Giuseppe A. Paleologo | Riverdale, NY United States | 11/29/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The first full-length album of BoC is a masterpiece of sorts. The material is accurately chosen and sorted in a way to resemble a "mini suite". The music shows influences from various musicians, but always manages to be original. "Telephasic Workshps" is a bit of "My life in the bust of ghosts" (especially "Mea Culpa"); "Turquoise Exagon Sun" has trip-hop overtones (of the Portishead variety). Electric piano and Moog (with additional sound treatment) are ubiquitous, providing a pleasant progressive (say, Tangerine Dream) and/or electric jazz touch to the songs. And are the numbers in "Aquarius" a little quotation from "Einstein on the Beach" by Glass? Overall, I would play the influence of Autechre (and AFX) down: it is present in the rythm programming, but not overwhelming. BOC is not rythm-driven as Autechre or AFX, but rather melody-driven. In fact, what I most liked in this CD is the beauty of the progression of the chords. The melodies are original and never trivial. Sandison and Eoin seem musicians-turned-musicians and not DJs-turned-musicians. This is what makes a BOC piece so easy to recognize and fresh. A recommended CD for any fan of high-quality electronica who wants to listen to something different than the usual suspects."
A NOSTALGIC MASTERPIECE
Krikey | 11/17/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Were you a kid in the late 70's and early 80's? Remember Narnia and Atari 2600 and the theme to St. Elsewhere? If so, Music Has The Right To Children will feel nostalgic. I got immersed in this album at the same time I happened to be reading Into The Wild. They went beautifully together. (no, that's not a plug for Amazon.com). Both transported me back in time, high into the mountains, and to vast contemplative spaces.If you're a fan of Aphex Twin or Brian Eno's early ambient work, acquire this cd; one track sounds suspiciously like a song from Brian Eno/ David Byrne's My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts.Start to finish, this album is truly artistic while unpretentious, which I can't say the same for much of Aphex Twin's work. And no matter how many times you listen, Music Has The Right To Children holds a mystique. Thus is Boards Of Canada"
Yes JR...
Krikey | 07/28/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"... and writing a great novel is easy, you only need a pen and paper and you just have to put one word after another."
Crackly, beautiful, and strangely spooky
Darragh Mc Causland | Ireland | 02/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not one to go dishing out the five star reviews with casual disregard, but this album really defies superlatives.
On music has the right to children, BOC have tapped into all the strangeness and magic of early childhood memories. The songs envelop the listener with sounds and textures that seem so familiar, that they could almost be memories. I know that much of the music has been culled from those old educational videos of sperwhales mating and what not, but BOC have created something entirely their own with it. Their beats are intricate and often innovative, listen to the chopped up voices on the fourth track, but never too demanding for meditative listening. The sounds swoop and crackle in a really human way. I wish everyone who thinks there's no heart and soul in electronic music was forced to listen to this album until they ate their words!!!
But this album and listen to it late it night. It'll take you places you've long forgotten about, like a patch of nettles on a Summer's day or climbing a skeletal tree on a windy wet afternoon, hands cold and covered in dirt. I swear you'll never hear anything else like it, Until the next BOC release of course.
Five stars, and I really mean it!!!!!!"