Cat Stevens vs. Boards of Canada (feat. Austin Wintory)

CrossFade: The Dueling Album Review Show

Composer Austin Wintory (Journey, ABZÛ, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, The Pathless, The Banner Saga, and countless other games and films) is one of the best-known names in video game music – but he didn’t know anything about music for the first ten years of his life. He brought Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ 1970 hit record “Tea for the Tillerman” to CrossFade because it reminds him of his dad, and of learning music, and of the pure emotional statements that can be made through musical storytelling.

Matt’s pick, Boards of Canada’s “Music Has the Right to Children,” lets listeners find the story in between the samples, tones, patterns, and soundscapes the Scottish duo packed it with back in 1998. It was an early statement in the hauntological electronica movement that wrenched music from the world around them, reassembling sounds in a way that suggests melody and form without quite standing out.

Follow Austin at https://twitter.com/awintory and find his music at https://www.austinwintory.com/

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

Listen to the CrossFade Community Playlist of our community’s favorite music: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below…

02:29 - Austin’s early life with music

4:57 - The influence of composer Jerry Goldsmith

17:07 - Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ “Tea for the Tillerman”

26:09 - “Where Do the Children Play?”

33:29 - “Hard Headed Woman”

37:15 - “Wild World”

43:42 - “Sad Lisa”

56:09 - “Father and Son”

1:01:07 - Boards of Canada’s “Music Has the Right to Children”

1:04:34 - “Wildlife Analysis”

1:05:51 - "An Eagle in Your Mind"

1:09:18 - “Rue the Whirl”

1:14:09 - “The Color of the Fire”

1:18:17 - “Roygbiv”

1:22:00 - “Pete Standing Alone”

1:24:47 - "Telephasic Workshop"

1:29:57 - Community Questions

1:48:25 - Jethro Tull - “Thick as a Brick” (suggested by MinnMax supporter Thom Blackburn)