____twoism

Wanted to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the release of this incredible album today (in the UK at least).

Still tied with Geogaddi for my favourite Boards album (possibly to be joined by Inferno after I've had a couple of years to fully absorb it!).

Have seen a few TH detractors piping up since Inferno came out and I can't get my head round the intense dislike for it in some corners if you're a fan of the band - I do understand it's a bit darker and too desolate for some tastes, but to me it's got more depth, layers and unique sounds than possibly anything else they've done and still sounds as fresh to me as it did on my first listen. Still regularly going back for more.

Gemini (for me still their best opener), Jacquard Causeway, Sundown, New Seeds, Split Your Infinites and Palace Posy among others all rank among my all time favourite boc tracks.

Also loving the callbacks to TH on Inferno - the reprise of Collapse at the end of Blood in the Labyrinth, the robotic sounds in Age of Capricorn that also appear (to my ears at least) in White Cyclosa and Gemini, the arp in Introit which kicks the album off... definitely makes it feel like a continuation of sorts. Expecting more to present themselves the more I listen - anyone spotted any others?

Anyway, I love this album if that wasn't already clear!

I appreciate you making the space to celebrate it. I also never personally understood the level of dislike the album gets. For its time (before Inferno dropped, that is) I felt it had some of their most realized and quintessentially Boards of Canada tunes to date, particularly New Seeds and Nothing Is Real.

To the degree it brought in cinematically crisp production and some new compositional sensibilities, I felt it was a welcome direction that helped them avoid retreading the same ground too much. I still like Reach For The Dead's unsteady ground, Jacquard Causeway's deliberate lumbering build, and Palace Posy's weird feeling of respite.

As for folks saying it felt like it was too derivative sounding of the zeitgeist of synthwave or whatever subgenres / 80s nostalgia were trendy then, honestly, I felt like that was at least partially a serendipitous synchronicity between a direction that felt somewhat inevitable (yet not entirely new) for them and what was going on in the world. Besides, they were one of the early electronic acts that pulled on sounds of the past instead of simply trying to imagine music of the future, so to say they were indulging in trendy nostalgic sound always seemed like a bit of a hollow critique to me. I don't think it was necessary for them to go to any particularly great pains to define the album in opposition to that stuff. Besides, Split Your Infinites and Come To Dust are both classics, the synths sound great, and they're plenty ahead of most of the other stuff I've heard that people call "synthwave."

I was planning on relistening to their entire discography so I can give Inferno a little space to digest in my subconscious. I'm definitely starting with Hi Scores since You Retreat In Time In Space felt like a throwback to Everything You Do Is A Balloon (among a tastily vague many other BOCisms) in some ways. I think it's all going to shine with some new light after Inferno.

Really good point about how it might sound in the context of Inferno. It was always my least favourite album, to the point where it never really clicked with me at all; whereas I found myself enjoying Campfire.. the most. I haven't listened to either since hearing Inferno, but I just wonder if I might get more out of TH again and feel that TCH might sound a bit....slight(?) in comparison.

hehe don't worry, slowly taking my wife through their whole discography, and she picked that one out next - it sounds just as good as ever - some of their most delay-y, organic-sounding work for sure. it holds up! to me, at least!

i'll always love TH. it's not my favorite, nor my least favorite, and it's got some things on it they'd never done before and still haven't since

I didn’t even realise it was hated until going through the threads here in April.

I’ve been a Boards fan since the early days in the 90s, since Hi Scores, and for me TH is just the absolute best thing they’ve made and it’s not even close. I think it’s not just their best album but one of the greatest albums ever made by anyone ever, I can’t even count how many hundreds of times I have played it, and I still find new things in it every time I listen to it.

It’s a Boards soundtrack to a “lost” late 70s, early 80s apocalyptic, scientific, zombie video nasty. The only thing that would have been leaning into their aesthetic more would be to make a soundtrack to a fake “lost” 70s nature documentary or National Film Boards Of Canada style educational film. Which they may end uo doing one day.

And, admittedly, people had been making fake movie soundtracks well before BOC, but the amount of rip off copycat fake soundtrack albums that came out after it shows a huge legacy throughout the music world. (Much like MHTRTC, and then TCH both inspired a generation of copy cats each).

Relistened to it two days ago. Was never my favourite of the first four, and still isn't. Considering that Inferno now exists, I'm not sure if it's their worst anymore, but these two can keep battling, while the first three are watching and Music Has the Right to Children and Geogaddi have a good laugh.

noveltywave wrote:
I’ve been a Boards fan since the early days in the 90s, since Hi Scores.

