The oldest sounding BoC

GH · Post by GH » Sat Jan 21, 2012 7:40 pm

I'm sorry if this has been covered before, but a search of the forum didn't provide fruitful.

I first got into BoC for the same reason I got into William Basinski.

They were successfully achieving results that I had been aiming for (and still aim for) myself, with regards to making their tracks sound older than they actually are, which really adds to the feel of nostalgia. Ageing the sounds. You all know what I mean.

One of the first tracks I loved from BoC, after I discovered them, was Amo Bishop Roden, for the aged sound of it, and consequently the un-pin-pointable nostalgia it fills me with.

So, in your opinion, and just for fun, which officially released BoC tracks (not AFOT or any of the leaked cassettes) sound like they were recorded the longest time ago?

PlacentaSand · Post by **PlacentaSand** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:01 pm

I'd say One Very Important Thought. Reason being is because in interviews they've said they always have been sampling from tapes and such and that one seems to be an old old sample that they saved from years ago. Also i know you said none of the leaked tapes but in boc maxima One Very Important Thought seems to be way older than all the rest only because the melody is all distorted. Who knows though.

Negamuse · Post by **Negamuse** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:28 pm

It's close The Smallest Weird Number, for me.

The genius of BoC's aging is that it's not uniform. When they play something on 60's instruments, they age it as if it's been recorded on a magnetic reel, sitting on a shelf since the 60s, and they even play authentic 60's-style melodies. But go forward to TCH and they have 80s synths playing 80's-ish melodies and crisper, digital VHS grime.

Julian Candy · Post by **Julian Candy** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:30 pm

I'd say Happy Cycling, I always hear some kind of low quality feedback when I listen to this song. I can easily imagine hearing this song on one of those old timey radios.

Zeffolia · Post by **Zeffolia** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:05 am

Oldest style sounding BoC to me is Everything You Do Is A Balloon

Physically oldest sounding, as if it were a record buried in an attic for 50 years, is The Smallest Weird Number

mechanismj · Post by **mechanismj** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:41 am

Most of the stuff on Old Tunes Vol. 1 sounds really really old to me. Way more so than the other tapes or anything officially released.

eli · Post by **eli** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:29 pm

Good jokes everyone. We all know sherbet head is the real oldest tune here. Literally sounds like it has a couple thousand years grain on a cassette.

portiss · Post by **portiss** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:54 pm

The smallest weird number. I don't know what's the deal with this song. It might just be the most beautfiul piece of music I have ever heard, and for me it sounds like something that has been buried in the depth for ages and is the key to the human core, of having a beautiful live. WTF, never mind.

saurus · Post by **saurus** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:57 pm

eli wrote:Good jokes everyone. We all know sherbet head is the real oldest tune here. Literally sounds like it has a couple thousand years grain on a cassette.

They have talked about filtering through a specific 4 track that gives the effect of ageing for a long time. I imagine they used that, but you could be right!

I will go for Melissa Juice in terms of musicianship. The melodies are very straightforward and it's mixed pretty clearly, no other things going on like later nuances... know what I mean?

Distant Nebulus · Post by **Distant Nebulus** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 6:19 pm

Oirectine and 5.9.78 seem very aged to me.

mucephei · Post by **mucephei** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:09 pm

Sherbet Head sounds to me like it has been matured in oak vats for 500 years.

Scories · Post by **Scories** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:51 am

Beware the friendly stranger, Energy Warning and Open the Mouth sounds very old to me.

Cupz · Post by **Cupz** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:40 am

Everything you do is a balloon and 5.9.78. Something about that compression...

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:25 pm

1986 Summer Fire
Has that classic 1980s Cartoon soundtrack sound. I just picture some kid walking with some cute anthropomorphic animals wearing sweaters wondering in a cave holding torches finally finding their way out at the top of the lush green mountain and a gigantic rainbow shoots across the sky and they're all dancing around all happy.

mucephei · Post by **mucephei** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:54 pm

Beware the Friendly Stranger just sounds like someone frying bacon to me.

7113(18|3) · Post by **7113(18|3)** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:58 am

12345

GH · Post by GH » Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:04 pm

Some great suggestions. I had actually overlooked Sherbet Head which seems crazy, as that track does indeed sound like it could have been recorded on the wall of a cave.

eli · Post by **eli** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:42 pm

On a side note, could anyone try and explain how the symphony of sherbet head was actually created? Detail and process would be greatly appreciated. If anyone knows please reply. Might actually throw you some PayPal money if it turns out to be correct. I literally fucking adore this short little tune.

mucephei · Post by **mucephei** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:56 pm

I'm guessing it is a short sequence played on a polyphonic synth into a tape machine or cassette recorder and bounced a few times.

The sample on it sounds to me like an excerpt from a home video - like someone calling for their dog in a park?

Yellow Records · Post by **Yellow Records** » Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:24 am

Sherbert Head
Energy Warning
The Smallest Weird Number
Blueberry
Open The Light
The end of Slow This Bird Down!