Boards of Canada - Inferno | Reaction and analysis

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]Hi, I'm Marcus. I do music for fun and  I like Boards of Canada really, really, really much. And I'm really excited because  the full Inferno album has been released today. I have only listened to the first  two tracks. Actually, maybe one more. No.

[00:00:25]So I did another reaction analysis  video on those and now I will go through the the full album and give my  reaction. So here we go! Introit. Yeah.

[00:00:47]So it feels like a nice Lydian start here.

[00:00:55]And when I listened to this one, the first... In  my other video, I thought it meant introit in French because Boards of Canada come from  Canada (I ment Scotland) and I thought it had something to do with that. But someone was nice to tell  me about it. That it was meaning like the start of something in Latin, start of like a coral  performance or something like that. Yeah. So, it's it's a good intro starting it off and with this Lydian Lydian mode, it's kind of uplifting, but then this darker parts coming in, leading over to the next track.

[00:01:58]And here when I heard this in the video, I said  that it was new to me to hear them use this instrument, but someone told me that  it actually was used in other tracks as well, but for me it was maybe the  Arabian sounding scale that was new to me. I can't recall  hearing that in a in another tune.

[00:02:34]Yeah. So, this is a really nice track.

[00:02:40]Builds up really good, I think.

[00:02:45]And this is nice. Yeah.

[00:02:59]So the guitar as I also talked about in  the other video. Then I recall that "The camp..." I don't remember the name of the album  again. The campside... campfire headphase album feature a lot of guitar.

[00:03:58]I like this like helicopter sounding noises.

[00:04:09]It's like rotor.

[00:04:22]And then comes the  prophecy. Someone in the comments from the other video told me that this  was taken from a Harvard lecture like 20 plus years ago. I wonder if I  should record one of my lectures.

[00:04:40]I work as a teacher at the local university.  Maybe embedded in one of my songs. Maybe And I also felt that this uh sound a little bit  like some Kraftwerk robots I've heard before, but I wasn't really... I haven't heard that  kind of uh robotic sound. I couldn't recall at least Boards of Canada using that one. So  continue... And this transition, I think it was so Nice.

[00:06:13]These arpeggiating synths in the in the base. It's like the foundation. And then this,  like the disty, noisy sounds come in.

[00:06:33]Yeah, this this transition is really nice.

[00:06:48]Yeag, these chords!

[00:06:54]It's kind of a little bit uplifting  again, that it will end well.

[00:07:14]Mmmm.

[00:07:27]Maybe it's going to just transition into the  third track. Oh, it's fading out. Yeah. Yeah, it was nice to revisit these tracks again. I  kind of lack the visual the video elements that I looked at the last time. Now I just focus on the  music, but it's it's a really nice track. It's uh I like the transitions between these three parts  like the Arabic part, the the guitar part and then this uh uplifting end part when we are  kind of having this uh foundation, the same bass and the chords changing over that bass like this  drone like this pedal base. Yeah, that's really nice. Okay. So now now we're actually going into  some new material. Now I haven't... This is the first time I hear the third track and the rest  of the one. So Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan.

[00:08:35]Let's try it then.

[00:08:47]Oh, some strings. Little bit de-tuned.

[00:09:01]Something run backwards.

[00:09:18]It's cool chords. Some kind of suspended chord in the middle. It's a minor chord first. It's  a suspended and then a minor chord again.

[00:09:36]And this uh run backwards sound coming up.

[00:09:47]Yeah, it's a cool bass.

[00:10:12]I like how the the string chords kind of have a  unpredictable, like period. I don't... I cannot really predict when it's coming back. It's like it's  having this organic thing by itself. I like that.

[00:10:54]Mhm.

[00:11:18]Ahh that's really cool. It's kind of... We have  this pedal bass and then these uh this uh this synth sound is kind of not staying in that  particular scale. Feels like it should be like a minor scale if we were supposed to do it more  diatonic way, but it it kind of jumps a little bit up and down in a really particular scale. It  was... Yeah, I don't know the name of that scale.

[00:12:26]Hm.

[00:12:32]Some chord changes there, really nice.

[00:12:47]Some choir is singing in the left.

