Turquoise Hexagon Sun
May 13, 2010 Uncategorized
Posted by
irfon
I’m listening to Boards of Canada’s album, “Music Has the Right to Children,” today at work. It’s definitely in my top ten favourite albums, and has been ever since I got it. Probably my top five.
Here’s the weird thing — This is the first time I’ve ever listened to it.
Okay, not the first time I’ve heard any of it, but it’s probably the most prime victim of modern-age listening methods in my collection. When I first got it, I think I’d gotten several albums at the same time and I clicked through the tracks quickly and picked a few obvious ones that I loved — Triangles and Rhombuses, ROYGBIV, Pete Standing Alone, Open the Light. Some of those are some of my prime examples of, to me, musically perfect songs. I took those songs and put them in playlists. Over time, the number I’d include in my current playlist waxed and waned, but it was usually some subset of those. I’d hear the other tracks here and there when I had my whole collection on shuffle, but even with the sad state of ripping, there’s a lot of music in there, so I’d hear them very far apart.
I’ve never once in all this time listened to the entire album from beginning to end in track order.
So I decided to do so now, and I’m a hundred times more in love with it than I ever was. Listened to in order and complete, it’s so much *more* than the tracks are individually. I know it’s weird that I’ve never done this before, and these “revelations” are exactly what I’d expect from the experience, but still, sometimes something just brings it home that much more.
Also weird is that while I love the Bibio cover of “Kaini Industries,” by Boards of Canada and had always meant to seek out the original to compare them, it turns out that that track is on this album.
I never did spend my April budget for music, as was my New Year’s Resolution, and I also haven’t spent May’s. I’m conflicted about spending right now because I just bought a pile of graphic novels, then an iPad, and I’m pretty much tapped out. But I think whenever I get caught up, I’m going to pick up the remaining BoC full-length releases and take the time to get to know all of them a little better.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I’m guilty of doing that sometimes as well, though fortunately not much these days. Some albums are just really well laid out and should be listened to in order.
Boards of Canada has some good stuff. I think I only have 2 of their albums, and have had a couple EPs. The Campfire Headphase was pretty good, though it’s been a while since I listened to it. Didn’t like Geogaddi as much, though.
TBQH I think the two EPs are my favourite. In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country has some fantastic material on it, as does Trans-Canada Highway. The former was available on an awesome sky-blue record (which I had, though I’ve since traded away my collection). If you’re coming up with a shortlist of their music to buy, I would highly recommend both of those EPs.
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