XI year old Autechre Album Released: Exai (WARP234)

[Guest thrones]

my third listen in...and i have a severe case of 'this god damn motherfucker sounds so familiar' on many tracks as sif like autechre are quoting themselfs or somfing...i didnt have this feelings at first....i have had a few alcomohoic beverages though....adn the first couple of tracks are not as jarringly chaotic as i first thought they were on thirst listerine. beach.

Edited February 13, 2013 by thrones

[khov]

I think the review is a bit dumb regarding the abstract electronic music (farmermanual, oval, autechre) of late 90s / early 2000s. Sure it didnt have loads of melodies, it was abstract & a bit noisey, But the passion for "fresh" (at that time) computerish processes (max:msp etc) was pretty important in the creative process of those artists. Many records from that time still sounds fucking good (endless summer, ovalcommers, confield) & saying its not as powerfull as sound master François Bayle is like comparing Nirvana/pixies/my bloody valentine to the Jimy Hendrix experience...

[Npoess]

I get some serious Garbage EP vibes, everytime I listen to bladelores. It also, for some reason, kind of reminds of the Skeng remix they did.

[blos]

[Guest the anonymous forumite]

I'm inclined to say that the last part of irlite (@ 8.30) is the most thrilling part of Exai. Brilliant stuff.

[modey]

drane2 watch out YJY UX is nipping at your heels

 

 

yup. This is what I thought. They sure know how to end their albums!

 

I get some serious Garbage EP vibes, everytime I listen to bladelores. It also, for some reason, kind of reminds of the Skeng remix they did.

 

 

yeah, definitely, on both of these comparisons. I just wish they'd saved the most intense part for the end, rather than blowing it halfway through. It does have a kind of post-modern feel that way, though. Like the 'proper' track is the first five minutes, then the rest is like a reprise, or something. The ending fadeout is sublime though.

Edited February 13, 2013 by modey

[cear]

it's 3:03 o'clooooooooooock

30000003 o'clooooaaoccck

[Lianne]

What an awful, awful review. Actually, that Wire review reminds me why I think the whole way music is generally reviewed needs to be flipped on its head (not that I can talk! But I know I am definitely no reviewer...) It's like reviews have nothing to do with the sounds or the music but rather some weird narrative of music, and when it comes to this kind of music the narrative is always the same and rather dull (in opposition to the 'failed experimentation' of the 2000s). Sure, I can see why the reviewer has ascribed that narrative to ae, but I think he's totally missed the point, and I could just as easily come up with a different one. The boys themselves keep emphasising the fact they aren't conceptual at all and simply follow their evolving tastes - so just listen to the music! The ways music is generally reviewed means you can proudly write off entire swathes of work (Confield-era Autechre) as part of your 'assessment', which is really just a bunch of references. But when I hear Confield, I just hear really fascinating music. I'm sure that reviewer could hear fascinating music, too, if he wasn't so obsessed with his story

[Guest RadarJammer]

reviews are for kids, silly rabbit

[modey]

it's 3:03 o'clooooooooooock

30000003 o'clooooaaoccck

 

 

[thegirlnextdoor]

vekoS, is that the sound of cats from 1.03 (neko in japanese) ?

[Friendly Foil]

it's 3:03 o'clooooooooooock

30000003 o'clooooaaoccck

lol

[exm]

Thinking of removing the first 4 minutes of recks on...don't like that part. The rest of the track is almost the best on Exai

[Hugh Mughnus]

 

it's 3:03 o'clooooooooooock

30000003 o'clooooaaoccck

 

 

 

 

hell yeah!

[beariksson]

Fleure is sillily lush

[Plarkreluke Banloboh]

 

that's kind of what i like about it. it is a nod to their very beginnings.

I tried that but fell over.

[Plarkreluke Banloboh]

I remember when I 'got' Iera. I was kind of depressed and feeling sick of my family and such...and I was walking around and I started to feel like everything around me was sickly and diseased. Iera was the sound of such a feeling.

I chopped this quote from the Untilted thread because I had a similar experience/breakthrough to this with Bladelores and it now has become the most impressive track to me.

[sweepstakes]

I'm inclined to say that the last part of irlite (@ 8.30) is the most thrilling part of Exai. Brilliant stuff.

Yes. That track is probably the most dynamic on an album that's already pretty dynamic.

 

Also the last 15 seconds to me are really beautiful. Reminds me of Ecobondage (Ending). So happy to hear another one of these simple, gorgeous melodies in an Autechre track.

[eugene]

can't wait for pitchfork review, my prediction is 8.2.

[jules]

Thinking of removing the first 4 minutes of recks on...don't like that part. The rest of the track is almost the best on Exai

 

 

 

 

 

 

also, on my ride in to the office today, tuinorizn really struck me. really love that track now.

 

i am still struggling with the first half of fleure, but the second half is a monster.

[exm]

 

Thinking of removing the first 4 minutes of recks on...don't like that part. The rest of the track is almost the best on Exai

 

 

 

 

 

 

also, on my ride in to the office today, tuinorizn really struck me. really love that track now.