[00:13:20]Hmm.

[00:13:38]Oh, that's really nice chord changes there. Yeah,  this was more repetitive than the last one, but they they managed to get in  some interesting elements.

[00:14:30]Yeah, I like the the choral parts that you  can like slightly here in the left and also the the chord changes and this scale in  the beginning. It was uh, yeah... And the energy of of the bass also kept the song going.  Let's continue with the Age Of Capricorn.

[00:15:06]Okay, we have this rhythm, building up.

[00:15:17]Oh, kind of light, kind of positive.

[00:15:24]But still a little bit sinister.

[00:15:51]Okay. So, some talking there. I  couldn't really figure out what they said.

[00:15:55]It was something about USA and uh the sound coming from the left here  it was something I recognized from Tomorrow's harvest and uh yeah  let's continue.

[00:16:55]Nice bass.

[00:16:59]And that's really nice. They I mean they kept the  sound mat there and then suddenly introducing a bass completely changed the harmonic  quality. That was really nice.

[00:17:32]Some singing.

[00:18:15]I wonder which one. I wonder who is  talking. I mean, sometimes they have this really special people talking. You  never know if there's someone that has done something bad that is talking,  but it didn't feel that distorted. It felt quite kind of natural. And the the  tune itself has this positive vibe, I would say.

[00:20:00]Okay. So, it's fading out. Yeah. Well,  it had a positive side of it.

[00:20:10]What I like most of this uh song was  when the bass entered and completely like changed the harmony.  So we we continue: Father and son.

[00:20:30]That's a very nice title.

[00:20:35]Surprisingly nice.

[00:20:42]Okay. A little jungle feel.

[00:20:46]Some spooky light synths or choral sounds.

[00:20:55]So maybe a father and son doesn't  have a good relationship. Oh.

[00:21:19]Oh, this had a  spooky feel to it. It was kind of surprising.

[00:21:30]some weird quirky sounds entering. It was um yeah, this song had a little bit more  attitude than Age of Capricorn. Continue.

[00:22:46]It is something with this track and the last one, Age  of Capricorn, that their samples they are using.

[00:22:53]It feels like they are more new, not like  they are using something old from the 70s. So, that doesn't really give this nostalgia effect. I  think they have sometimes. When it feels like something that has been recorded like in  the 80s or in the 70s. This feels like it's... this actually feels like it's recorded now, which  it is, but that was something Yeah. Interesting.

[00:24:07]Yeah, this is a nice buildup. These chords  felt kind of uh like natural chords, but they managed with uh this  trebly synth sound.

[00:24:25]They still managed to get a little bit quirky, a  little bit off in a way.

[00:25:19]Oh, yeah. I couldn't really make out so much  of what he said. It felt like a like strange conversation between maybe a father and a  son. Okay. So yeah, that one didn't really uh touched me more most in the beginning  because it felt like it had had like a more uh more drive to it compared to the the other  ones. Um but it felt a little bit like the same.

[00:26:01]We had some changes when when maybe was the  bass coming in again. Feeling this uh harmony uh being a little bit um changing changing  a little bit. So yeah, let's continue somewhere right now in the future. Oh.

[00:26:34]Wow.

[00:26:44]Wow.

[00:26:49]It's a chord change.

[00:26:57]Is it back now?

[00:27:01]Maybe it is major.

[00:27:23]Wow, that chord change was something. And  for a person who likes harmony like me, this was really air candy. I would say it  was really hard to to feel if it was coming back to the first chord again. It felt like  that couple of times, but it could be that they made some some minor changes in the chord  chord changes after that. Yeah, this was nice.

[00:27:59]like someone playing the guitar major again. That seems to be the start.

[00:28:24]Yeah, that's a nice nice change.

[00:28:58]Yeah, I think this is one of my  favorite tracks now on this album.

[00:29:05]This one and the Prophecy, they are my  favorites right now. Yeah. slowing down.

[00:29:19]Wow, I like the har harmonies  in this one. It's really nice.

[00:29:27]Very unpredictable. Okay, seventh strike. Naraka.

[00:29:36]Mhm.

[00:29:40]Oh, is it tuned?

