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").
Trapped
Boards of Canada Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or listen to what your folks say?
It's a tough decision to make.
I don't really want to lose you,
but I don't want your folks to
turn me over to the hands of the law.
I can tell the way they act and they attitude.
As the tears roll from my eyes
I can feel the hurt inside.
As I reach out to you said I'm so confused.
Oh, oh I'm trapped.
Like a fool I'm in a cage,
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
can't you see I'm so confused?
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
Like a fool I'm in a cage,
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
can't you see I'm so confused?
I can't get out.
If we love one another,
why should we let this go further?
Can't you see it's gonna' pull us apart?
If you think I can afford you,
support you if you want to,
ever think about ever settlin' down...
I guess they think that I'm not good enough for you.
I can tell the way they act and they attitude.
As the tears roll from my eyes
I feel the hurt inside.
As I reach out to you said I'm so confused.
Oh, oh I'm trapped.
Like a fool I'm in a cage,
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
can't you see I'm so confused?
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
Like a fool I'm in a cage,
I can't get out.
See I'm trapped,
can't you see I'm so confused?
I can't get out.
(Can't you see I'm so trapped and I don't know what to do.)
(Can't you see I'm so trapped, droolin' over you.)
See I'm trapped
and I'm, so confused
I'm like a man in a cage
and I'm so in love with you
I'm trapped
your folks are in the way
and I don't know what to say
you see I'm trapped...
The lyrics to Boards of Canada's song Trapped are about a man who is torn between listening to his lover or his lover's folks about their relationship. The decision he has to make is tough and the consequences of either choice could lead to him losing the person he loves or getting in trouble with the law. He is saddened by the fact that his lover's parents don't think he is good enough for her and the way they act and their attitude towards him indicates as much. He is confused, hurt and feels trapped, stuck like a fool in a cage with no way out.
The song has an emotional and soulful vibe, with slow and melancholic beats that perfectly match the lyrics. It conveys a sense of hopelessness, despair and longing for something that can never be.
Overall, the lyrics to Trapped are a poignant commentary on the struggles of being in a relationship with someone who is from a different social class, caste or race, and how it can lead to conflicts and misunderstandings between families. It shows how love can be hindered and oppressed by societal norms and expectations, and how it is up to the individuals involved to decide what path they want to take.
Line by Line Meaning
Should I listen to what you say?
I'm struggling with what to do, should I listen to you or follow what your parents want?
Or listen to what your folks say?
I'm caught in a dilemma, should I heed your parents' advice or go with what you say?
It's a tough decision to make.
Choosing between listening to you or your parents is not an easy choice.
I don't really want to lose you,
I care deeply about you and I don't want to let you go.
but I don't want your folks to
I want to be with you, but I don't want to upset or disappoint your parents.
turn me over to the hands of the law.
I don't want your parents to report me to the authorities for being with you.
I guess they think that I'm not good enough for you.
It seems like your parents don't approve of me and think that I'm not suitable for you.
I can tell the way they act and they attitude.
Their behavior and attitude towards me reveals their disapproval of our relationship.
As the tears roll from my eyes
I'm emotional and upset about the situation.
I can feel the hurt inside.
I'm experiencing emotional pain and distress.
As I reach out to you said I'm so confused.
I'm reaching out to you because I'm confused and don't know what to do next.
Oh, oh I'm trapped.
I feel trapped in this difficult situation.
Like a fool I'm in a cage,
I feel foolish and trapped like an animal in a cage.
I can't get out.
I feel stuck and unable to break free from this situation.
See I'm trapped,
I'm stuck and can't escape this emotional turmoil.
can't you see I'm so confused?
I'm asking for your understanding and empathy because I'm feeling overwhelmed and unsure.
If we love one another,
If we truly love each other,
why should we let this go further?
why should we give up on our relationship?
Can't you see it's gonna' pull us apart?
I'm worried that the opinions of your parents could tear us apart.
If you think I can afford you,
If you believe that I can provide for you,
support you if you want to,
take care of you and support you financially if needed,
ever think about ever settling down...
have you ever thought about the possibility of settling down in the future?
(Can't you see I'm so trapped and I don't know what to do.)
I'm reiterating how trapped I feel and how I'm at a loss for what to do next.
(Can't you see I'm so trapped, droolin' over you.)
I can't stop thinking about you and I'm stuck in this situation where I can't be with you.
See I'm trapped and I'm, so confused
I'm trapped and feeling very unsure and uncertain of what to do.
I'm like a man in a cage
I feel trapped and confined, unable to freely do what I want.
and I'm so in love with you
Despite the challenges, I am deeply in love with you.
your folks are in the way
Your parents are obstacles to our relationship.
and I don't know what to say
I'm unsure of how to approach and deal with your parents' disapproval of me.
you see I'm trapped...
I'm caught in this difficult situation that I don't know how to resolve.
Contributed by Noah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@spacemaster8661
This is the song I would listen to if I noclipped into the backrooms.
@JarrodArceeBlake
A certified HOOD classic!
@bugman7077
so surreal to have loved this song for more than 10 years now and having experienced my first heartbreak it hits completely differently best band of all fucking time
@jamesg2304
I can't stop listening
@thefinalmessage2444
Yeah, right!
@redorchidee1372
that fkn bassline is engrained into my subconscious ever since i first heard it. so good man
@robertoyoedmondragonheredi2084
Vol. 1 is peak BoC and this track is enough evidence
@calciumcammando5717
How have I just found this song for the first time after listening to boards of canada for almost 4 years? This is great!
@velear7
You know about the old tunes collection?
@kostaseros1564
I think I exactly just did the same.