Autechre Self indulgent Quaristice track by track review

[springymajig]

And because it is my duty as a user of the internet to add more inconsequential, irrelevant nonsense to the collective stream of text that has no purpose other than to satisfy some odd part of my ego that makes me want to announce my opinions to a few people who have at the very least heard of Autechre:

 

"Altibzz" – Nice intro. Reminds me of a Jega track, I think it's Binary Space

"The Plc" – That first little bubbly synth reminds me of Envane and overall sounds a little like Cichlisuite but not quite as good.

"IO" – I reckon this is cheesy in a fun way.

"plyPhon" – This is awesome, if Autechre can't be bothered being poignant any more they could at least put as much effort into their beats and sounds as they did with this one.

"Perlence" – Starts off awesome then progressively fizzles out. Beginning is good cheesy fun.

"SonDEremawe" – Boring noodly bits, but serves well as a filler track.

"Simmm" – Again, starts off awesome, some of the nicest tunes they've written in ages. Gets a bit too cold and noodly in the middle for my liking but the end is pretty.

"paralel Suns" – FANTASTIC best track on the album! Even better in context, it's the beautiful treasure buried in a pile of broken toys.

"Steels" – Boring, first of many tracks that I would've called "fake" on if I heard it as a leak.

"Tankakern" – By itself I find it boring but in context it's nice having something that sounds this dense and atmospheric after Steels.

"rale" – Kinda just feels like part two of the previous track. I like it better with rapping over the top that someone on here did as a mash up.

"Fol3" – Boring noodly noise, pointless

"fwzE" – Again I can't believe this is really Autechre, this must've taken them 5 minutes to do, considering the quality on some of the other tracks here.

"90101-5l-l" – I really like this track, I'm not sure why cos I like me melodies and this isn't melodic at all. Cool beat and sounds I guess are enought to keep my attention.

"bnc Castl" - And one last track that just sounds too cheesy, sloppy, and underdeveloped to sound like Autechre. It sounds like they were trying to get into the heads of a 12 year old who got their hands on some basic music software and tried to sound like Autechre.

"Theswere" – Nice little tune, average in terms of texture.

"WNSN" – This is awesome. It reminds me of Zeiss Contrarex.

"chenc9" – HOLY CRAP this sounds like Aphex Twin! Like exactly! Until it starts breaking down.... like he made them the first bit and then told them to use that as the beginning but finish off the rest of it. It feels a little out of place but I still quite like it.

"Notwo" – AWESOME tunes, dark but in a way that's really pretty.

"Outh9X" – Same as above.

 

I haven't got Untilted, and I never really got into Draft7.30 (sometimes I really hate that album, other times I will get into a few of the tracks). But there's a lot of tracks on here that I actually like and all of them work well with each other... the album has a good flow.

 

I think anyone who thinks they've gone off the rails a bit (like I did) should give this album a chance at least, because I think there's a lot of stuff that is reminiscent of their Chiastic Slide - Confield era.

[Blir]

I don't understand the Fwze hate. That's a wicked tune!

[AJW]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

[springymajig]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

 

This really surprised me but that's probably true. I had heard almost all of it before but only in bits and pieces, so I wasn't too keen on it. I only bought it cos I found it on special, but now that I've heard it work as a whole I was pleasantly surprised. Even though there's a bunch of tracks I don't like they fit into the album really well and I find myself listening to them anyway.

[Guest ataraxy2]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

 

I'd have to strongly disagree. I find Quaristice works BEST when singling out tracks, because as a whole, it falls apart due to inconsistency and in general weak content.

[AJW]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

 

I'd have to strongly disagree. I find Quaristice works BEST when singling out tracks, because as a whole, it falls apart due to inconsistency and in general weak content.

 

On most previous Autechre releases, the tracks are relatively long and have a sense of being a whole. Whereas on Quaristice, the tracks are all so short and there are so many of them, this gave me the feeling that they were all tiny pieces in a Quaristice puzzle. And on listening to it from start to finish it begins to take the form of an Autechre monolith, like stepping back and suddenly viewing a painting in a totally different way.