[00:29:52]Well, the the third bass note felt like it  was the tune, but I'm not sure it is. Maybe they are playing around a little bit like  Jacob Collier things here. Or maybe not.

[00:30:07]This one. Yeah.

[00:30:18]Something. Yeah. Oh, yes.

[00:30:30]Oh, I love I love that instrument coming in.  It kind of reminds me of something from maybe that album where we have these two astronauts  hugging each other. Yeah, that's really good.

[00:30:51]Yeah, this is one of my  favorites as well. Really good.

[00:31:12]Mhm. Something new. Some coral sound scent.

[00:31:44]some like triangle sounds.

[00:32:02]Okay, stripping off some rims happening now.

[00:32:14]Nice transition. Cool.

[00:32:25]Ah, yeah. That was really nice. This  chord pred progression kind of also feels like I've heard before, but maybe  it's just in something similar in their some of their songs. It's really good  though. Yeah, maybe this is my favorite.

[00:33:15]Wow. So this like a very it's like folk songy kind of introducing something  from from another culture here that I didn't expect that but  I kind of worked. Hishnish hishnaishnaishna hal. I'm not hurry.

[00:34:16]Oh, there are so many layers. You can  like hear some small instruments in the in the right and the left. Yeah, it's  the sound pictures. It's kind of dense.

[00:34:40]Heat. Heat.

[00:35:02]I want to hear the the nice  instrument once more, please.

[00:35:45]I didn't get to hear it once more, so I have to  listen to it one one more time later or several times. Okay. Yeah, that was a really nice  one. I think I was hoping that like this nice um synth sound as I connected to this this older I  think it's an EP when two two astronauts are like if they are hugging each other or what they're  doing because I felt this like this vocal part became a little bit too long for my taste but  it's it was still a nice a nice track. Okay. Actic sinister rhythmic distorted sound.

[00:36:54]It's very Eerie ambient feel here.

[00:37:08]Feels like a like an old  watch or a clock. I mean Oh, this is a shorter track.

[00:37:26]More like you're interlude.

[00:37:44]Uh some bees buzzing. Yeah. So this  is more like an interlude or maybe some intro to the next one. Memory  death. So yeah, kind of atmospheric.

[00:38:01]The beasts continue. Memory death.

[00:38:34]It's a nice major 7 chord.

[00:38:58]Yeah, I mean I'm really a  sucker for major 7th chords, but it feel the title of this track is  more sinister. So, let's see what happens.

[00:39:18]I also like this very bright simple synth  sound almost like a like a bird peeping beep coming into the different  channels the left and the right or like a flute.

[00:39:50]Oo, that's that's cool. Vocals almost like a ritual.

[00:40:14]Well, I like how detuned these uh string sounds get sometimes just  to get a little bit special vibe.

[00:41:00]So, let's and memory death. It's a new way  of saying it, I think. So, yeah. Yeah, that was a nice one. Really  nice chords. And when that voice came in, it uh gave it something special. Yeah. So  nice track. Okay. The word becomes flesh.

[00:42:07]This began in a another way. Uh-huh.

[00:42:16]Okay. some six 16th notes I think coming in again to get a little bit more moving like  most of the other tracks has been.

[00:42:34]So we have this pedal base  again. Some other chords over it.

[00:42:44]Kind of quirky cords.

[00:42:49]Building up more things.

[00:43:02]those chords.

[00:43:08]It's kind of some some singing.

[00:43:14]Sounds crazy.

[00:43:30]Okay, some more rhythmics.

[00:43:38]Nice rhythm.

[00:43:46]So, what will come next?

[00:43:50]The head of the embryo forward and the  gut elongates rearward. Still talking.

[00:43:58]The neurop in the brain region  that diffuse. At this stage, four pair of stones box meodermal tissue for the head of the embryo forward. The  head fold further under the den.

[00:44:20]robots. The neuroles form new cells.  Here develops into three parts.

[00:44:32]Early structures of the eye are now prominent.

[00:44:37]Meanwhile, the embryo developed in an Yeah, kind of. I like  how this song both evolves but stays the same.

