boards of canada and video games

wash · Post by **wash** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:32 am

haven't posted on here for a while, but was listening to box maxima earlier today and felt the need to make a topic...

i know that they have acknowledged the progressive electronic/movie soundtrack influences in their work, but does anyone else think that elements of video game backing music have creeped into the brothers' sound as well? because to me, i hear a lot of it in their early tunes. maybe partially because i grew up playing a lot of early computer games and console games, but a lot of their songs sound like they would be perfect compliments to scenes in advevnture games or especially rpg games from that era, and i know i'm not alone...

someone else (can't remember who right now, sorry!) pointed out in another thread once that 'boqurant' off of old tunes sounds like music that you hear after you die and are in a 'game over' area nothingness. i tend to agree, but would add that 'concourse' is an equally qualifed track for such a scene...it makes me see a pixel figure floating through a black void with a 'start over' and a 'quit' option hovering above him.

then 'carcan' follows it immediately which reminds me of the beginning of a game in a town somewhat like onett in earthbound...sunlight coming up over the horizon and washing a community in light. it feels like there should be some kind of dialogue box sounds or other effects signifying life going on over it.

'm9' feels like save point selection menu music or something.

'whitewater' is one of the most beautiful moments in boards' entire discography and for me sounds like the perfect soundtrack for end credits and nice 8-bit visuals to run over. it's the perfect satisfying ending to an album full of bright highs and dark murky lows.

again, i have no definite references for what gives these pieces these kind of feelings...these are just the impressions they leave on me. was wondering if anyone else has the same connection with any boards of canada songs or just makes similar associations with video games in general

miklatov · Post by **miklatov** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 9:43 am

Interesting post. Whether they've been influenced by video games or not I couldn't say, but I too have been reminded of Earthbound (and other games which escape me at the moment) once or twice when listening to some of their stuff.

Mind you, that could be because Earthbound is eerie and weird, as are BoC

sunshine recorder · Post by **sunshine recorder** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 10:13 am

tomorrows harvest reminds me of the stalker:call of pripyat soundtrack

Ottomatik · Post by **Ottomatik** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 10:32 am

Chinook always reminds me of the 007 Goldeneye game, back on Nintendo 64. I don't think it was intended, but there's definitely the same kind of musical atmosphere.

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:56 pm

I also started thinking similarly after the Boqurant/game over comment, but I don't think I would have come up with this connection on my own (I played Nintendo in the older days and some other stuff but not overly much and have never gone retro about it).

Powerline Misfortune gives me that game over feeling as well. It's like a reprise of Boqurant, so that must be why. Plus the title, hah.

orion · Post by **orion** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:21 pm

im suprised no one mentioned the R35TT track that pretty much IS video game track haha!

orion · Post by **orion** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:21 pm

i believe it is Track 20 side B?

ONTHE88 · Post by **ONTHE88** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:49 pm

First time I heard Track 8 Side B on r35tt, I IMMEDIATELY was reminded of a song from the super nintendo game Secret of Mana.

Track 8, Side B:

Secret of Mana track "Ceremony":

Maxima · Post by **Maxima** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 3:01 pm

Well, they do have an album called "Hi Scores"...

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 3:57 pm

ONTHE88 wrote:First time I heard Track 8 Side B on r35tt, I IMMEDIATELY was reminded of a song from the super nintendo game Secret of Mana.

Track 8, Side B:

Secret of Mana track "Ceremony":

This is indeed strikingly similar. Any chance they could have taken it from this? Wiki says the game came out in 1993, and Boards seems to borrow things quite directly..

aperture · Post by **aperture** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:00 pm

Reminds me of this old quote, always liked it:

"I think of myself as the kind of person that even when I'm 80 I'll still be listening to weird music and playing computer games."

From the Peering Out from Behind the Curtain interview

Pilgrim S · Post by **Pilgrim S** » Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:16 pm

I actually think the fanfare at the start of Gemini sounds like the music you get when you switch some computers on.

PlacentaSand · Post by **PlacentaSand** » Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:23 pm

The original soundtrack to the playstation spyro games has always been ringing in my ears, for as long as i can remember actually. The famous untitled track "Audiotrack 9b" sounds distinctly like something from the OST. especially the synth that comes in at about 1:10

marzipanfish · Post by **marzipanfish** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:03 am

boc are secretly a couple of total nerds. they live in their mum's basement playing video games and making random weird music all day.

so, maybe THAT'S why they're so reclusive.

egbdf · Post by **egbdf** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:33 am

Ottomatik wrote:Chinook always reminds me of the 007 Goldeneye game, back on Nintendo 64. I don't think it was intended, but there's definitely the same kind of musical atmosphere.

Chinook always reminds me of some of the music from Requiem for a Dream, by Clint Mansell.

June 9th and Red Moss definitely remind me of early video games.

Jonse · Post by **Jonse** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:49 am

Ottomatik wrote:Chinook always reminds me of the 007 Goldeneye game, back on Nintendo 64. I don't think it was intended, but there's definitely the same kind of musical atmosphere.

MAXIMUS MISCHIEF · Post by **MAXIMUS MISCHIEF** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 8:50 am

paul · Post by **paul** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:40 pm

wash wrote:haven't posted on here for a while, but was listening to box maxima earlier today and felt the need to make a topic...

someone else (can't remember who right now, sorry!) pointed out in another thread once that 'boqurant' off of old tunes sounds like music that you hear after you die and are in a 'game over' area nothingness.

thinking quite the same thing ... i was listening to Orange Romeda and at around 2:24-2:26 there is definitely a sample from what is likely an old Nintendo game. for me it is more like the player (for example in Mario - sorry i wasn't big on video games) has jumped up to touch some kind of special coin and is awarded bonus points or something similar. made me grin as i was listening to it because i had never made that connection before. as i have said earlier, TH has me listening almost surgically now to each and every old track i have ... kinda neat to be discovering new things in the old BOC i have had for some time.

nick47 · Post by **nick47** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:13 pm

I used to always blast geogaddi as I played spore. Those two were meant to go together.

Macfuk · Post by **Macfuk** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:27 pm

I've posted this before but...

the Deep Chalk game series uses BOC sounds in a pretty cool way. There are 4 in the series, each one better than the previous, although I don't think 4 uses BOC

See Submachine for more cool sounds in games. My favourite game series ever.

http://jayisgames.com/games/deep-chalk/

____twoism

boards of canada and video games

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