 

i am still struggling with the first half of fleure, but the second half is a monster.

lol...but for real, i've removed it...great shit

[jules]

[thehauntingsoul]

So I did my stoned-as-all-hell walk in the woods last night. I walked to the start of the path into the woods, smoked a huge bowl and started the album.

 

FLeure was fun although once the track fell away the fear started to set in. Like what if there is a bear, because I totally would not hear it at all until it was eating my guts. I pondered turning around but decided to continue. By the time irlite was on I was very afraid and looking around everywhere. When prac-f came on I started to feel a bit more comfortable. By Jatevee C I realized I was being paranoid and the forest wasn't dangerous and that was pretty blissful. By t ess xi I realized I had to piss really badly so did so but I was so high I put my dick away before shaking and leaked quite a lot of piss in my pants. By the time vekoS was playing I was full on stomping and marching through the woods. Then Flep came on as I came to a very long boardwalk across a swamp. I shambled robotically to the rhythm. Tuinorizn was another fun stomper, and Bladelores came on just as I was beginning to get lost.

1 1 is marked the point where the pink sky began to turn pitch black but I was about an hour into the woods and totally lost anyways so I wasn't getting out of there soon. I smoked another fat bowl and when nodezsh came on I began to become afraid again. Like nocturnal predators might be coming out now, like wolves or something. They would all probably be hungry.Then I almost ran smack into a deer and only noticed it a few feet away. I pulled out my flashlight and its eyes lit up freaking me out. I backed away because I couldn't tell if it was a deer or a wolf. I decided I would break into a full on run when runrepik came on (for obvious reasons) and that was pretty intense. I had resolved to stop running at cloudline but spl9 surprised me somehow and so I decided I had to continue running for spl9. Some point around this time I found my way onto a main trail. When cloudline came on I was on a very long perfectly straight path all the way to my house, but decided to march slowly in the snowbank off to the side because of the pacing. for deco Loc nothing particularly interesting. Recks on had me back into the suburbs and YJY UX had me fondly remembering my experience. I passed by the first school I ever attended when keyosc was playing which made me remember those days. Then I got home and my feet hurt like motherfuck.

 

And that's why I don't do psychedelics anymore.

Edited February 13, 2013 by thehauntingsoul

[Soloman Tump]

So I did my stoned-as-all-hell walk in the woods last night. I walked to the start of the path into the woods, smoked a huge bowl and started the album.

 

FLeure was fun although once the track fell away the fear started to set in. Like what if there is a bear, because I totally would not hear it at all until it was eating my guts. I pondered turning around but decided to continue. By the time irlite was on I was very afraid and looking around everywhere. When prac-f came on I started to feel a bit more comfortable. By Jatevee C I realized I was being paranoid and the forest wasn't dangerous and that was pretty blissful. By t ess xi I realized I had to piss really badly so did so but I was so high I put my dick away before shaking and leaked quite a lot of piss in my pants. By the time vekoS was playing I was full on stomping and marching through the woods. Then Flep came on as I came to a very long boardwalk across a swamp. I shambled robotically to the rhythm. Tuinorizn was another fun stomper, and Bladelores came on just as I was beginning to get lost.

 

1 1 is marked the point where the pink sky began to turn pitch black but I was about an hour into the woods and totally lost anyways so I wasn't getting out of there soon. I smoked another fat bowl and when nodezsh came on I began to become afraid again. Like nocturnal predators might be coming out now, like wolves or something. They would all probably be hungry.Then I almost ran smack into a deer and only noticed it a few feet away. I pulled out my flashlight and its eyes lit up freaking me out. I backed away because I couldn't tell if it was a deer or a wolf. I decided I would break into a full on run when runrepik came on (for obvious reasons) and that was pretty intense. I had resolved to stop running at cloudline but spl9 surprised me somehow and so I decided I had to continue running for spl9. Some point around this time I found my way onto a main trail. When cloudline came on I was on a very long perfectly straight path all the way to my house, but decided to march slowly in the snowbank off to the side because of the pacing. for deco Loc nothing particularly interesting. Recks on had me back into the suburbs and YJY UX had me fondly remembering my experience. I passed by the first school I ever attended when keyosc was playing which made me remember those days. Then I got home and my feet hurt like motherfuck.

 

And that's why I don't do psychedelics anymore.

 

Much better than the wire review.

You should get a promo from Warp next time.

 

edit

 

PS its 303oclockkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Edited February 13, 2013 by feltcher

[encey]

 

I'm inclined to say that the last part of irlite (@ 8.30) is the most thrilling part of Exai. Brilliant stuff.

Yes. That track is probably the most dynamic on an album that's already pretty dynamic.

 

Also the last 15 seconds to me are really beautiful. Reminds me of Ecobondage (Ending). So happy to hear another one of these simple, gorgeous melodies in an Autechre track.

 

The kicks make me imagine a robotic reincarnation of Rush playing this, with Peart just wailing and Lee and Lifeson headbanging to their synths, just jamming out.

 

 

hauntingsoul: 10/10, would read again!