[00:44:51]We we have like the same foundation like the  we have the pedal base, we have the rhythms, the same rhythm like bass, but it sometimes  changes. It builds up. It built up until this uh this spoken part. It feels like a conversation  between human being and a robot. Let's see what happens. exciting manner. In its latest  stage, the soft embryo is already visible as a light colorful.

[00:45:37]Soon the blood vessels of the  neurons line the embryo and the heart develops and begins to vision.  The pattern of blood vessels over the egg expands supplying embryo with  food and oxygen and removing waste.

[00:45:57]As the embryo grows, brain, eyes and  other structures have those cords. I mean I mean they have really managed to  to find uh unpredictable chords. It's uh but they stay they stay with these chords.  It feels like it's the same chords coming over repeating, but but it's they are so  quirky and unpredictable, so you cannot really remember how the chord production  sounds. So it it works to just repeat it.

[00:46:38]Soon a vigorously beating heart  is pumping blood throughout the complex embryo which is rapidly  developing into a mature organ.

[00:46:56]The blasto the palucida is translucent because  it is a real and the white vessels over the span. Some of the albino because they've  been twisted as the egg passes down the central these strands. What do they say?  The egg passes through something. Hm. I wonder what they are doing. Something  suspicious. All the cells in position.

[00:47:29]The blasto at this stage consists of many zones produced by repeated cell divisions  while the egg is still within the or the roots forward is Hey, the south of both sides area.

[00:48:12]Yeah, this one was kind of u repetitive, I  think. Not not one of my favorites so far, but they have managed to find some  new expressions. I think I haven't.

[00:48:32]This is something new at least.  Let's go on to Into the Magic Land.

[00:49:00]Nice delay effect.

[00:49:12]Oh, okay. So it's like they're going through this  uh quarter of fifths maybe but the backward uh the the other route when you  go uh not fifth you go quarters.

[00:49:49]Okay.

[00:50:02]Kind of a [ __ ] feel.

[00:50:09]Oh, some guitar.

[00:50:26]May the 7th. May the 7th. Yeah.

[00:50:33]Kind of nice.

[00:50:37]It's really a different feel. Oh.

[00:50:48]Last screw.

[00:51:11]Yeah, I like the groove that came from  this. on the guitar and the rims. Yeah, completely different to the other things.  I think a little bit more uplifting.

[00:51:31]Oh, something changed.

[00:51:44]Okay, minor. The second one. That was nice shift.

[00:52:00]Oh, I like that. Sounds like like you  have glass bottles hitting them. Talk.

[00:52:40]Okay, drop.

[00:53:32]Okay, so we back to the first corporation.  with a major chord. The second one, let's see how it ends. So, more guitar.  Yeah, seem to feature more guitar on this one than at least on tomorrow  harvest. Tomorrow's harvest. Yeah, I really liked when it shifted the second  chord to a minor one instead. That really really gave something more to the song.  Blood in the labyrinth. I wonder if this is supposed to be like a concept album. Oh,  everything is like connected into this story.

[00:54:30]This is smoothie.

[00:54:34]You gorgeous.

[00:54:59]So, it feels like they have more  harmony than I'm used to. I mean, some songs are repetitive, but they still have  quite a lot of chords. Interesting development.

[00:55:34]Yeah. Oh, wow. Very nice.

[00:55:53]Yeah.

[00:56:12]Some new elements coming in again. Feels like some  kind of steel guitar or some mandoline similar things. But sometimes these chords I mean they  have more chord changes. They have more chords in their chord changes but sometimes they feel  like they are just like randomly put out. But I guess as you listen to these songs more and more,  these the songs will grow and you probably would uh uh like these chord progressions more.  But when that like syn sound before this uh mandolineish uh guitar  entered that was really nice.

[00:57:27]Quite often quite often I found  myself being a great client. So eerie just listening really strong and I watched you even Some more speaking coming in. This  This one I can hear a little bit, but it's still hard to hear. Mhm.

[00:58:29]Screaming.

[00:58:38]That's real nice.

[00:58:51]Yeah, that shines is so good.

[00:59:18]So, I mean, even though it had this very  varying uh chord changes in the first part, now it kind of settles into that part, a specific chord uh change and it worked really nice.  The second chord was so nice. Maybe it's it's like a a third in the bass or something.  I I appreciate that. A third in the bass.