However I do agree that the material on Quaristice in undeniably weaker than most other Autechre stuff, it's just an interesting way they've pieced this one together.

[thehauntingsoul]

Good read, glad to see new people are into the self-indulgent Autechre rants. I'd have to disagree on a few points though, namely steels and fwzE. Steels is amazing, it's like the machine waking up after falling asleep in paralel suns, and its incoherency is probably deliberate considering the placement in the album. fwzE is one of my favs on Quaristice too, I don't see why you don't like it. It's like Dropp from ep7, but with a little less melody and a little more beat fuckery.

[berndspring1974]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

 

I'd have to strongly disagree. I find Quaristice works BEST when singling out tracks, because as a whole, it falls apart due to inconsistency and in general weak content.

 

yep, at least 50% of the tracks suck big time. the good tracks are really really really good, but the other half...meh

[TwiddleBot]

Steels is amazing, it's like the machine waking up after falling asleep in paralel suns

 

Totally agreed, that's one of my favorite parts of the album. Wicked synth work on it and really nice use of bass and reverb as well and leads sooo nicely into the lovely tankakern. Mmmm. Tankakern.

 

And fol3 to me is only disappointing because fol4 is so terrific. That really should have been on the album. Such is me humble opinion, anyway.

[thehauntingsoul]

Steels is amazing, it's like the machine waking up after falling asleep in paralel suns

 

Totally agreed, that's one of my favorite parts of the album. Wicked synth work on it and really nice use of bass and reverb as well and leads sooo nicely into the lovely tankakern. Mmmm. Tankakern.

 

And fol3 to me is only disappointing because fol4 is so terrific. That really should have been on the album. Such is me humble opinion, anyway.

Agreed, although the way fol3 melts into fwzE makes up for it I think. And fol3 is not really that bad, it's not like I would single it out to listen to, but I wouldn't skip it on a playthrough.

[Salvatorin]

you don't know anything about autechre you sond't knw how to reveiew it you is dumb and don't konwshit

[Suffocate Peon]

If any Autechre album functions better as a whole as opposed to singling out tracks. It's Quaristice.

 

I think the opposite.

 

I always find the album too bitty to really get into.

 

I enjoy most of the tracks in isolation moreso.

[AJW]

Once again for the slow ones

 

On most previous Autechre releases, the tracks are relatively long and have a sense of being a whole. Whereas on Quaristice, the tracks are all so short and there are so many of them, this gave me the feeling that they were all tiny pieces in a Quaristice puzzle. And on listening to it from start to finish it begins to take the form of an Autechre monolith, like stepping back and suddenly viewing a painting in a totally different way.

However I do agree that the material on Quaristice in undeniably weaker than most other Autechre stuff, it's just an interesting way they've pieced this one together.

[lumpenprol]

oversteps is going to have to be a corker to make up for this pish

[Guest bigs]

you don't know anything about autechre you sond't knw how to reveiew it you is dumb and don't konwshit

[thehauntingsoul]

Once again for the slow ones

 

On most previous Autechre releases, the tracks are relatively long and have a sense of being a whole. Whereas on Quaristice, the tracks are all so short and there are so many of them, this gave me the feeling that they were all tiny pieces in a Quaristice puzzle. And on listening to it from start to finish it begins to take the form of an Autechre monolith, like stepping back and suddenly viewing a painting in a totally different way.

However I do agree that the material on Quaristice in undeniably weaker than most other Autechre stuff, it's just an interesting way they've pieced this one together.

I would say this fits my opinion of Quaristice pretty much 100%

[lumpenprol]

I agree with the first three words in the thread title

[thehauntingsoul]

I agree with the first three words in the thread title

lumpenprol you ol' rascal

[springymajig]

I have to agree with AWJ. I didn't really like the album at all until I listened to the whole thing in one sitting. Even the tracks that I don't like at all have a place on the album, and help the album flow well... although I wonder if maybe the Fol3/fwze combo could have been knocked back to just one track...

