John Carpenter & BOC

[m_thomp]

In all the reviews/initial impressions I've read about TH, John Carpenter has been consistently mentioned. Is it really that new for them? As far back as Old Tunes Vol. 2 I can pick out stylistic similarities. The bass part on Alpha Rainbow is very Carpenter-esque. Not a direct copy, but in a similar vein to this and this.

[Bruno-60]

I dunno, I think they are getting Carpenter comparisons because of the darker sound on this album with more arpeggiated/sequenced synth parts than on TCH. Lots of synth bands get compared to Carpenter if you have a dark-sounding arp with synth strings on top, it's just a lazy music journalist comparison IMO.

If you want to hear a REALLY Carpenter inspired (yet excellent) synth band, check out Unit Black Flight from a few years back. They were even named after a reference from "Escape from New York" and used all Sequential Circuits gear ala Carpenter:

In all the reviews/initial impressions I've read about TH, John Carpenter has been consistently mentioned. Is it really that new for them? As far back as Old Tunes Vol. 2 I can pick out stylistic similarities. The bass part on Alpha Rainbow is very Carpenter-esque. Not a direct copy, but in a similar vein to this and this.

[Helios]

I'll be the first to admit I don't know who/what John Carpenter is.

[jcotteri]

That's disappointing, The Library is some epicness..

Have you not seen the earliest Halloween with Mike Myers? Or Escape From New York. I recommend both of these particularly the latter for some wild synth compositions, think Vangelis..

[m_thomp]

I dunno, I think they are getting Carpenter comparisons because of the darker sound on this album with more arpeggiated/sequenced synth parts than on TCH. Lots of synth bands get compared to Carpenter if you have a dark-sounding arp with synth strings on top, it's just a lazy music journalist comparison IMO.

If you want to hear a REALLY Carpenter inspired (yet excellent) synth band, check out Unit Black Flight from a few years back. They were even named after a reference from "Escape from New York" and used all Sequential Circuits gear ala Carpenter:

True. But I guess we won't know until tomorrow('s harvest) whether it is lazy journalism. My point was, it's nothing new for Boards of Canada, although according to all the reports I've read it is, and a quite a sea change at that.

That Unit Black Flight track was great but a bit too much of an homage for me. Cripes, if they were touring they could call themselves Johnny and the Carpenters . I hope that, if TH really has been inspired by Carpenter, that it's used in a far more subtle way. I like this track from Sabres of Paradise



It bears all the hallmarks and maintains that creeping sense of fear in Carpenter's work.

[Helios]

That's disappointing, The Library is some epicness..

Have you not seen the earliest Halloween with Mike Myers? Or Escape From New York. I recommend both of these particularly the latter for some wild synth compositions, think Vangelis..

I've seen both. Must be all over the place and me not realizing it. Good stuff.

[Bruno-60]

I was just stating my opinion on the tracks I've hear from the album, and none of them made me think of John Carpenter. No offense to Carpenter as I'm a huge fan of his and have the majority of his soundtracks with Alan Howarth on vinyl, but from what I've heard from TH is more complex and just different from Capenter's soundtracks. The only thing I hear in common is that there are dark synthesizer parts. Carpenter is just an easy reference point because he came so early and is so influential to many people and probably easy to cite for writers who don't have a lot of knowledge of a lot of more obscure (or applicable) synthesizer artists from the past or present.

I dunno, I think they are getting Carpenter comparisons because of the darker sound on this album with more arpeggiated/sequenced synth parts than on TCH. Lots of synth bands get compared to Carpenter if you have a dark-sounding arp with synth strings on top, it's just a lazy music journalist comparison IMO.

If you want to hear a REALLY Carpenter inspired (yet excellent) synth band, check out Unit Black Flight from a few years back. They were even named after a reference from "Escape from New York" and used all Sequential Circuits gear ala Carpenter:

True. But I guess we won't know until tomorrow('s harvest) whether it is lazy journalism. My point was, it's nothing new for Boards of Canada, although according to all the reports I've read it is, and a quite a sea change at that.

That Unit Black Flight track was great but a bit too much of an homage for me. Cripes, if they were touring they could call themselves Johnny and the Carpenters . I hope that, if TH really has been inspired by Carpenter, that it's used in a far more subtle way. I like this track from Sabres of Paradise



It bears all the hallmarks and maintains that creeping sense of fear in Carpenter's work.

[justin]

Yeah I totally hear a lot of Carpenter influence on TH . They Live was one of my favorite movies as a kid .

Anyone seen Beyond The Black Rainbow ? . The film has some AMAZING visuals ,production design
and the soundtrack is really wicked too . However the plot is laughably campy it's Carpenter on LSD basically .





Sadly the film didn't do well and the soundtrack has yet been released .

[Weekend_Warrior]

Wow, I listened to this and had to think for a minute "where have I heard that before!?"

Then I suddenly remembered...



Nice.

