in a trance if I was driving but fine for work.

nice werid shit , chill instrumental vibes