Boards Of Canada – Hi Scores

I went to NYC December 30th, 1999 for Y2K. Went to the Virgin Megastore and picked this off the shelf, I think because it had the 2 chicks on the cover and had SKAM printed on it. Had no idea who it was. One of my favorite CDs with a lot of memories attached.

one of my favorites.
very nice.

HI SCORES is the EP that made Boards of Canada a big deal, back when everything released by Skam was a big deal. The presence of "Turquoise Hexagon Sun" is enough to make it a classic, but the moody thump of the title track provides solid cover, even if it doesn't display the same delicacy. "Nlogax," on the other hand, goes for an almost electro rhythm even after the melody cements it firmly in Canadian territory, whereas "Seeya Later" brings in a very mellow funk. "June 9th" sounds at times like INCUNABUNA-era Autechre, though with that special Boards spin. Indeed, "Everything You Do Is A Balloon" takes the album out on that special nostalgia we associate with BoC. Still a lovely little journey.

I feel this release is overrated. BoC's production effort and talent is obvious in this, but it doesn't achieve much, and the dist mood of the individual tracks makes it seem like a compilation rather than an EP. Positives include the jazzy influences and great use of slow breakbeats, and negatives include the lack of direction or purpose in the music. A nonessential release, only get it if you're a collector or an addict (or both).

Probably my favorite material by the duo. Very classic PBS wanderings style BOC on display here. The crunchy beats and synths of "Hi Scores" opens this ep perfectly. Beautifully nostalgic in a way only these two have been able to pull off. I'm definitely in debt to them for "Nlogax", a heavenly electro track with funk synth, thick beats and some nicely chopped vocals. I have a hard time believing they didn't build a time machine, go back to 1979 and steal an unreleased album of b-boy hip-hop/electro and mix it with Vangelis outtakes. In a nutshell, that's what this music sounds like to me. Add the stand out track "Everything you do is a balloon", and you have one of the most genre defining albums to emerge in the last decade. One of my top albums of all time.

This release has all the Boards' touches,cerebral melodies,crackling beats & the earthy sound thay have mastered, but also this E.P. features a couple of there (shall I say) experimental type stuff..but it's all good with 'Everything You Do Is A Balloon' & 'Nlogax' being 2 of my favourites.Track this down at all costs!!!

This was my first taste of BOC, and to this day it remains my favourite release. It is also quite different to everything else they've released since. There are three tracks on this EP which are particularly strong, and still move me many years after first hearing them.

"Hi Scores" is really special, and combines beautiful pads with crunchy, distorted beats. It is actually one of the darker tracks on the album, and is quite paradoxical to its title - I would have expected Hi Scores to represent something more playful and nostalgic - like the first time the brothers played a video game perhaps. I'd really like to the know the history of this track.

"Nlogax" starts with a simplistic yet funky 4/4 rhythm, but really starts to get interesting when it metamorphosises into a twisted, skittering, fractured version of its former self. The incomprehensible vocal cutup effect was also used in "Telephasic Workshop", and is also made popular by label-mates Gescom on their track "Keynell".

"Everything You Do Is A Balloon" is painfully beautiful. The melody in particular is superb, and it remains one of their strongest, and most emotive tracks to date.

All in all, an exceptional EP, and one which transcends time and musical trends.... and will always touch the heart.

At first this was my least favorite release by BoC until several listens to Everything You Do Is A Balloon on the SKAMPLER compilation. I know what you’re probably thinking right now this is one of the most highly regarded releases in the electronic music community, and you didn’t like it? The first release I had bought by BoC was Geogaddi and I was blown away. Nothing I had heard could have compared. This totally changed my views on electronic music. Hi Scores was a more simplistic, rude recording than Geogaddi and didn’t appeal to me right off. But after several listens to the title track and June 9th the album bled together and all the tracks became classics. Now this is one of my most prized possessions, and got me into the SKAM record label. Highly recommended to anyone even to somebody not into music like this. Check it out as quickly as possible and give it a few listens before you negative judgment.

Nostalgic melodies over crunchy beats. This release from the Skam record label gives us a small look into the vast collection of music Boards of Canada have made since their debut in the 80's. It seems to bring about strange memories of childhood. This album always reminds me of the sunspots you see on a clear summer day when you look into the sky. Just Beautiful.

Seriously, this is the best thing Boards of Canada ever put out, so why such small quantities? The first and last tracks are amazing, and playing them is probably the best way to explain Boards of Canada. Very nostalgic, emotional, oddly named songs. I'd love to know where they came up with "Everything You Do Is A Balloon"