[Shortwave]

(preparing to be ignored as usually here... ;D)

Carpenter was a great director, but musically speaking I don't think he was that great to be assumed as an "influence". His music was derivative and fairly cheap, that was a poor concept of "synthy darkness" which made sense only as a soundtrack to his movies. There's a reason if, well, he became a director first, than a composer. If we want to take "dark synth music" we should refer to proper composers then, e.g. some Tangerine Dream, or some more experimental Moroder, or even Brian Eno, or all the Italian score composers of 70s/80s horror and noir movies (movies again here, but at least, they were proper composers).

[Bruno-60]

Yea the art design and soundtrack on Beyond the Black Rainbow are killer. Reminded me of Stanley Kubrick and 2001 at times. The movie itself was kind of boring though, I fell asleep at the film festival I saw it at...but it was kinda late lol. I'm surprised the soundtrack hasn't been released...

The soundtrack to the Maniac remake by ROB is also really good and, again, compared to Carpenter because it is has a very old skool slasher vibe to it...I really like that one too

Yeah I totally hear a lot of Carpenter influence on TH . They Live was one of my favorite movies as a kid .

Anyone seen Beyond The Black Rainbow ? . The film has some AMAZING visuals ,production design
and the soundtrack is really wicked too . However the plot is laughably campy it's Carpenter on LSD basically .





Sadly the film didn't do well and the soundtrack has yet been released .

[Melts]

I too feel a little past inside the present on TH. Could be from those many tracks that didn't make G, Could be ree-hee-heeealy old. The thought of waiting 7 years+ to age tapes solely for added artistic/acoustic effect/style/character has me all tho, be soooooo dope it TH is old...

[Lens Larque]

Dark Star!

[jcotteri]

I too feel a little past inside the present on TH. Could be from those many tracks that didn't make G, Could be ree-hee-heeealy old. The thought of waiting 7 years+ to age tapes solely for added artistic/acoustic effect/style/character has me all tho, be soooooo dope it TH is old...

No need when generation loss can gain results quickly and efficiently.. or running it through a nice and warm reel to reel.

[justin]

(preparing to be ignored as usually here... ;D)

Carpenter was a great director, but musically speaking I don't think he was that great to be assumed as an "influence". His music was derivative and fairly cheap, that was a poor concept of "synthy darkness" which made sense only as a soundtrack to his movies. There's a reason if, well, he became a director first, than a composer. If we want to take "dark synth music" we should refer to proper composers then, e.g. some Tangerine Dream, or some more experimental Moroder, or even Brian Eno, or all the Italian score composers of 70s/80s horror and noir movies (movies again here, but at least, they were proper composers).

I will not ignore you !


When his films came out, carpenters soundtracks were scoffed at . For the time they were cheap and cheesy sounding because it was far cheaper to record with a minimoog than have Jerry Goldsmith or Vangels do a score . Just like National Film Board , PBS and BBC also had similar constraints .

The results were bleak analog minimal synth tracks that as we know now went on to inspire well beyond the confines of there original intention . A huge part of why i love that cheap 70's and 80's sound is it takes me back .

Tangerine Dream is a very under rated band in my opinion, glad theres fellow fans out there

[Melts]

No need...quickly and efficiently

quickly and efficiently < genuine article

70s/80s horror and noir movies

+1!

[Melts]

A huge part of why i love that cheap 70's and 80's sound is it takes me back .

+1!

..gotta love those old school sound-brand/bumpers dude, puts me right back in science class, that science class you know no matter what year it is, the videos decades obsolete...


...Dr. Steve Brule FTW!

[thepastinsidepressant]

If you want to hear a REALLY Carpenter inspired (yet excellent) synth band, check out Unit Black Flight from a few years back. They were even named after a reference from "Escape from New York" and used all Sequential Circuits gear ala Carpenter:

excellent record that one. Squadro Blanco - Night Of The Illuminati by Legowelt is another i love, in fact a lot of Danny Wolfers older stuff has some great moments.

[re-phaelam-ed]

the end [interesting]

alt [like the intro ]


escape from new york




dark star


the fog


the thing [carpenters version]


assault on precinct 13


prince of darkness


halloween [just cuz it would be weird leaving it out]

[paul]

(preparing to be ignored as usually here... ;D)

Carpenter was a great director, but musically speaking I don't think he was that great to be assumed as an "influence". His music was derivative and fairly cheap, that was a poor concept of "synthy darkness" which made sense only as a soundtrack to his movies. There's a reason if, well, he became a director first, than a composer. If we want to take "dark synth music" we should refer to proper composers then, e.g. some Tangerine Dream, or some more experimental Moroder, or even Brian Eno, or all the Italian score composers of 70s/80s horror and noir movies (movies again here, but at least, they were proper composers).

nice to see someone make mention of Giorgio Moroder! while his soundtrack work is what i really like, i have also always felt he made the first ever full-post-disco-techno music but way back in the 70s.

whats interesting is how tastes change. i used like only this or only that - like a child a dinner. didn't want anything touching anything else on my plate. now, i like a little bit of everything in the same bite.
for me, Boards Of Canada offers up not only their original untouchable style, but a taste of Moroder, Carpenter, Synergy, Eno, T. Dream and likely many others (i am sure i don't even know of), in a fine amalgamated bite of music.