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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A return to nothing., 7 Oct 2003
I've listened to all seven Autechre albums today. And I'm still confused by those saying this is a return to pre-Confield ideas. Sure, the noises here aren't anywhere near as alien or mangled as on the previous album, but whilst that was full of incredibly eerie synths, they appear to be missing here. Drum patterns that are insanely weird and complex, yet subtle and inviting at the same time, welcome you to pretty much every track. And they guide you through. And leave you at the other side. Sure, there are synths in there, but in this case the drums really are the focus point. Which leaves it, in my book, the least accessible Ae album to date.
The drum programming is downright genius. From the insane hip-hop swagger of 6IE.CR and V-Proc, to the complete lack of time sig in Theme of Sudden Roundabout and the lack of anything that makes up an actual drum rhythm in Tapr, the rhythms are mind boggling. But one can't help feel there could be something to accompany them. Tapr has it's sinister stop/start synths, closer Reniform Puls is covered in blips and pongs, and they work brilliantly. I wonder what made them decide to condense most synth work down to little sounds that are barely distinguishable from the drums.
Now, I must talk about Surripere. For it is one of my favourite Autechre tracks. I wish more of the album was like this. A driving rhythm from simple drums and clicks opens the track, fronted by a sinister and slightly foreboding synth. It's incredibly beautiful, and just shows they guys can still write utterly stunning music, rather than utterly stunning rhythms. Halfway through, the beat takes over, and turns into an intense industrial mash-up. I'm waiting for more stuff like this. It's a move on from Confield, but it's a fantastic one.
The dark, cold sound remains, I think, but unlike previous releases, it leaves me empty. This isn't the undergrowth of an alien planet like Confield, nor the industrial machine of Tri Repetae. It doesn't sound finished.Gosh, that sounds FAR more negative than it should. I really enjoy the album. Maybe I've listened too much an am spending all my time comparing it to their previous albums.
I'm still very curious as to where they're heading next.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Squonk than you can shake a drane at, 8 April 2003
This is Autechre kids!. They are the most important British band of the last 10 years. Hyperbole perhaps. History may prove me wrong, but in years to come I reckon these are the guys who will be hailed as the real musical pioneers, the ones who really pushed the envelope. They will be on the front of MOJO, original versions of their LPs will be changing hands for huge amounts on Ebay. (they are already). Me and all the other aging hipsters will be queuing up to buy their 20th anniversary box set from HMV on Mars, sometime in 2013. Forget Massive Attack, Moby and all those other advert jingle-writers. Even the Aphex Twin cannot touch 'em. This always was, and still is the music of the future.
Autechre require some effort from the listener. They have never been instant, easy listening. They make sounds you haven't heard before, melodies that defy all standard practice and convention, beats that are beyond the comprehension of us mere humans...and yet still somewhat funky. If you haven't heard much Autechre this maybe isn't the one to start with. To my Autechre-ised ears this is a work of astonishing beauty, joy and genius. But you need some preparation and initiation. So go back and buy all their LPs and listen to them all in sequence. Give each one six months to sink in. Autechre music is so complex and radical that even diehard fans like me need to spend time getting to grips with each new release. If you like them, you'll find each record a very rewarding experience that grows with each listen. Draft 7.30 itself is superb. Their best since 'Chiastic Slide' I think. The beats are less frantic and garbled than 'Confield' (perhaps their most extreme release to date). Those chilly, trademark melodies make a welcome return. And yet this still sounds like nothing else around and there is still a lot of information to absorb. Like all Autechre albums this needs a good 20 or so plays before it sinks in, but at this early stage I'm giving it five stars!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm a 'Yes', 7 Jan 2007
Clearly this album has divided opinion in a fairly major way, although I feel its worth pointing out that a lot of the negative feeling towards Draft 7.30 seems to stem from nostalgia towards Autechre's more harmonious early work. I personally came to Autechre quite late, and whilst I do now enjoy their early releases right back as far as Incunabula (in the same way that I enjoy Hotel Morgen by To Rococo Rot), it was this and Gantz Graf that got me in to Autechre, and these are still my favourites.
If you're the kind of person who runs a mile from music which revels in being deliberately complex then perhaps this is not for you, although I would argue that it is entirely justified here, as the achievement of this album is not limited to its complexity (the whole soundworld is both exciting and deeply satisfying; the complexity helps to sustain it for 60 minutes). If like me you enjoy finding musicality wrapped up lovingly and somewhat perversely in a messy exterior then you will enjoy this even more.
You may be puzzled to find some reviews saying this album is rich in melody and some saying it has none. Personally I'd describe Alberto Balsalm by Aphex Twin as a melody and say that what this album has is a lot of good hooks. More to the point, I think the guy really nailed it that said this album is more about texture, as whilst many a decent hook is indeed given its moment of glory, they tend to get swallowed up by the all-powerful and ever-shifting texture.
As for the complaint that this is a step backwards from Confield, I would suggest that to make tracks like Lentic Catachresis any more 'extreme' than they already are would literally leave you with just the random thudding, which would be somewhat pointless. This, instead, is an intelligent development of what Confield does, i.e a relatively small sound pallet, but in many varying and jarring combinations to increase longevity.
I'm definitely putting myself on the 'this is awesome' list, don't judge too quickly as the album really takes off around track 3, although no doubt you will return to tracks 1 and 2 later.
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