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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A welcome change, but..., 2 Feb 2008
I've always been a fan of what I refer to as Autechre's "Grand Synthesis" era from Tri Repetae to EP7 when their music was the perfect marriage of unique and original melody, harmony and timbre combined with adventurous beats and percussion. More importantly, the music from that era was "polished" in the sense that the compositions seemed meticulously crafted, each one brimming with fantastic ideas and visual metaphors. Although later releases like Confield, Gantz Graf (and to some extent, EP7) show that Autechre are capable of dirtier, complex and abstract stuff, those albums were still harnessed and meticulous in their execution.
Autechre's more recent efforts, Draft 7.30 and Untilted, have seen Autechre explore a percussive, beat-focused sound. Untilted especially seems to give off the feel of a 'live' Autechre jam / performance in that there is a reduced emphasis on the timbre and rhythm changing dynamically over time. This 'linear' approach has left many Autechre fans at odds with their current direction (myself included) and while I applaud the fact that they are not settling into replicating an aesthetic and a way of working that they mastered over 10 years ago, I still haven't come to terms with this new direction.
Fortunately, Quaristice is a step in the right direction for those of us who want to see a return to the "Grand Synthesis" era. Melody, harmony and use of pitched sounds in an ordered, musical way has taken a step forward into the light on a lot of these tracks; the beats are exicting and inventive sonically; there's a lot going on and one will find Autechre covering a lot of ground from beatless soundscapes ('paralel Suns') to melody rich, traditional ventures ('The Plc') to expansive, exclusively percussive workouts ('rale'). A few tracks, such as "Simm" and "Altibzz" are simply divine and some of the best of Autechre's post-2000 music.
The big BUT, however - like the previous album, many of the tracks have a live 'jam' feel to them- fixed percussive timbres skitter about aimlessly, beats clash and a lot of tracks fail to go anywhere- exciting elements enter and leave tracks here and there without contributing much to the whole. In fact, the short lived nature of the 20 tracks on this single album give the impression that a lot of them could easily be aborted live jams - cutting room drops that have been bundled on to a CD with no real consideration to progression or pacing.
Essentially I don't mind - it's a step in the direction I hoped Autechre would take and I must say that the album is a lot of FUN - there's a lot quirky crap and ideas floating around on each track, most of which do not outstay their welcome due to their short length. Furthermore, I suppose that on the grander scheme of things, they are once again trying something new. I just hope future releases can reign in some of these ideas and develop them into tracks that demand more of your attention.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good album, 24 Mar 2008
Like all good albums, it takes multiple listens for it to make sense.
And like all good albums, it feels more like a journey than a mere collection of songs.
And like all good albums, context is everything. It must be listened to in the right circumstances.
I started to love this album after loading it onto my MP3 player and listening whilst making a nocturnal journey across Manchester one very cold evening. These brutal, metallic soundscapes perfectly evoke such oppressive cityscapes as that through which I was walking. The harsh yellow lighting, imposing towers and decaying remnants of the industrial age had found their perfect soundtrack. It was almost as if this album had been specifically written with my journey in mind. The terrifying "Rale", for instance, came on just as I was walking through a dark and damp tunnel near Deansgate. My pace quickened and I had difficulty differentiating between sounds on the album and sounds from the real world. Buzzing lamp posts, roaring traffic, indistinguishable drones, rattling windows, distant shouts...it all merged into one nightmarish cohesive whole which came to a chilling fruition outside of the Museum of Science and Industry, where I was told off by security.
Yeah, it's beautiful. Initially it may not seem so, but there really are swathes of loveliness hidden underneath those horrible machinic chimes...like the almost inaudible birdsong in Tankakern, or the warming bass drones in Simm and Palalel Suns, or the interludes of lush ambiance such as the gorgeous opening Altibzz which, admittedly, are too few and far between.
Criticisms? Well, yes, at twenty tracks it is a little long. Things become a little too oppressive circa Fol3, which just sounds like a processed car crash. Also, some tracks, whilst not sounding at all out of place, are comparatively...well, unimpressive. Plyphon, for instance, sounds far too much like something from Aphex Twin's Drukqs or AFX's Chosen Lords, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's just not Autechre! (But then, what is?)
Be that as it may, things are never boring. Even the weaker tracks evolve into something far more interesting than initially they appear, and even if (on initial listens at least) it drags, never does the product feel like anything less than a cohesive whole.
In conclusion, then, a good album. It will soundtrack many an industrial nightmare for years to come.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely jubbly, 3 Feb 2008
Sitting nicely in between Confield, Untilted and EP7, Chiastic Slide and Draft 7.30. Melodies are back which will please those who couldn't handle Confield, but thankfully the bizarre randomness of their later work also remains too.
Surprisingly easy to get in to for an Autechre album but definately not lacking in depth. As with all their work, repeat listening brings more reward. Well worth the wait!
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