Fol3 isn't THAT BAD... just doesn't go anywhere and feels pointless... if feels like an intro to a track that never starts. I'm gonna have to have a look for Fol4 as it seems to be quite popular....

 

I still stand by my sentiments on fwze. Don't you dare even mention it in the same sentence as Dropp! fwze sounds like half a song to me, it sounds like a draft copy. And not in a good way. It just seems like something anybody could do.

 

That's my main gripe with Autechre these days. Back when they made EP7 and especially Confield, they had already lost most of the rich, heart wrenching melodies they used to write (with some obvious exceptions) but their sound design was AMAZING, like nothing else on the planet... Confield is one of their best albums cos it was the first time it didn't sound like it was made by machines, but made by aliens. I don't know how they thought of those sounds, much less how they made them.

 

Then Draft came out and it sounded like a bunch of synths and drum machines. And Quaristice even more so. But at least the tracks are short so I don't get bored, they're fun and a lot of it sounds like they weren't taking themselves too seriously, and when it does it's beautiful.

 

I dunno... this is all my opinion of course, I know a lot of you guys like Draft a lot but I just can't hear what it is that you like. To each their own, but this thread is about my own :P I feel like ranting about Autechre, all the Oversteps hype is really getting me back into them.

[Guest ataraxy2]

I dunno... this is all my opinion of course, I know a lot of you guys like Draft a lot but I just can't hear what it is that you like. To each their own, but this thread is about my own :P I feel like ranting about Autechre, all the Oversteps hype is really getting me back into them.

 

Draft is really an album to 'respect' more than enjoy, but it's also pretty playful. Like you I listen to various tracks on it occasionally, and it's incredible how well everything is mastered, every channel has it's own 'space'. Draft I would say is an album that works better when listened to from start to finish. Some of the things that go on in the tracks are just awesome. I was one of those who originally didn't like it - I'd say it's their most challenging album to listen to, it's overwhelming.

[hot for baphomet]

I agree with the first three words in the thread title

 

</thread>

[Salvatorin]

Fol3 isn't THAT BAD... just doesn't go anywhere and feels pointless... if feels like an intro to a track that never starts. I'm gonna have to have a look for Fol4 as it seems to be quite popular....

 

Fol3 is actually the track which I go back to again and again and consider a masterpiece. It is a sonic description of a highly bizarre object. I always thought of some kind of interdimensional wind-being appearing in the sky in front of some sky diver, trapping the sky diver in a static whirlwind as it tries to communicate with it. If you listen very closely, there are strange sounds like that of an arcade heard from outside (computer games beeping). I love how massive it sounds when you play it in (mock) quadrophonic sound.

-Real Autechre Fan

[Guest Hal9000]

I don't understand the Fwze hate. That's a wicked tune!

Agreed! Possibly my favorite Autechre track. Must be listened to at eardrum bursting levels though.

[Guest theSun]

"Fol3" – Boring noodly noise, pointless

 

wtf is wrong with you

[six]

As I think a lot of us do before a new ae release, I am listening to the past few albums to gear up. I played Quaristice last night and although it's a good listen, I think I have actually become less interested with time. There are same great tracks but the good tracks aren't built up enough and there are a few bullshit tracks (bnc castl I'm looking at you).

 

However, I played Quaristice Versions for the first time in ages and it was really enjoyable. I always considered this to be the weaker of the two because it didn't have some of my favorite tracks like rale and WNSN. But it really does work a LOT better as a cohesive album. The longer versions of most of the tracks are superior and although they left off some great tracks, it just flows a lot better as a whole I think. Then again, I'm currently listening to Confield and it's blowing away anything they've done since, oh well...

 

Here's hoping Oversteps blows me away like the Autechre of old.