Boards of Canada have had an enormous influence on the ambient, downtempo and IDM scenes. They have frequently made reference to the warm, scratchy, artificial sounds of 1970s television. Indeed, the Sandison brothers admit to being inspired by the documentary films of the National Film Board of Canada, from which they take their name. The duo have recorded a few minor works under the name Hell Interface. Boards of Canada’s music has been used in several CSI episodes and on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim interlude shorts; small bits of their music have been used on the BBC program Top Gear for transitional music.
Early Boards of Canada (1970s-1995)
Growing up in a musical family, brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin began playing instruments at a young age. They experimented with recording techniques at around the age of 10, using tape machines to layer cut-up samples of found sounds over compositions of their own. In their teens they participated in a number of amateur bands, however, it wasn't until 1986 when Marcus was invited to Mike’s band that Boards of Canada was born.
By 1989, the band had been reduced to Sandison, Eoin and Christopher Horne. In the early 1990s, a number of collaborations took place and the band put on small, fairly regular shows among the “Hexagon Sun” collective.
In early 2000, the official website for the band, Music70.com (now boardsofcanada.com) removed the early discography of Boards of Canada, although some information has been preserved by fans. Early tape releases by Boards of Canada include "Play by Numbers", "Acid Memories", "Hooper Bay", and the earliest known release by the band is titled "Catalog 3". None of the material from those days is readily available, and since official Boards of Canada sources ignore the existence of this material, there seems to be little chance for this early material to ever resurface.
Boards of Canada from Twoism (1995-present)
In 1995, the band released the first work from the Hexagon Sun studio, the EP "Twoism". Like earlier Music70 releases, it was produced in a self-financed limited run and was privately distributed, primarily to friends and labels. Unlike previous releases though, a small number of copies were also released to the public through the IDM mailing list. Though not a widespread commercial release, it was considered of such high quality to be subsequently re-pressed in 2002 and serves as a demarcation point into more professional releases.
The precursor to "Music Has the Right to Children" was released in 1996. Titled "Boc Maxima", it was a semi-private release that is notable for being a full-length album. Boc Maxima’s work was later used for "Music Has the Right to Children", with which it shares many tracks.
Boards of Canada’s first commercial release occurred after attracting the attention of Autechre’s Sean Booth of the English label Skam Records, one of many people sent a demo EP. Skam released what was considered Boards of Canada’s first "findable" work, "Hi Scores", in 1996.
"Music Has the Right to Children" was released in 1998. Many fans consider this record to be a masterpiece. The popularity of the record was substantial enough to start a wave of sound-alikes.
John Peel featured Boards of Canada on his BBC Radio 1 program in January of 1998. The session featured two remixes from "Music Has the Right to Children" — "Aquarius (Version 3)" and "Olson (Version 3)" — along with the tracks "Happy Cycling" and “XYZ”. Excluding “XYZ”, the set was released on a Warp Records CD titled "Peel Session TX 21/07/1998". The session was later reissued in 2019 which released "XYZ" in an official manner for the first time.
Though never an actively touring band, Boards of Canada did perform a handful of shows. Early shows saw them supporting Warp label-mates Seefeel and Autechre in a scattering of UK dates. They also participated in a few festivals and multi-artist bills, including two Warp parties: Warp’s 10th Anniversary Party in 1999 and The Incredible Warp Lighthouse Party almost one year later. They made their most prominent showing in 2001 as one of the headliners at the Tortoise-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. They have not performed a live show since.
Boards of Canada released a four-track EP, "In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country", in November 2000, their first original release in two years.
The full-length album "Geogaddi" was released in 2002. It was described by Sandison as ”a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again.”
Throughout most of their career, Mike and Marcus chose not to publicize their brotherhood and were simply portrayed as childhood friends. Their kinship was finally revealed in a 2005 Pitchfork interview. Mike explained that they concealed the fact to avoid comparisons to Orbital, another well-known UK electronic group composed of two brothers.
Their third album for Warp Records, "The Campfire Headphase", was released on 17 October 2005. The album covers much of the same musical territory as their previous works and featured fifteen tracks, including “Peacock Tail”, “Chromakey Dreamcoat”, and “Dayvan Cowboy”. Two versions of “Dayvan Cowboy” — the original and a remix by Odd Nosdam — are on the six-track EP, "Trans Canada Highway", which was released on 26 May 2006.
Sound and methods
Brief songs or “vignettes” feature prominently in their music. Such songs are often weaving melodies or speech accompanied by atmospherics to capture a specific moment or mood. They often last less than two minutes, but, as Sandison says, “those short tracks you mention, we write far more of those than the so-called ‘full on’ tracks, and in a way, they are our own favorites”.
Boards of Canada have written an enormous number of song fragments and songs, most of which will never be released. It does not appear that music is made exclusively for commercial release. Rather, albums seem to be the result of selecting complementary songs from current work, which is a compositional technique shared by many electronic or experimental artists such as Nightmares on Wax, Canabrism and King Crimson. Geogaddi’s development involved the creation of 400 song fragments and 64 complete songs, of which 23 were selected, one of which is silence.
Subliminal messages, symbolism, and religion
Marcus and Mike have both expressed a strong interest in the power of subliminal messaging and their work is full of cryptic messages.
Some critics refuse to listen to their music on account that they are positive the band is trying to brainwash their listeners for unknown motivations, citing references to David Koresh and occult symbols as proof. Others approach these facts from the skeptical angle, saying it is nothing but a bunch of “cute tricks” and an ironic gesture towards people who take such things seriously (and some would say, as a bit of a similar gesture towards their own body of work in later releases, such as "Geogaddi").