[00:59:46]Sorry.

[01:00:29]Spook ending is a transition  to the next song maybe.

[01:00:39]Yeah, let's keep going. I will let it  comment this piece. So, next time deep time.

[01:00:52]Oh, maybe this was the one. Tape05  I I thought I had before. Yeah, this must be this one. Yeah, tape 05, I think  it was called. I didn't react to it, but I heard parts of it. Yeah, I like  that the start. So sinister and dark. It's nice.

[01:01:34]All right, this is pretty moody.

[01:02:09]Once again, a pedal base  like a droning synth sound and it's like coral coral. Orally sounds hovering. Oh yeah. That's nice.

[01:02:39]Major cord.

[01:02:48]Yes, this one is nice.

[01:02:53]Suddenly it got this positive feel to it again.

[01:03:01]Okay, building up now with  more instruments. More epic deep time.

[01:03:17]Yeah, that's nice chords.

[01:03:22]More familiar chords this time. It's  just ending quart is surprising.

[01:03:37]ST like a lid once again.

[01:03:52]flutes talking transitions instrument next.

[01:04:08]Yeah, that really had a nice twist from  this sinister, moody, eerie part and then suddenly with the bass came in and gave us hope.  Yeah, that's that's a nice that's a nice one.

[01:04:32]Order to parts.

[01:04:45]Okay, so that's a transition  from the deep time track.

[01:05:04]There is a magical operation  of acts of importance.

[01:05:13]The initiation of a new eon before man is ready to accept the law  of the greater war must be fought.

[01:05:30]This boy sacrifice is the critical point of the  world ceremony of the crown and conquering child as the beyond.

[01:05:54]Nice.

[01:06:24]Yes, that cord was really nice.  I like this start had some like very sinister start. I I really like  that. This felt like genuine sinister.

[01:07:00]I really like the drums they  have. They really work well.

[01:07:03]these higher sense would have chosen maybe those.

[01:07:19]That's nice court.

[01:07:30]Yeah. Now we can hear the  rhythm. I really like those.

[01:07:45]So, the intensity going down. See what  happens. We're almost half through the sun. So, something more is bound to happen here.

[01:08:10]Yeah, I like this. It's more focused on  that rhythm and some sparsely played SS.

[01:08:34]Thank you.

[01:08:47]Huh?

[01:08:58]This is nice. It's focusing on the rhythm.

[01:09:07]I haven't done that before on this album.

[01:09:30]This was kind of hypnotic.

[01:09:50]Yeah, this was nice.

[01:10:01]Mhm.

[01:10:31]This was nice and repetitive.

[01:10:44]And I like this syn path pads. Yeah, that's that was a really nice track. Really  stood out. I like the the repetitive moments and how the rhythm like just stay  there shunking on and then this uh synth pads coming in here  and there. It's really nice.

[01:11:15]Arena American like when you're trying to  find the right decision.

[01:12:01]Nicely detuned.

[01:12:05]Heat. Heat. N.

[01:12:49]That was a nice entering there. Really busy song.

[01:12:59]Nice quartz.

[01:13:32]Yeah, I mean I like these chords  just like these chords with, for example, if you have G with the  F in the bass, sometimes called G11, it's kind of these similar chords that was kind  of giving me an sense of this 80s positive feel, but uh still it has this quirky a  little bit sinister touch. This is good.

[01:14:35]That synth kind of bass is a little bit annoying.

[01:14:42]That came in the beginning as well.

[01:15:04]Oh, this highpitched strings  lying there nicely. It's uh it's working well.

[01:15:17]It's a lot of layers.

[01:15:24]This chord progression was  kind of easier to follow. Okay.

[01:15:35]Something new coming.

[01:15:48]Mhm.

[01:16:05]No, something new happened there.  But yeah, it worked quite well.

[01:16:25]didn't feel like integrated  as the other parts did. Yeah, it's fading out. Let's move  to the next one. The process.

[01:16:40]That's spooky.

[01:16:53]Yeah, I like the spook air tracks.

[01:17:04]People making noises, upset people. What's the process about?

