Boards Of Canada ‎– Music Has The Right To Children - WARP LP

Boards of Canada's debut, MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN, was a revelation when it was released, and remains a revelation today. Mixing modern production and child-like innocence, this album has a dreamy, ethereal quality that sets the standard for IDM at the time. The crunchy hip-hop beats of "An Eagle In Your Mind" counterbalance the quiet atmosphere atop it that grows increasingly mysterious, while "Telephasic Workshop" brings in disembodied vocal snips as a rhythmic element. The deceptively simple melodies add a fascinating, modal quality, and the various interludes between the longer tracks help to keep the mood light, from the proclamations of love on "The Color Of The Fire" to the factory-inspired chug of "Triangles & Rhombuses." "Rue The Whirl" has a thick chug that leads into the more psychedelic, trippy funk of "Aquarius." "Pete Standing Alone" goes back to chunky beats and bucolic harmonies, while "Open The Light" introduces an epiphanic joy. But the track that stands out the most is the achingly beautiful "Turquoise Hexagon Sun," with its crystalline melody and melancholy glow. A magical album through and through.