The Devil Is in the Details
Boards of Canada Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And enjoy this pleasant adventure
Here you are, secure and protected
In this, your special place
Letting my voice flow into your mind
You don't need to concentrate
Just gently as you go
Open yourself up to the greater wisdom and understanding
So now you're letting the sound of my voice reach the inner
Healthy, receptive center of yourself
See yourself now, in your imagination
You are being transformed in a positive
Healthy way
Slowly you are programming your unconscious mind
Gaining new insight to your directions in the future
Allow yourself to be more aware of your pathway through this life
Enjoy new opportunities
As the days go by
You will feel it in your mind
You are allowing this to happen
These things are happening day-by-day
Just as I am telling you they're happening
Wherever you are
See this happening
And trying to become a part of you
More and more rapidly
More and more surely
More and more powerfully each day
When it is necessary
You can program yourself
And be able to dream the information you require
This awareness will come gradually at your own rate
It will never be more than you can cope with
This guidance will help show you the way
This will only happen
If you choose
It will be so
Ready, now
The lyrics of "The Devil Is in the Details" by Boards of Canada offer a hypnotic experience to the listener. The words are spoken in a soothing voice which encourages the listener to let go of their thoughts and relax into the present moment. The lyrics describe a state of being where the listener is "secure and protected" and in their "special place". The aim is to guide the listener to a place where they can open themselves up to "greater wisdom and understanding". It's a call to allow oneself to be more aware of their pathway through life, to see new opportunities, and gain insight into their future.
The lyrics use words like "transformed", "programmed", and "aware", which suggest that the singer is guiding the listener towards a change in their mindset. The words encourage the listener to let go of their conscious mind and allow their unconscious mind to absorb suggestions. The idea is that this will lead to a more positive and healthy way of being, which will allow the listener to feel more confident in their ability to reach their goals. The lyrics suggest that the power to dream the information required is also within the listener's grasp.
Overall, "The Devil Is in the Details" is a hypnotic and thought-provoking piece that encourages the listener to let go of their thoughts and allow their unconscious mind to absorb the suggestions. The lyrics aim to help the listener to gain insight into their future and allow themselves to be more aware of their pathway through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Just relax
Take a deep breath, calm your mind
And enjoy this pleasant adventure
Let your mind wander and enjoy the ride
Here you are, secure and protected
You are safe in this moment
In this, your special place
Your mind is in a special and peaceful place
Letting my voice flow into your mind
Listen closely to my words
You don't need to concentrate
Just let my words wash over you
Just gently as you go
Take it slow and easy
Suggestions are going into your unconscious mind
My words are seeping into your subconscious
Open yourself up to the greater wisdom and understanding
Be open minded to new ideas
So now you're letting the sound of my voice reach the inner
My words are reaching the deepest part of your mind
Healthy, receptive center of yourself
A healthy and open part of your mind
See yourself now, in your imagination
Visualize yourself in your mind's eye
You are being transformed in a positive
You are changing in a positive way
Healthy way
In a healthy manner
Slowly you are programming your unconscious mind
Your subconscious is being programmed slowly
Gaining new insight to your directions in the future
You are gaining new perspective on your future
Allow yourself to be more aware of your pathway through this life
Be more mindful of your life's journey
Enjoy new opportunities
Open yourself up to new possibilities
As the days go by
With each passing day
You will feel it in your mind
You will feel changes happening in your mind
You are allowing this to happen
You are making this change possible
These things are happening day-by-day
The changes are happening gradually
Just as I am telling you they're happening
Trust in my words
Wherever you are
No matter where you are physically, this change is happening
See this happening
Visualize the change happening in your life
And trying to become a part of you
Embrace the change, let it become a part of you
More and more rapidly
The changes will happen quicker and quicker
More and more surely
The changes are becoming more certain
More and more powerfully each day
The changes are becoming more impactful each day
When it is necessary
When needed, the change will manifest itself
You can program yourself
You have the power to change yourself
And be able to dream the information you require
You can use your dreams to achieve information you need
This awareness will come gradually at your own rate
The awareness will come naturally and at your own pace
It will never be more than you can cope with
The changes will never be too much for you to handle
This guidance will help show you the way
These words are meant to guide you
This will only happen
This change is only possible
If you choose
It is up to you to make this change happen
It will be so
If you believe, it will happen
Ready, now
Are you ready to embrace this change?
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED
Written by: MARCUS SANDISON, MICHAEL SANDISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@krysidian
"boars of canada", nice
Seriously though, the atmosphere of this song is really something. Calming and yet really unnerving, like something is approaching me slowly while telling me to not be afraid.
@reedw97
This song sounds like being a slimy newborn frog looking around you're surroundings for the first time. Not understanding what is going on but being cool with it because you know nothing else and shit
@pinkmark4047
while the devil whispers in your ear
@HeortirtheWoodwarden
Newborn frog? You mean a tadpole?
@JBiggsNewJersey
This is the only song I can think of that actually scares me. It's like the soundtrack to a nightmare. It's tranquil, unsettling, and most of all haunting, all at once. I feel so uneasy when listening to it. Just thinking about it raises the hair on my neck. Incredible!
@professorbland
Really I thought it was quite calming with the messages in the background
@boozebiskwhiskey7422
@@professorbland I think feel the sky is more creepier.
@BSHFTW
This is how I imagine spiders eating my brains from the inside-out sounds like.
@retrosampleguy
I DIDNT KNOW YOUR A BOC FAN
@artinhjollder4779
maybe one of the greatest psychedelic ambient tracks ever (every track of the Geogaddi album has this depth and darkness)
@AMaskOfGreen
There's something about this song that's so entrancing and hypnotic. I love it.