[01:17:24]It was once every serial after the southeast ali  we have seen that fantasy for pre-coronation path aquarium online they lectured their adaptive  revital world in water or the reserve line on deploy dead was to burn in all his atrocities. We  notice we acquired although they were refreshing the pipe and I without the road intricately  stronger. This feels a little bit dystopian whatever duty tilts off him between various  bishops. It shows you vastly seductive from their aromatic rider and a fine me who has  comprehensively induced him. Acoustically, this plus unquestionably that discriminating piano entry. They have the magical discharge  rust and have directed it down our pal.

[01:18:29]Can't remember hearing a usual piano before.

[01:18:40]Oh, that those voices very very nicely edited.

[01:18:52]I wonder what that process  was about. That's scary.

[01:19:04]So it settles now and the voices are diminishing fading away.

[01:19:21]Yeah, that was a spooky one. Those I  like. But it wasn't that much music came in the end. Quite nice when the  piano entered. I I really like that. So, we have two more now. You retreat  in time and space. Let's see.

[01:20:24]So these cords are more familiar.

[01:20:31]don't feeling so outworldly maybe as the other ones even though the sounds  are a bit more like space.

[01:20:51]So this is a more soothing piece, relaxing.

[01:21:39]kind of beautiful.

[01:21:44]Nice contrast to the last piece.

[01:22:18]So we are halfway into the  song. Was just wondering if something more was going to happen.  And then the rhythms, drums coming in.

[01:22:34]Mhm. Oh, some new harmonic abs.

[01:22:48]Guitar again.

[01:22:55]Nice flute. Feels familiar.

[01:23:09]Nice base.

[01:23:15]Yes. Nice. Nice cord changes.

[01:23:32]It's a music box. Very nice.

[01:23:43]Yeah, the second part really lifted this song.

[01:23:56]So nice and balanced.

[01:24:24]Wow. Yeah, that was really nice. I mean, the first part it felt like staying in the  dietonic, like very home, feeling secure, feeling not so interesting. But then in the  second part when it shifted that was really nice.

[01:24:50]So yeah that that was one of  my my favorites from this album for sure. Okay the last piece I saw  through Platonia. What is Platonia?

[01:25:08]Backward sounding spooky like a heartbeat.

[01:25:35]Nice.

[01:25:48]Yeah, that second chord is nice. First,  it's kind of major, but it gets minor ring.

[01:26:06]So, it's like an outro.

[01:26:12]And I guess it's that it's just  going to stay between these two chords and fade out. It works for an outro.

[01:26:50]some like harp light instruments coming Yeah, that's very moody.

[01:27:10]I wonder what Platonia is. Someone  saw through Platonia. Yeah. H.

[01:27:25]Okay. Feels like some electronic equipment sounding.

[01:27:38]Okay, a couple more seconds to go.

[01:27:42]Okay, we are through.

[01:27:46]Okay, so first time listening through the whole  of Inferno and um yeah, my kids have come to bed, so I can't talk this so loudly. Talk closer  to the mic instead. Yes, my first impression is that yeah, it for sure has some good songs  on it. I Yeah, I think it was a couple like five, six ones that I really liked first time  now I listen to them and but some of them are a little bit um how to say they are not they do  not really feel like uh like a hole. It was kind of going in very many different directions just  like they haven't really found found found out or decided what this uh album is going to feature.  Some some of the tracks felt a little bit like that. I thought for a while that it was like a  concept album. I have to read about it. Maybe it is. But didn't feel like it. That's um and they  also had some new stuff I haven't heard before.

[01:29:12]They they didn't have this  uh nostalgia 70s feel to it.

[01:29:22]This was more it's more maybe like a mix mixture  of u uh the the camp fire head headphase and uh tomorrow's harvest but they also had  some new elements I haven't heard before.

[01:29:43]So they have tried to renew themselves  and I don't know if it was for the good.

[01:29:55]Probably this album will will grow when I listen  to it more times. So I mean this was the first listen. Usually music get gets get better  when you listen to it multiple times. So, I'm curious to hear what you think about it  or and if you think that I should listen, react, and analyze something else  in the future. So, let me know.