Draft 7.30

by

Autechre

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I have to say that I honestly don't know how they do it. I listen to some relatively "different" stuff-- prefuse, mum, books, etc. -- but all of them, as "out there" as they are, have a certain grounding in familiar melodic and rhythmic patterns.

the last two autechre albums, by contrast, are unique (in my collection anyway) in the sense of utter, stupefied bewilderment they generate with each listen. I simply have no frame of reference for this. Yet, in certain moods, I find it an immensely satisfying listen.

As with confield, I find there to be something peculialy organic about this album, much more so than autechre's previous output. With all of the glitchery and oblique processed beats, it nevertheless feels as though there is something *alive* in this music.

Also like confield, I find this to be particularly good music to listen to when you don't feel like listening to music. There is something decomposed about it, something cannibalistic, something destructive... it's as if you're hearing the elements of music shredded, and smashed, and pureed, and strained, and then finally reconstituted -- into something that, miraculously, ultimately, reaffirms your faith in music.

If that doesn't help you understand the appeal of the new autechre, think of it this way: a lot of the essence of rock'n'roll lies in how *dirty* it is. But if the rolling stones are a pack of young ne'er-do-wells with grime on their faces and unkempt hair, autechre is a mossy, shapeless, moving hulk of mulch and smashed silicon chips, wired incorrectly and coming after you.

now, which is scarier?

That's how it sounds in my headphones right now. If you're looking at this, you're probably aware that Autechre is a very challenging listen. Their explorations seldom resemble music these days; it's an amalgam of breakbeat arrhythmias merged with granular dysfunction over a swath of downsampled melodies that skip and blurp in a seemingly random fashion. Most of the reviewers here concede that Autechre doesn't care if they alienate their fans. Maybe so, or maybe they're just so far ahead that it will take us years to catch up and fully appreciate it. Whatever the case may be, I continue to buy their records. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, one thing is clear: nobody else sounds like Autechre. My 3 year old son says it sounds like broken robot music. Yeah, that's about right.