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A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:21 pm
by 2020k
I feel like this is going to be controversial, but I'd like to know if anyone has thoughts/feelings on something like this? They did guitars on TCH, which was polarizing at the time (but, I think is now pretty accepted?), and they're no stranger to catering to vocalists with their remix work/artists occasionally singing over their songs.

The music landscape's changed so much in terms of it becoming overly homogenous in the mainstream, but full of wonderful amalgamations elsewhere. Boards of Canada could toss us an album completely out of leftfield of what they've done and I wouldn't be very surprised.

Thread partly inspired by Oneohtrix Point Never winding up performing on Jimmy Fallon.
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Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:30 pm
by Echelon
I mean, if Blackstar era Ziggy Stardust is going to be the vocalist I'm totally down ;)

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:15 pm
by arvy
I would love to see that. It would be at least interesting.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:05 pm
by Roswell
Low Roar’s more electronic based stuff is really good, and the vocals are phenomenal. I’m not too sure if BoC + Vocals would work, but i agree it would have to be something Bowie like.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:42 pm
by b0qurant
I was going to make the Oneohtrix Point Never comparison and you beat me to it ... prior to Garden of Delete, I would've shuddered @ the thought of Daniel including vocals in one of his albums. Now I love it. I think it'd be fascinating to hear BoC with vocals.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:10 am
by Echelon
I welcome vocals because BOC have the innate ability of making annoying/weak vocals, likeable and catchy. I don't think I would like Dead Dogs, Mr. Mistake or Good Friday if it wasn't for the context BOC put them in with their music.

As for how media outlets like Pitchfork would react to a vocal album? I'm sure they'd slag it as a gimmick-much like TCH's guitar-even if the music was really awesome. I'm still confused how adding guitars to your otherwise melodically impeccable album would warrant a 7 grade from Pitchfork.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:31 am
by tonx
Maybe they’ll include some Wheeltower in the BoC Set.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:01 am
by Geogandhi
OPNs effort is the quality of a schoolkids first love song, really fucking weak lyrically and melodically but it will hit some feels for lots of basic bitches so all good. It is catchy though so...
That would be the worry of BoC doing the same, they are mature and in their own league with their music style so if they try and move into more traditional song structures then they could easily lose their footing and come across amateur.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:22 pm
by arvy
BOX with vocals would definitely provide more wow moments. Best example, same track one with vocals, another without. Your choice.
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Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:40 am
by SamuraiDrifter
Some of their songs already have vocals, albeit heavily vocoded (i.e. "we all fall down" from Music is Math). I could see them expanding on that aspect of their sound.

I'd be very surprised if BoC released an album I didn't like. Up to now, their artistic judgment has been impeccable. I wouldn't be terribly surprised, and I'd be excited to hear what they'd do with it.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 6:23 am
by Echelon
Geogandhi wrote:OPNs effort is the quality of a schoolkids first love song, really fucking weak lyrically and melodically but it will hit some feels for lots of basic bitches so all good. It is catchy though so...


In all fairness to OPN, I think his production is what made this song good on his album. It was supposed to be coming out of a diseased radio station, so to have this little alt-rock pop punk song processed through hell was actually kind of fun.

Probably the closest we're going to get to a Third Reich and Roll for modern pop music in this era.

That said, OPN does have a lot of dicking around in his catalog. But that's totally fair for an artist who experiments a lot and exists in an era where a large amount of creative ideas have been used up.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:02 am
by Echelon
Echelon wrote:
Geogandhi wrote:OPNs effort is the quality of a schoolkids first love song, really fucking weak lyrically and melodically but it will hit some feels for lots of basic bitches so all good. It is catchy though so...


In all fairness to OPN, I think his production is what made this song good on his album. It was supposed to be coming out of a diseased radio station, so to have this little alt-rock pop punk song processed through hell was actually kind of fun.

Probably the closest we're going to get to a Third Reich and Roll for modern pop music in this era.

That said, OPN does have a lot of dicking around in his catalog. But that's totally fair for an artist who experiments a lot and exists in an era where a large amount of creative ideas have been used up.


Actually pardon that last bit, I wasn't thinking when I wrote it. I should have said, "he's got a lot of thoughtful experiments that don't always work out."

That said, I really like OPN when he's successful. Definitely the best depicter of a post-modern, internet age hell.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:20 am
by Twoist
Outside of remixes there's only one example of BOC with vocals that's really worked for me and it was totally unexpected.

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Still love that. I guess they could release something like Tweaker (Chris Vrenna ex of NIN) with various guest vocalists which definitely worked..but I still want to hear Boards clearly behind it all.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:35 am
by Jonse
Can't find the "thumbs was always up and trust 100% they'd do it perfectly" emoticon.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:15 pm
by Radiobuzz
Twoist wrote:Outside of remixes there's only one example of BOC with vocals that's really worked for me and it was totally unexpected.

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Still love that. I guess they could release something like Tweaker (Chris Vrenna ex of NIN) with various guest vocalists which definitely worked..but I still want to hear Boards clearly behind it all.


Came to post that, both Solange remixes were not bad at all though it was a little controversial when she posted them.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:36 pm
by 2020k
Radiobuzz wrote:
Twoist wrote:Outside of remixes there's only one example of BOC with vocals that's really worked for me and it was totally unexpected.

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Still love that. I guess they could release something like Tweaker (Chris Vrenna ex of NIN) with various guest vocalists which definitely worked..but I still want to hear Boards clearly behind it all.


Came to post that, both Solange remixes were not bad at all though it was a little controversial when she posted them.

Agree! I've been a resident Solange defender since I signed up for the forum. I wish Left Side Drive was released on a record. I prefer it to what she did to Slow This Bird Down, but they're both great.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 5:01 pm
by Jango9
They could do like what Yellow Magic Orchestra did for their Naughty Boys album and release two versions, one with vocals and one with a couple of extra instruments in place of those vocals:
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Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:53 pm
by Echelon
Jango9 wrote:They could do like what Yellow Magic Orchestra did for their Naughty Boys album and release two versions, one with vocals and one with a couple of extra instruments in place of those vocals:
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Flying Lotus is big on this too. Especially as he starts adding more and more annoying guest vocalists

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 7:21 pm
by Moloch
I wouldn't mind chants or hummings etc, just no actual words/sentences.

Re: A BOC album with vocals?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:20 am
by s7409651
Their Beck "Broken Drum" remix is probably the best example I can think of to prove it could work.
I do prefer the vocals in their work being somewhat obscured and subtle though. Even the "Sisters" remix is pretty vocal-heavy, though more like chanting like Moloch suggested. ^^