Friday, Jul. 06, 2012 | 10:59
Boards Of Canada - Aquarius
I made a two-disc mix of songs that have made me who I am. Over the next few weeks (months) [years] I will attempt to explain each of these songs. I am quite sure I haven't covered every song that matters to me, but I have wedged most of them onto these two CDs.
My favorite color is orange.
In line with Scanner's Mouse On Mars remix, this song involves counting. In this case, though, the numbers get offtrack, throwing in a "sixtyten" for good measure. Boards Of Canada likes to mess with us, so they titled a different song "Sixtyten". I think that's the one with the creepy child voice saying "I love you."
Were I making this mix today, I might include a different BofC song, though I do like this one. Possibly this got the nod again for timing, or possibly due to the above-mentioned facts.
The song has a variety of textures. A fluctuating synth chord, a loping beat and bass, a slightly blurry cowbell, funk guitar, soul organ, and the voices: child laughing, female counting, various voices saying "orange". The first half is a loop with the vocal samples and minor production details giving it interest. Following a brief drum breakdown the synths change and and the female voice begins counting. When she's done counting the drums distort and a water splash adds some color. The last thirty seconds include a child's voice saying something about stars.
Have you notice a pattern in these tracks so far? There is a definite chillness to them. My interest in them is mostly about production and ways the artists manipulate sound rather than song construction. "Aquarius" isn't the deepest or most complex song, a basic loop structure with four sections on essentially the same beat throughout. It captures a mood: relaxed, with a touch of humor.
One thing that interests me about these songs is how I relate to them, how I find them interesting, even emotionally engaging, despite their synthetic construction and electronic distance. This music often does more for me than conventional rock songs. With rock music I almost always go to the words first, using that as the hook and emotional anchor. Without words, or with words that don't necessarily mean much, I have little choice but to find a foothold in the music. It is there I can implant my own meaning and create my own emotional connection. The synth washes of "Aquarius" are the blank canvas where I paint my own picture. That becomes the song for me, and that's what gives it meaning.
That, and I like orange.
