Carissa Véliz on Digital Ethics
10 months ago
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Did Boards of Canada Steal From Radiohead?
I know I've read/heard of Kid A and Amnesiac being influenced by groups such as BOC, and thus I would've expected this the other way around... but it looks like these two albums came out right around the same time, and it seems highly unlikely that one could've stolen from the other just in time for the album to come out. And even if that were the case, I would've expected that Radiohead would've stolen from BOC...
But is it just me or do these two tracks sound peculiarly similar?
"Amo Bishop Roden", In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country (27 Nov 2000), Boards of Canada:
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It could be because I consider Boards of Canada to be utterly unique in their own musical space or (and I`ll catch some guff for this) my feeling that Radiohead has ridden their popularity out and is now running on fumes and internet gimic/giveaways that makes me think there is absolutely no way BOC borrowed inspiration. Its not that I`m just smitten by BOC`s nerdcore samples or that they can make the simplest beats brilliant but the marriage of all the elements that make their music ear candy is like a Swiss watch. Radiohead is rock n roll and I have enjoyed them for years since pablo honey which was one of the first CDs i ever bought, hell I own every one of their non imported albums but i think that their albums have many more hits and misses for me then BOC which is spot on throughout. Anyway as for your examples there is certainly an underlying similarity to the beat but that’s such a simple beat I bet its been used tons. Ok so I`m a bit close-minded to the suggestion that BOC borrowed. Creativity does not happen in a vacuum and musical composition is no exception, I just want to belive that music which makes me feel like none other is of a devine source... not borrowed from some other band.
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Interesting... I played the two songs for John and he reacted similarly. The similarities seem strikingly in your face if you ask me.
BOC spend a long time making individual songs, and most of the time, they pick out a song they made in the 90's that no one's heard, and put it into an album.
It's more likely that BOC made Amo Bishop Roden in the 90's, put it into this album, and this is just coincidence. Both very good bands, though.
I wouldn't consider that an underground band copy anything from a pop band, usually it's always the opposite.
I actually think the two tracks sound different enough that unless someone had pointed them out I wouldn't have noticed.
Idioteque's main melody is a sample, and Boards of Canada have been around for the same time Radiohead has been around.
Mild und Leise recorded by Paul Lansky in 1973 is the sample used in Radiohead's Idioteque.
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