Did we ever get that Hexagon Sun anecdote?

I also didn't realize TH is often the most disliked of their albums before reading about it here. I actually kind of expected that though, if only because it still feels a lot darker, overall, than the rest of their work. Judging from the recent Inferno survey there are still plenty of people who love it and even think it's the best of BoC's albums (even if it has the most who rate it lowest too).

noveltywave wrote: I’ve been a Boards fan since the early days in the 90s, since Hi Scores, and for me TH is just the absolute best thing they’ve made and it’s not even close. I think it’s not just their best album but one of the greatest albums ever made by anyone ever, I can’t even count how many hundreds of times I have played it, and I still find new things in it every time I listen to it.

I feel the same way (though MHTRTC was what introduced me to them). It's likely the album I've listen to the most of any artist ever.

noveltywave wrote: The only thing that would have been leaning into their aesthetic more would be to make a soundtrack to a fake “lost” 70s nature documentary or National Film Boards Of Canada style educational film. Which they may end uo doing one day.

They made this with Music Has The Right To Children.

Definitely a great excuse to give Inferno a brief rest, let it marinate, and enjoy the most engagingly cinematic apocalypse ever recorded

I found that I enjoy TH even more since Inferno released, it really is in its own universe. Reach for the Dead, Jacquard Causeway and Sundown remain among my favorite tracks ever.
Inferno feels more "playful" in its composition compared to TH, I'd even say less "serious" but in a good way. They both are bleak but each with an approach that fits its theme.

Happy TH day! My all time favorite album of any band ever. It hit me so hard when it came out. Might be because I was experiencing a very difficult turning point in my life that was unexpected and shocking and the empty melancholy feeling that dominates throughout the record really hit home for me. But above all else the composition and actual songs instantly stood out and was my favorite version of their sound. Jacquard Causeway is a song experience that I will never forget. The whomping, plodding waltzy weird beat with those haunting flute key sounds…. like a latticed or cross-stitched fabric being woven in an out but fraying each pass…. Collapse into Palace Posy is my favorite BoC transition ever…. and Sick Times sounds like another lost Pink Floyd track to me or a similar vibe… my favorite part being that crunchy looping beat that comes in towards the end with the delayed vocals. New Seeds is also among my top 3. Absolutely love love love the guitars and driving percussion and the Morse Code like sounds. Come To Dust hits so hard and it has one of my favorite codas they have ever done… that squelching distorted synth gives me chills…. and my favorite ending from any of their albums…. Semena sounds like a lost Terminator track from the future war to me… I still wonder if there any deep coded messages still waiting to be unearthed. This is the album I want an official cassette release more than any other album. I love this album so much, thanks BoC! A Masterpiece that I will always cherish.

Redd Panderson wrote:I was planning on relistening to their entire discography so I can give Inferno a little space to digest in my subconscious. I'm definitely starting with Hi Scores since You Retreat In Time In Space felt like a throwback to Everything You Do Is A Balloon (among a tastily vague many other BOCisms) in some ways. I think it's all going to shine with some new light after Inferno.

I did a full discog relisten before Inferno came out, but have found TH the only other album I've had a hankering for since release. Definitely something to do with them feeling to me like 'sibling' albums to some extent for reasons outlined above!

EYDIAB was the first track I thought of on early listens of You Retreat as well

A_Northern_Soul wrote:I just wonder if I might get more out of TH again and feel that TCH might sound a bit....slight(?) in comparison.

You almost certainly will! Have you given it another listen yet?

noveltywave wrote:I think it’s not just their best album but one of the greatest albums ever made by anyone ever, I can’t even count how many hundreds of times I have played it, and I still find new things in it every time I listen to it.

Could not agree more - endlessly replayable, there's a seemingly infinite amount of detail in it. As soon as Semena Mertvykh ends I find myself wanting to back to Gemini again. Having a very similar experience with Inferno as well so far, still can't get enough.

Ottomatik wrote:Inferno feels more "playful" in its composition compared to TH, I'd even say less "serious" but in a good way. They both are bleak but each with an approach that fits its theme.

In some ways I found Inferno even more dark than TH at first, but the more I listen the more light I'm finding in it.

Soul_Slip wrote:I still wonder if there any deep coded messages still waiting to be unearthed.

Yep I'm convinced there's more still to be discovered, one of the reasons I always feel hungry for more with this album, in the best possible sense.

Soul_Slip wrote:I love this album so much, thanks BoC! A Masterpiece that I will always cherish.

Took the words right out of my mouth there